Many people crave companionship in life. Some enjoy quietly tending to flowers and plants to create an aromatic ambience, while others seek the presence of life but are wary of noise, opting for two goldfish.
Meanwhile, some prefer a more animated existence but find it challenging to care for cats and dogs. In such situations, budgies are an excellent option.
Budgies are mostly found in flocks, with some groups consisting of a few dozen and others comprising tens of thousands. Today, budgies are widely distributed across the world and have been domesticated from their wild counterparts.
The diverse and colorful feathers of budgies come in a vast array of patterns, making them highly ornamental. It's not an overstatement to say that they are the epitome of the Creator's artistic ability. Originally, budgies had three major color families: green, blue, and gray, with each color family containing five or six distinct concentrations of color.
Budgerigars have the ability to mimic human speech, which stems from their intelligence and natural aptitude. Perhaps, they learn these sounds without understanding their meanings, but the mere mimicry of human speech is a remarkable feat in the bird kingdom. Budgies possess a beak and an internal tongue structure that allows them to make various sounds, making it possible for them to learn to speak.
1. Limit the number of parrots.
To develop their language skills and learn how to imitate the calls of other birds, it's best to keep several different birds together.
2. Befriend your parrot.
Spend more time playing with your budgie, talking to it, and making it feel comfortable and happy in your home. Treat it like a member of your family, care for it, and gain its trust.
3. Choose the right time to train your budgie.
Ensure your budgie is energetic and can focus on you at the moment. Mornings are an ideal time to train your budgie to talk. Repeat simple words to your budgie early in the morning before opening its cage.
4. Repeat the same word.
Pronounce each word clearly and slowly, one word at a time. Your budgie may not learn how to imitate the word immediately, but repetition will help deepen its impression of the word.
5. Reward your budgie.
If your budgie learns to say the word you taught it, reward it with treats. Cereals, celery, and carrots are excellent options as they contain essential nutrients.
6. Train your budgie in short intervals.
Do not train your budgie for extended periods as it may become boring and loss interest. Thirty minutes of training per day should suffice.
7. Eliminate distractions.
Cover the other three sides of the aviary to minimize distractions and allow your budgie to concentrate on learning to talk with you. Stand in front of your budgie during training and speak clearly so that it knows you're addressing it.
8. Focus on one word.
Only move on to the second word once your budgie can accurately say the first word at least three times.
9. Be patient.
Don't force your budgie to learn to talk. Let it learn at its own pace.
10. Teach your budgie to name objects.
While teaching your budgie to say a particular word, show it the corresponding object at the same time. With enough practice, your budgie will learn to say the word as soon as you pick up the object.