Can your parrotlet talk?

[Dave]

Is your parrotlet trained to talk? What does it say?

Our Sam never learned to talk. Not sure why. He did mimic sounds though. He'd imitate laughs, our budgies' chirps, and a squeaky sound we made (it's hard to describe).

What did your parrotlets do?

[angel]

Emmi doesn't talk yet. I'm not really concerned about teaching her. She does make kissing noises tho, and she immitates the tongue clicking noise I make to the cats. It's cute!


Angel

[Skweek]

Skweek is starting to "talk". He says "skweeker". He seems to have a few different vocalization. He chatters to himself, screams when I leave the room and "peeps' when he's cuddling, like a chick. He also has this funny "growl" when he runs up to my head and nips at my temple. Too cute.

BT

[Charisma]

I've only had Baby Blue for a short time so, of course, he hasn't started any talking yet. But he makes this reallys strange "clicking" sound when he's on my shoulder. I don't know if he's mad or happy...Laugh.

[peekaboo]

Bruce has learned tons of words in the past year and a half. The funniest is when he hangs upside-down on the bars of his cage. He says:
"who's upside down?
meeeeeee!"
Then laughs hysterically. When I laugh back, he laughs even harder.

He also knows
"who's the baby?"
"bruce is the baby"
He learned to say "mommy mommy mommy mommy" as I was leaving for work. (makes me want to stay home)
"peekaboo"
"baby bruce"
"brucepants" (dont ask) :)
And when he's being noisy he tells himself "shhhhhhh"

[Dave]

"who's upside down?
meeeeeee!"
Then laughs hysterically. When I laugh back, he laughs even harder.
That's so funny! I'd love to see that. :D I like how he laughs even harder if you laugh. That's cute.

[KarynCandy]

Hi Everyone,
I just posted but it didn't show up I must of done something wrong~
so I'll try to repost what I did before~
New to the group~I just really like the way you have the room set up
very nicely done~
I am a first time owner of a parrotlet he is such a sweetheart~
He's name is "Sir KC (Casey) Kiwi" he was born in May 2006
I got him the first week of August..
he talks up a storm he also dances and does spins when he dances
and he sings as well..
for the longest time he would only talk when no one was in the room
these little guys are known as closet talkers so I've read on line..
then he started to talk only in front of me, now he does it with all the family around..
here is some of what he can say..
~pretty bird~Pretty pretty Birdie~Sexy KC~Good Morning~ night,night~go dodo~kiss,kiss~give me kiss~don't bite me~bite me~no,yes,Thank you~please~mine~do you lovce me?~I love you~play toys~he calls the dog~"Blowing a raspberry; Sticking out tongue" he does and says so much I could go on and on..he is one very smart little guy picks everything up very fast~
Thank you for letting me share with you all~

KarynCandy

[memmey]

Welcone Karyn glad to meet you and have you join the forum. I love reading evryones stories feel free to post away I knwo I will be reading them.:)

[memmey]

When Nemo says his first out loud word your gonna be like a Mother when her childs says MaMa( and not Daddy lol).

[csindelar]

My bird says about 15 words/phrases. His most common are as follows:

Quito, Quito Sindelar, Martin, Cyndee, Bye Bye (in Czech), Pretty bird, Little bird (in Czech), come (in Czech)

He also makes a very realistic kissy sound and laugh. He also has "conversations" in what sounds like made up English. This usually occurs when you are talking to him in multiple long sentences.

[bean]

Bean will 'squeak' when we are sweeping the floor.
His best sound is his chicken imitation which is very hard to catch on film but I got one in the first few seconds of the following clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SapkiNwWWLk
He will sometimes say 'doo dee doo deee doo' when I bounce him on my finger but that is rare and only witnessed by my husband twice so at least he believes me.

[bean]

Hey, I got Bean to squeak!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L00VfCjEc9E

I wish I could hear all the other plets in this group talk.

Has anyone tried to upload recordings of their birds?
I recently found this site that might have the answer. If you have a recording of your birds talking you can upload files to share for free.

http://www.wikiupload.com/

Go here to download Bean squeaking:
http://tinyurl.com/2sxna9

Oh and if you find a better hosting site, I'd be open to changing. This was just the first I came across. It seem a little clunky.

[birdiemom]

Paulie is 18 months and has been talking for quite awhile. Some days he just never shuts up
He says: It's time...nite nite
Peeky boo (and we play peeky boo a couple of times a week)
I see you
What did you do? (he hears that alot);)
stinky boy
kiss, kiss, kiss (and so on)
I gonna get you
Get your tummy
Drinkie (when he gets his fresh water)
Hi stinky...what cha doin'
And just once I heard him say"I gonna get you fuzzy little butt"
He has a tiny voice but what he says is very plain. And we laugh at him every day...he comes up with some doozys

[bean]

That is so cute! I wish I could hear it too!
k

[paula]

Karyn

How old was he when he actually began talking? How did you get him to say so many different things? How did you get him to dance/sing/spin? I have only had Oliver for a couple months and need all the help I can get in order to teach him to talk and do tricks.

Of course, you just may have an unusually smart/talented bird.

Paula

[Pado]

I have an 8 month old male that started saying 'Hello' and some other longer saying, but I couldn't make it out - this was the other weekend but he hasn't said a word since !! :(

[birdiemom]

I haven't heard of any females that talk but Im' guessing they have the ability. Like most other parrots, I guess the males do most of the talking. Talking, talking, talking to them is the key....they repeat what they hear.
And they love "happy". Be animated, like you are talking to a small child...they love that!

[memmey]

I'm sure B'jo wishes I would shut up sometimes...8 years and she just mumbles. But that blasted bell,jingle jingle jinglejingle...LOL I'm coming Jo I'm coming....

[cnstarz316]

I have a two and a half year old male parrotlet (Petri) that I've had for about eight months now. He started talking a couple of months ago and now he just won't stop chattering!

He says:
Turn around
He's a good bird
That's a pretty bird
He's such a good bird
He's a pretty Petri

Sooooo, yeah. He seems to be quite stuck on himself ;-).

[memmey]

See there Art is right ...the boys talk and the girls are quiet. Welcome to the site ,is Petri's last name dish? LOL welcome

[ArtS]

Memmey,

The girls are cuddleable green lumps and the boys are noisy nuts!


cnstarz316,

Welcome aboard! You're lucky to have a talker! My boy chatters a lot but not in english.

Regards,

Art S.

[ladyscroller]

Booger talks real good but babybird(scooter) doesnt yet but he does practice quite a bit.
Booger says
give mom a kiss
pretty bird
booger bird
good boy
peekyboo
he whisles to mock the cag
he sings our song booger bird up high in banana tree except his version is up high pretty bird.
There are others but I cant think right now.
Linda

[christyandrue]

:)In order to teach your Parrotlet to talk,
you will need to devise ways and means to entice
your Parrotlet to imitate new sounds.

As you will discover, teaching the first word to your
Parrotlet is always the most difficult.

Once you have crossed that hurdle, things become
a lot easier!

Firstly, as you probably know, Parrotlets
do not have a vocabulary of their own.

They will learn to talk only by imitating what they
hear.

And to help them practice certain sounds, you have
to diligently repeat phrases and words.

The more they hear certain words, the more likely
they are to mimic them.

A major factor that could hamper your Parrotlet's
talking ability could be the fact that you are not
interacting with him enough.

Laboratory studies show that Parrotlets
learn best with social interaction.

If your Parrotlet is slow to learn new
words, you need to ensure that you are interacting
with him for sufficient periods.

Just like any young children, Parrotlets
too need adequate stimulation AND the necessary
responses to encourage them to progress.

During a one-on-one training session, you can interact
with the bird to include 'Association', which is one of
the best methods of training a Parrotlet
to talk.

It can be done casually or deliberately. Repeat similar
types of word with animation each time you do
something, while your favorite pet watches attentively.

For example, say 'see you later!' when you leave the
house, or 'good to see you!' when you return.

After a while, the Parrotlet will associate
these phrases with your arrival and departure. It will
cheerily wave you goodbye, and give an equally
enthusiastic welcome!

The best way to encourage your Parrotlet
to imitate you is to introduce huge amounts of enthusiasm
and excitement in your voice.

If you repeat a desired response in an excited tone,
with enough clarity, the bird will soon be imitating
those words.

When he does that, you must reward him for giving the
desired response. For a Parrotlet does not
talk with the aim to converse. He just wants your attention
and approval.

To enable him to imitate human sounds, speak clearly
and loudly, emphasizing each syllable.

Words said with zeal - using hard consonants - are easy
for Parrotlets to learn.

Also, you must refrain from using foul language within
the hearing distance of your Parrotlet.

We often end up saying profane words distinctly, with a
lot of passion and very loudly. And the Parrotlets
find them very easy to mimic.

Getting rid of this unwanted vocabulary is a mighty
task that needs a great deal of knowledge, patience and
consistency. You are better off avoiding it altogether
by remembering never to use profane words near your
Parrotlet.:)

[Rosekeet]

I've only had Darcy for a few days and he's a baby, so he doesn't say anything yet. He makes very soft "peeping" noises that are pretty cute. I used to have parakeets and boy, could they scream and make a racket. Darcy's little voice is so cute and quiet compared. I hope I'll be able to teach him to say things like "hello" and "bye bye."

[kiwismom]

Kiwi says; dirty beak, beak, tickle tickle, birdie birdie birdie, birdie num nums and he makes a chewing noise that he learned when I would over-exaggerate when I was trying to get him to eat something!

[BeakerLuvsBunsen]

My boys can booth say "YUM!" but Beaker is much more pronounced

Other than that they make kissy noises and raspberry noises

[archiesmom]

My boys both say;

Kiss me baby followed by kissy sounds
peeka peeka peeka boo followed by kissy sounds
here kitty kitty
good boy good boy good boy
They also sneeze when I pretend to. All I have to say is AAAAhhhhh and they get choo. Too funny.
They also say other things that I can't figure out. Sounds like a conversation with lots of grummbling. Anything Jasper says, Archie copies.

[Cat]

So if I want a parrotlet that talks, my best bet is getting a male?

Also, what age do they typically start?

[YWallpaper]

Yes, it is usually only the males that will talk. If talking is important, you could consider getting an adult that already talks, because there are no guarantees when you are dealing with a baby. My guy started talking around 6 months of age, and my female has never mimicked anything.

[Cat]

I heard they bond better if you get a younger one - which a good bond is more important than talking to me. I just want to improve my chances of getting one that may eventually talk.

Thanks for the info!

[unpoquito]

Your best bet is to get a baby male parrotlet from a breeder that spends A LOT of time socializing their babies. Even then, many birds choose not to talk. I have a male and female. Neither speak human language, but they do speak Parrotlet Language! :)

[chapala]

Cello is male, and he doesn't talk. He's also not a Pacific but a Mexican P'let, and I know nothing about their talking abilities but probably similar to the Pacifics. I have a theory that Parrotlets and some other parrots may have an optimum learning time when they're young, and if they pass that period without appropriate human interaction, they may not learn to speak. Parrots who are known as excellent talkers seem to be able to learn at later ages, e.g. Greys and DYH or YN Amazons. If anyone has experience with a P'let who learned to talk after their first year, I'd like to hear more!

Cello was a wild caught of unknown age, but at least a couple of years old by the time he was given to me.
Reta

[archiesmom]

I have a theory that Parrotlets and some other parrots may have an optimum learning time when they're young, and if they pass that period without appropriate human interaction, they may not learn to speak.
Reta


I wonder about this too. I have tried and tried to get Jasper to learn more words and phrases but he sticks with the ones he already knows. Although, we got Archie when he was well over a year and he learnt all of Jaspers words. He doesn't talk with me the way Jasper does, just says everything during quiet times.

[Mr.Parrotlet]

Hulk is a male and he can say a couple of phrases:
-Hulk
-Good boy birdie
-Pretty birdie
-Up, up, up

he also makes duck noises, "quack quack quack"

The funny thing about him is that when he's playing on the floor and is not ready to go "up" onto my finger, he bites me. But if he's ready and wants to go, he'll say "up up up" and does not bite me.

[Crazy4tiels88]

Zazu talks up a storm and he is only 5 months old and have been talking since he was 3 months old, I handfed him so he is very bonded to me. He plays dead, he also says pretty bird, birdie birdie birdie, whatcha doing?, night night, he gives rasberries and he just learned that and he also quacks like a duck and laughs!! Melissa

[Kumiko]

Kiwi says about 14 phrases... they are all listed in my profile.

Musette has said only "birdie birdie birdie" 'cause he learned it off of Kiwi. :) and he's mimicked Kiwi's screams too. ugh..... darn you! Darn yooooouu!

[Vegasmom]

Max was about 4 months? Another trick is to speak clearly, slowly, pronouncing and emphasizing the syllables, and increase the speed without losing clarity. It helps if you show them the object if you want them to say it too. If you want them to say a sentence without an object involved, hold your bird close to your lips. You can tell they're listening when they lean foward very still with the head cocked to one side. It's soo cute! Birds also tend to do well at first with female voices since they are higher pitched and seems clearer. My YNA learned to speak with mine and my mothers voices and knocking on the door first. The dog barking and my DH came later in a lower pitch and more growly, lol.

[lisa10]

Jimmy says
-Give Mommy a Kiss! then makes a kiss sound.
-He says baby baby baby baby
-clucks like a chicken,
-does a 'jungle bird noise' that I taught him,
-whistles 'pop goes the weasel'
-says 'jimmy baby baby baby'
trying to get him to say 'whatcha doin?', cant tell, he might be trying to say that...
He is very attentive when I am talking to him. My little buddy
Lisa

[GrahamsMom]

Graham is 9 months old now and has a small vocabulary :)

- Beeper, Beeper
- Pretty Bird
- Good Boy
- Up, Up
- Mimicks laughter and kissing sounds
- Wolf Whistle

He says other things as well, but these are the most clear