Lorne96

New member
Jul 7, 2018
27
0
Hello again! Here to ask yet more questions before I get my bird next year haha. So I read that not every bird talks, but Indian ringnecks will more than likely talk if given the proper training and time and effort. Is this true? I really want my ringneck to talk (if it doesn't then I will still love and train the bird and it will live with me forever regardless but I would love it if it spoke!) Is there any way i can make sure the bird talks? I have read about repeating phrases over and over and if the bird imitates it then give it a treat or a pet if it likes that or another positive action towards the bird, i have also read that leaving on a recording during the day of either my voice or someone elses voice repeating words and phrases when I am not here (work for example) can also help them learn words. I have started reading into clicker training too but haven't read to much yet what I can use this for. I have read that the first thing you should teach a bird is to step up and down as then the bird it gets used to your hands and fingers. I have been reading about training a bird to stop biting, I read that if the bird bites don't flinch or move away or put the bird back but instead push light up and back as this makes the bird lose balance a little and let go. Is this a good way of training the bird not to bite? Should I say 'no' every time the bird bites and I do this action? I have also read into teaching the bird to 'go poop' on certain stands or in the cage instead of anywhere, i read this can be quite difficult and I'm unsure of the best technique. I have read into training a bird not to scream, there seems to be a few ways of doing this so I am wondering what is everyone's best method to stop the bird screaming? (I don't mind bird screams they are ear piercing but still cute! But my other half doesn't like much constant noise) Does covering the cage with a blackout sheet stop the bird screaming? When I am in the house I will be walking away from the cage every time I screams and give it a treat when it has been quiet for a while to train it that being quiet equals treats but while i am not here (my boyfriend isnt willing to help me train or feed or do much with the bird, that's fine by me he just doesn't like the responsibility of pets and it's a compromise to me getting the bird also!) So just wondering if I am not here to reinforce the bird to stop screaming, if my boyfriend covered the bird up until I stopped would this be a short way of stopping the bird screaming or is there better ways I haven't read about? Any other tips and tricks on training or if you think I should look into certain types of training that I haven't read about yet please let me know! Thanks in advance :D
 

Aspie_Aviphile

New member
Jul 19, 2018
145
13
England
Parrots
Biddy, budgie, departed 2nd Sept 2018; Bo, Indian Ringneck, 5th Feb 2020; </3
Unlike some species, IRNs can't speak in a low pitch or average adult human pitch, so try to keep your own voice high when you say things you'd like to them to learn. Use interesting inflections, as you would when speaking to a toddler. And don't speak quietly because their hearing is not as sensitive as ours.

I would not use recordings to teach a parrot to speak, they're too intelligent for that not to annoy them in my opinion. Just like toddlers, they're much more likely to repeat words and phrases that are said to them or around them in face-to-face situations, not just from what they hear on a recording or on TV, and if the parrot does repeat something they've learned that way, they won't know what it means, so they won't be able to use it in its proper context. I only say "hello" to my birds when I walk into the room, when I move closer to them or they move closer to me, and I make eye contact, so they know it's a greeting. I say "I love you" with soft eye contact/slow blinking/winking eyes or soft tongue tutting so that they know it signifies affection. Many parrots as a result of hearing phrases always in the correct context, say them in that context, e.g. when offered food they don't want, will tell you exactly which food they want instead, if you always give the name of the food item when the parrot puts the item in its beak. My IRN says the words and phrases he knows in amongst his whistles, duck sounds, budgerigar sounds etc. whenever it's his several chatty times of day, rather than only in the correct context, just because he enjoys saying them, so if you want a parrot to repeat phrases frequently throughout the day, using them only in the proper context still results in a parrot being motivated to say them a lot. But you have the added bonus that your bird might learn to communicate potentially useful things to you, e.g. telling you what he wants or reminding you part of his routine you've forgotten like "time for bed" if you always say that when covering him for the night.
 
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chris-md

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2010
4,349
2,119
Maryland - USA
Parrots
Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
You can’t train a parrot to speak it’s first word. Either it’s going to speak or it isn’t. That’s up to the bird. And as stated above, if they do speak, it’ll likely be one of the common things it hears the most.

The training comes AFTER they speak. Once they speak, you can reward this and encourage it to happen more often.
 

Aspie_Aviphile

New member
Jul 19, 2018
145
13
England
Parrots
Biddy, budgie, departed 2nd Sept 2018; Bo, Indian Ringneck, 5th Feb 2020; </3
^Good point!

I should have mentioned before, although there is no guarantee that a member of any species will talk once you've got them home, your absolute best chance of getting a talking parrot is from a) choosing a species known for having over 50% talkers, which you've done, and b) adopting an individual who is already speaking or going through the "babbling" stage that indicates a desire to speak. Even then, the parrot is likely to go quiet at least temporarily due to the stress of moving to a new home.

The most important thing is that you're confident that if your parrot shows no sign of speaking a year later, you'll have by then fallen in love with the other aspects of parrot companionship, and the decades of time and attention involved in their care won't feel like burden you wish you hadn't taken on. Look up videos or meet people with parrots and make sure that other aspects also appeal to you strongly, e.g. cuddles and cute vocalisations and body language, trick training, flight training, being amazed by their creative problem solving and ability to outsmart you and other animals, watching their antics (IRNs are very acrobatic, strong climbers and great fliers, so are among the best to watch in my opinion).
 

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