Hi!

So, I skimmed through every section and didn't directly see any topics about Budgie's talking (repetition of human speech). I have heard that Budgies do have the ability to "talk". My grandmother said she had a parakeet growing up that used to say "LEO" all the time because he over heard Leo's wife screaming his name all the time hahaha.

My little guy is young, I was wondering if there is an age that they gain the ability to "talk". I know my African Grey didn't start repeating words until she was over a year old (although when she was very young she began repeating sounds like water dropping and the oven timer).

Is there a guide on this site that talks about training Budgies to "talk". I know the toy recorder is effective, but I was wondering about your opinions. Thank you!

Hi Katie

A single budgie bonded to its owner is much more likely to talk than one kept with other budgie. Males are more likely to talk than females. Teaching them is a a bit of a lottery in the sense that some birds are just more inclined to copy human speech than others, but basically it’s noticing that the bird seems especially attentive to your voice, bringing your face close to them and repeating a short phrase.
In the same way that a child learns to talk, it often takes time for their clarity to improve and ‘speech-like utterances’ are often a sign that you may have a future talker. A funny little quirk is that often a budgie will ‘practice’ when the owner isn’t around.

If you can’t find a sticky note on something, you can always use the search box on the site to help find old threads.

__________________

I've had my budgie Steve for almost 4 years. He's a normal green and bought him from a Pet-value plus store who takes very good care of their birds (but don't know much about sexing) but he was probably no more than three months old and took it slowly and in about a month he was very tame (but I'll say not bondedat that time). Our grandkids are with us and I thought they'd like to have him talk. So I started with a phrase "what-ch do-in steve" and as he became tame to the point he'd come over the cage bars and watch my face as I spoke. Within about a month I heard him practicing and with more repetition the phrase came out perfect, (as a guy I'm a bass and his voice is lower but very clear). Kids started asking me for more things to say. In order, some of his accomplishments "baby bird", "what kind-of-a-bird are you?", "do you believe in unicorns?" emphasizes the "s", "what seems to be the problem officer?"... (from Disco's web site) and some beat boxing sounds. I'm pretty busy now days and haven't tried anything more but he would be a good candidate for more. The kids just like to hear some of his "oldies". Main thing is, I think they do better with phases (one syllable might be boring). Just remember there's no guarantees and every bird is an individual. No harm to give it a try. Budgies don't have to talk to be fun. A lot of parrot in a small package.

Our male budgie, Tahoe, talks. I don't like to take too much credit in teaching him from the start because he was trying to say a couple unclear words when he was given to us. After having him for a couple years and encouraging him to say short words and phrases, he talks all the time. He enjoys watching/hearing Disco the Parakeet clips, which I like to think helped him learn too. Most of what he rambles on about is hard to make out, but he can clearly say: Chirp chirp, I'm a bird, Tahoe, baby bird, Bell bird, HI!, come here, come on, parakeet, I'm cute, what, what are you doing, kissing noises, and some other mumbled stuff.

__________________

I've never taught any of my budgies to talk. Usually repeating words or phrases is a great way to teach them. Like saying "hello" every time you see them. Some budgies however never learn to talk. It's also important to keep in mind that African Greys are known for being some of the best talkers in the bird world. While budgies are capable of learning many words, I wouldn't be expecting them to have the same ability as an African Grey would.

My budgie has learnt to say "pretty boy" although he's not very clear when he says it. But he also mimics my canary very well, so well that it's hard to tell them apart sometimes. It's very funny when they're singing in unison.
I have a feeling that the best time they'll pick up words is when they're young.

The best thing to do is to repeat one word or phrase to your budgie several times throughout the day.
Use the same inflection each time.

I had a budgie when I was growing up that said a great many phrases.
Just a small sample included: Hello!; You're a cute baby bird; Wanta Cheeseburger?; Sweetie is a pretty bird. etc.

When I got my budgie Skipper (whom I still have) I taught him to say several phrases as well.
He loved to say "Whatcha doin'?" "Hi, Skippooter"
"Skipper is a cute baby bird", "Where's Scooter?" and several other phrases.
However, once I started adding multiple budgies to the flock and there were more than three, Skipper decided he'd much prefer to revert back to speaking only "budgie talk".
Once in a great while he'll sneak in "you're cute!" but generally now he only speaks "budgie".

You can start working with teaching your budgie words as soon as you get him or her.
Some budgies are very receptive to mimicking human speech while others have no interest whatsoever.

__________________

My budgie Smol won't shut up! It's true that some just aren't interested in talking and some love it, but I think it really boils down to having a really good emotional bond with your budgie. The more it likes you, the more it will want to mimic you!

Smol responds best to repetition (obviously) and very excited higher pitched voices. Also starting with something small I think is a good idea, maybe one or two syllables. Then giving them a bit of a challenge later on. Smol didn't start mimicking until I had him around 2 or 3 months. He now will pick up anything that fancies him if it's said only a few times around him! (I have to watch what I say around him honestly)

Another thing with getting them to say specific things is little reminders now and again. Over time Smol will forget a phrase or just lose interest in it, and I'll give him a little recap and repeat some phrases to him, he picks them up again really quick!

Again it really depends on the budgie, but either way communication with your bird is vital to your relationship with it! All birds love sounds, so talking to it is the best way to get THEM talking. Good luck!