For those who got their lets to talk

[Dave]

If you managed to get your parrotlet to talk, share with us how you did it! What was your strategy? What methods did you use to train your let to talk?

[Lori]

When I first got Kermi I tried for weeks to get him to say "hello". He still has never said that word. However, one day I found out he goes absolutely crazy over the sound of a plastic grocery bag. I was saying "Kermi's a pretty bird" while I was playing with the plastic bag, and he repeated it. I couldn't believe my ears. Then one day my cat walked up to Kermi and we said "Wilson" (the cat's name) and Kermi repeated it. Now everytime Wilson walks up to him, he says his name. Unfortunately those are about the only words he's said in his two years. He's now trying to say "Aflac", it's quite funny. I don't really know why he picks what words he learns though. Maybe someday I'll figure it out better.

[memmey]

Lori my bird also gets excited with plastic grocery bags, I wonder what's up with that? I :rolleyes: wish someone could tell me.

[ladyscroller]

Booger talks up a storm and the only thing I did is talk to him all the time. Also the CAG Noah talks to him. I have always sang a song to him that I learned in school in 6th grade and he tries to sing it!
One day I heard him sing "Booger Bird up high in pretty bird" It is supposed to be up high in banana tree but I guess he likes his version better.
Here is what he says:
Give mom a kiss makes the kissing noise then says good boy
Booger Bird
Pretty Bird
Step up
peeky boo
He is also imitatating the noises of the cag.
Although his vocabulaty isnt real big he repeats over and over and over,
especially if he thinks nobody is listening.
Linda

[Ms_F]

When I first got Toby I would hold him on my finger and just repeatedly say "Pretty Bird". It was about 2 weeks before my husband relized his "chatter" was "pretty bird". It got clearer the more he said it. He now says "Pretty Bird", "Good Boy" & "Toby". However...after we got him a female he stopped speaking all together. We thought he had forgotten how until a year later when she was sitting on her first set of eggs. He got so bored with her in the box he just started talking up a storm to get our attention!

[Tyler]

First of all ... what IS it with parrotlets and plastic? Critter goes into a tiny rage whenever there's crinkly plastic around.

I've had Critter since May '06, and I'm amazed at how many sounds he's begun to mimic. A week or so after bringing him home, he happened to jump from one of my hands to the other, I thought it was cool so I encouraged him to do it again by saying "jump it!". He kept jumping back and forth and it seemed to be a favourite activity for a while. About a month later he started saying "Jump!" every time he jumped anywhere, even around his cage.

Since then he's simply begun to mimic things he hears often, some I've taught him on purpose by repeating them whenever he's feeling interactive (like "Look at you!") and other's he's learned himself (like the beeping of the microwave).

It seems to me that what started it all was associating one word or sound with something distinct (like an action) that he seemed to enjoy or get excited about.

- Tyler

[peekaboo]

Bruce freaks out over krinkly sounds also. He's also been dancing lately. After a few "up ups" he gets proud of himself and says "dance dance dance dance dance" while bopping left and right accross my fingers.

[Stephen]

My 1 year old Pacific Celestial (Wendell) talks constantly. I have not made any specific effort to teach him except talking to him alot. He has a vocabulary of about 15 to 20 words and 7 or 8 phrases. He has the ability to mimic what he hears, sometimes repeating phrases he's heard only 10 or so times.
Stephen

[cdholmes]

crinkly plastic or paper drives all parrotlets crazy. I have never seen one that stays calm around that sound.

[csindelar]

My little guy's vocabulary consists of about 12 words - half Czech and half English. He likes words that are spoken in a melodic way and that we would repeat frequently. He loves to say his full name (first & last) and my name (I'm his favorite :). He also frequently says "pretty bird", "little bird (in Czech), "good bye" (in Czech), "come here" (in Czech), and more. In addition he makes lots of crazy but consistent noices that I love to mimic.