How do you teach budgies to talk?

[ImaParrot]

I know that budgies can talk, but my budgies don't imitate me at all. I've been whistling "Happy Birthday" every day for a month or so. Will it just take more time, or do I need to try something else?

 

[zERo]

I know that budgies can talk, but my budgies don't imitate me at all. I've been whistling "Happy Birthday" every day for a month or so. Will it just take more time, or do I need to try something else?

Well even if you try, not all birds will talk. I notice that the talking budgies I see tend to be the only bird in the house.
Not saying they can’t talk if they have a bird friend but they’re more likely to mimic the other bird than a person.

Well timed words applied to the right situation with lots of emphasis can help too. Repetition is key.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Well even if you try, not all birds will talk. I notice that the talking budgies I see tend to be the only bird in the house.
Not saying they can’t talk if they have a bird friend but they’re more likely to mimic the other bird than a person.

Well timed words applied to the right situation with lots of emphasis can help too. Repetition is key.

The only truly talking budgie I ever had was a solo male that I got when he was less than two months old. He didn't speak on command- just when he felt like it. I repeated short phrases to him for months before he started to mimic them. "Who's your buddy" "who's your bird" "birds can't talk" and a mixture of all of it. Budgies aren't great whistlers like cockatiels are. They chirp and chatter and it when they chatter that you may hear words. "Bird" is probably the easiest word for budgies to say.
My current budgie, Rocky, is a female I hand raised from an egg and she is muttering "baby bird" and other incomprehensible human sounds. So females can talk but it's harder to teach them and a budgie that shares a cage with other budgies will rarely talk.
It really shouldn't matter whether our birds "talk". It's really just a "parlor trick" and has no reflection on the bird's worth as a companion or as merely a beautiful bird. I'd take a bird that enjoys my company over a talker any day.

 

[OttoVonRuthless]

I know that budgies can talk, but my budgies don't imitate me at all. I've been whistling "Happy Birthday" every day for a month or so. Will it just take more time, or do I need to try something else?

Try something simple like "call" or wolf whistle or even just your budgies name. This is my first talking parakeet and I've had many. My parakeet learned the "wolf" whistle first then his name Otto... Many other words and 2 whistles from there.
Bring your bird to a quiet comfortable/ safe place,just the 2 of you and repeat its name or a whistle ... Make it fun, use happy excited voices reward with a treat after each session. Remember it takes time and not all budgies will talk especially if they have bird friends.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Try something simple like "call" or wolf whistle or even just your budgies name. This is my first talking parakeet and I've had many. My parakeet learned the "wolf" whistle first then his name Otto... Many other words and 2 whistles from there.
Bring your bird to a quiet comfortable/ safe place,just the 2 of you and repeat its name or a whistle ... Make it fun, use happy excited voices reward with a treat after each session. Remember it takes time and not all budgies will talk especially if they have bird friends.

I have had several talking budgies over the years and they were all solo male birds that were bonded to me and I spent a lot of one on one time with. I have never heard a budgie whistle like a cockatiel can. I had a cockatiel that was a great whistler. If you Google talking budgies and watch videos of them you will see that the sounds they mimic all have a similar quality and I don't think classic whistling is one of the sounds they typically make. I googled whistling budgie video and I didn't see any really whistling. I'd love to hear a budgie actually whistling but I think you're much more likely to hear one say happy birthday than whistle the tune.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I have had several talking budgies over the years and they were all solo male birds that were bonded to me and I spent a lot of one on one time with. I have never heard a budgie whistle like a cockatiel can. I had a cockatiel that was a great whistler. If you Google talking budgies and watch videos of them you will see that the sounds they mimic all have a similar quality and I don't think classic whistling is one of the sounds they typically make. I googled whistling budgie video and I didn't see any really whistling. I'd love to hear a budgie actually whistling but I think you're much more likely to hear one say happy birthday than whistle the tune.

Okay! I just saw a cute green male budgie whistle a few notes on a video. His name is Mr. Pouf and he whistled a few notes quite well but not a whole tune the way some cockatiels can.

 

[OttoVonRuthless]

Okay! I just saw a cute green male budgie whistle a few notes on a video. His name is Mr. Pouf and he whistled a few notes quite well but not a whole tune the way some cockatiels can.

My budgie only knows simple whistles, no tunes/songs. Wolf, call and one I can't think of the name. Whistling happy birthday wouldn't be a simple whistle - it's a song I agree it's likely to learn to say happy birthday than whistle the song. They definitely can learn just takes time and patience. Yes, agreed solo budgies usually males learn better than bonded budgies. (Though females too can talk just a bit harder.)

 

[OttoVonRuthless]

Okay! I just saw a cute green male budgie whistle a few notes on a video. His name is Mr. Pouf and he whistled a few notes quite well but not a whole tune the way some cockatiels can.

I've never tried to teach Otto to whistle tunes/ songs. I'm not a great whistler so I just taught ones I can do. Lol I'm happy with his 3 whistles and just teaching words, phrases etc. He's a smart boy. 😊

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My budgie only knows simple whistles, no tunes/songs. Wolf, call and one I can't think of the name. Whistling happy birthday wouldn't be a simple whistle - it's a song I agree it's likely to learn to say happy birthday than whistle the song. They definitely can learn just takes time and patience. Yes, agreed solo budgies usually males learn better than bonded budgies. (Though females too can talk just a bit harder.)

My female Rocky says Baby Bird

 

[OttoVonRuthless]

My female Rocky says Baby Bird

Soo cute!