Teaching a Parrot to Speak
If it was possible that animals could speak, it would have been something extremely nice. But you must be faced with the reality that this is almost a rare impossibility. But the softer side of this is that animals can imitate human beings. One of such animals is the parrot. Parrots are very clever creatures and just like people, you can teach them to speak.
Parrots are very lively animals most of their chattering is done either in the early hours of the day or in the morning. This is the more reason why these periods have been thought of as the most effective time to teach them.
If you intend to teach a parrot to talk, you should know that this will never be easy on your part. Most of the teachings will only be effective through a lot of repetition. Therefore, you will have to be enduring in whatever you do and as soon as your parrots succeeds in getting at what you have taught, it is sometimes good to approve of this by giving something to eat. Keep in mind that this is a gesture which suggests to the parrot that whenever it does something correct, it will be offered something to eat. And of course, make sure that what you offer it should be its favourite food.
Another lesson when teaching the parrot is to do that in a very confined and undisturbed environment. You must know that although parrots are very attentive birds, they are known to be anxious by the least for of distraction. This is the more reason why the radio or television should never be let on while teaching the parrot. Also make sure that there is no other person around to steal the attention of the parrot. You can let every other person come back around as soon as you are through with your lessons.
How to you determine if the parrot is paying attention to you? This is simple. Once the parrots perches it self high and erect, with its body posture as if it is ready to act, you will also notice that the pupils of the eyes are quickly shifting. This is the right for you to say what you want and this should be said loudly and clearly.
Making verbal repetitions to the parrot is not enough. If you want to the parrot to learn well, your words should be matched with actions. This is a very fast way to let it relate ways to actions. Research has proven that this method is very effective in teaching almost every parrot. For example, through this method, the African Gray Parrots has been noted to learn and know at least three hundred words and the range of words can even be more when talking of other species of parrots.
Not every person will be skilled in teaching the parrot. First and foremost, you must have a very clear female tone. Men should avoid teaching the parrot with a heavy and deep voice. Every lesson should not exceed twenty minutes.
Start from the basic. This will include most of what is either spoken or heard on a daily basis. You can only move to more difficult words if you are certain that the parrots is skilled enough in knowing the basics.
