# teaching a cockatiel to tal



## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

howdey yall. my name is Jill. i have a male cockatiel that i have had for a year now. i have been trying to teach it to talk but it hasnt sayed a word yet. how long does it take for a bird to start talking? well i told my hubby that i would try it for 1 more year with him and then im going to trade his butt in for another bird that will talk to me. so tell me yall, how to teach this bird of mine to start talking.yall can send me emails at [email protected] ok love to hear from some cockatiel owners. later Jill


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## HappyWDWCampers (Jan 3, 2010)

Just because a species of bird can talk does not mean that particular bird will. This is just my opinion, but I don't think you should ever get a bird in hopes of it talking. As much as I hope to be able to teach my female to say something or whistle, I got her as a companion. If my child could not talk I would not trade it in. If you want to get a bird guaranteed to talk you need to get one that is talking already when you get it, not a baby. I hope you are not serious about trading in your bird if it does not talk. It has been with you for a year and you are it's family!


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## Clawsworth (Nov 9, 2009)

I agree completely with HappyDWDCampers. 

Some birds will never talk and there's nothing you can do about it. You should NEVER buy a bird only because you want it to talk. It's very unfair to the bird to get provide him with a stable home for two years only to "trade him in" just because he doesn't talk. 

Actually, I hope you can find him a stable, loving home... and please don't buy another bird.


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

ok let me explain how i feel about my animals ok. first off i have a pitt/rottweiler mix female dog, and also i have a black and white cat also, and the cockatiel bird too. as far as the cockatiel goes, well i bought the bird to teach it to talk in the first place ok, i talk to that bird everyday trying to teach it to talk. and that bird does nuthing but whistle all the time and sometimes it whistles and wont stop whistling and well that on and on whistling gets on my nerves. and well happycamper u said that u hope im not serious about trading him in, and well yes i am very serious ok. i will take that bird back where i bought him from and explain to the person that i have had him 1 yr and he hasnt talk yet and yes i will get me another bird. and also happycamper u have a female bird females does not talk its only the males that talk. i have had serveral cockatiel birds and the male i have had did talk. and it didnt take me long to teach him to talk. now to clawsworth. well im sorry but yes i will buy another bird if i want to. well i think i have explained everything to u 2 that wrote me. later Jill


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

To be very honest, if you are planning to take the bird back because it didnt talk for you, i do not think you deserve the bird at all, I agree with Clawsworth, give the bird to someone more deserving then you. Cockatiels although the best whistlers, are in some occasions poor talkers, not all cockatiels talk. Maybe you should have done your research in this and bought a bird that is a far better talker if your plan was to only have it so it can talk to you. You also said the whistling gets on your nervs, that comes with the responsibility of owning a SINGING parrot, if you wanted a bird who doesnt make noise but talks, dont bother looking for one at all.


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## HappyWDWCampers (Jan 3, 2010)

redneckJIll said:


> and also happycamper u have a female bird females does not talk its only the males that talk.


You need to do some more research. While most of the time females are much more quiet, there are some females out there that can talk... I have seen it on the board here... but no matter what she is now a member of our family.

I know the store I got my bird from would never give you another bird, although they would gladly give the bird you currently own to a loving home...


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## jc119007 (Dec 28, 2009)

I was pretty shocked with your post Jill, it's like expecting your kid to play piano and when it doesn't work out the way you planned then you kick it out- mabye your bird's expectations of you as a bird owner aren't up to scratch either? Who knows? But I think if you have bird who has a lovely personality then what does it matter if it doesn't talk? 

I had a lovely male cockatiel who was very affectionate, who had a wonderful personality but who never spoke- he would only whistle but it didn't matter since I had him for the company. For me as a bird owner that's more important, having a bird bonding with you and who brings something into your life rather than having an idealistic image. As for your comment about females who don't talk, sure it isn't very common but it doesn't mean that it never happens- I have a 7mth old hen who whistles and who has started making mumbling noises too. Who knows? Who cares? All I worry about is that she's happy and well looked after.

What I'm saying is that maybe you need to consider why you want a cockatiel apart from this "need" to have it to talk- for sure there are many other birds out there who are more reknowned as talkers than cockatiels. What can you change in a bird's life and what can that bird change in yours?


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## jc119007 (Dec 28, 2009)

Sorry if I came over harsh in my prevous post, I'm just worried that maybe you're going about being a bird owner for the wrong reasons, because in the long run it might not work out for either you or the bird....which is a pity


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## Clawsworth (Nov 9, 2009)

Jc119007, you didn't come out harsh at all -- you're completely right. Having a happy, loving, and affectionate 'tiel is the best scenario you can be in for you and your 'tiel. You should never buy a parrot with the ultimatum that it should talk; that is simply unfair to the bird. 



redneckJIll said:


> as far as the cockatiel goes, well i bought the bird to teach it to talk in the first place ok, i talk to that bird everyday trying to teach it to talk.


Your original intentions for buying the cockatiel are not relevant; you're not purchasing a product expecting a certain outcome, you're caring for a pet! Ezzie is also right -- if you wanted a talking parrot, you should have done your research since cockatiels rarely make good talkers. However, you shouldn't buy any bird for the sole reason that you want it to talk.

I do not expect that you will get any sympathy on this forum.


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## LuvMyTiels (Dec 31, 2009)

Wow! I was shocked by this thread. Why get a living creature if you don't want it to be a loving member of the family? If you have to have a talking bird then buy a talking bird. Some cockatiels will talk (male and female) but they are not the best at it and there is no guarantee that any bird will talk. If the only reason that you want a bird is because it will talk please rethink your decision to own them.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

I re-agree with clawsworth in that you should never buy any animal on the expectation it will do something you want it to do. Not all animals will turn out exactly the way you want them to turn out, but that is by no means a reason to abandon the animal.


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## WallyBird (Nov 23, 2009)

If you want a talker then I would have dropped a lot more money on a bigger bird. the tiels who can talk only say a handful of things not to mention their very hard to understand. Cockatoo's, African Greys and other large birds talk easier, and are easier to understand. Don't forget tiels can whistle tunes and its very sweet sounding. I'm guessing its the same for tiels (I've never had a talking tiel), but other birds talk more the happier they are. So if you want your tiel to talk, the best way is to provide a wonderful home for the tiel. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make sure your tiel has everything he needs (big cage, seed, pellets, fruits, veggies, toys and treats). Part of providing a wonderful home for a tiel is loving the little guy no matter what he does. 

Does your bird know how to step up? If so everyday for 10-15 minutes you should repeat what you want him to say over and over while he's on your finger. Eventually if he's a talker, he'll pick it up. 
But if you want a bird ONLY for talking I recommend you don't get a bird. Your obviously unhappy with your tiel, and even if you find a bigger bird that talks they are quite a lot of work to take care of, you really have to be committed. Not only that but larger birds are very noisy, they don't just talk, but they scream and whistle too.


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

*Cockatiels*

well first of all. i have read all of the repsonses to me. and well yall have me all wrong.i love my cockatiel alot and i just didnt buy him just to talk ok. i do take him out of his cage alot and have him on my finger and i do talk to him all the time. and i do research on the internet about cockatiels and read alot about cockatiels. and yes i sayed i would take him back to but, im just gonna keep trying to teach him to talk no matter what i have to do. but i am really considering getting another cockatiel. i saw a gray with a white head cockatiel at the fleamarket i goto and im am considering going this weekend and getting that bird because i think its such a beatiful bird and a unusal color for a cockatiel. i have had serveral cockatiels. and i love them. and yall say get a bigger bird that talks, well i dont have 400 to 600 dollars or more to spend on them bigger birds. and also i dont like to be judged by what i write on here. i was just looking for some tips on teaching my bird to talk and see if yall could give me some ideas to try to get him to talk. i was thinking about going and buying a cd or tape that has saying for birds to say. and just keep playing it and see what he picks up from the cd or tape. well thats all for now, and plz dont be judging me by what i write please i hate being judged or critizized by people who dont really know me at all!!!!!!!!!!! later JIll


ps. if u look at the avatar or my pic i have on here , thats the cockatiel i have right now.that im trying to get to talk.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I think people were upset that you said you would kick his butt out if he did not talk. 
If that is your tiel in your avatar I think you may have a pied girl. Girl tiels are alot less likely to talk. If you really want to know you could get a vet or breeder to do a dna test for you or post some pic's here and info on your tiels behaviour here. Some people are pretty good at guessing the sex of tiels but dna would be the best way to tell. 
What don't you try clicker training her? You could teach her tricks and have alot of fun with her


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## HappyWDWCampers (Jan 3, 2010)

redneckJIll said:


> plz dont be judging me by what i write please i hate being judged or critizized by people who dont really know me at all!!!!!!!!!!! later JIll


I am sorry if you feel we have improperly judged you based on what you said. However, you did say you would kick the bird out of the house not just get a second one. If you just said you would get a second bird you would not have gotten such a harsh reaction from me personally. I just don't want to think that your bird is going back to the store if it does not talk. By all means get a second bird if you can take care of two, but don't throw out the first one.

And as for us judge or criticizing based on what we read, that is what happens on the internet. You have to be very careful how you phrase things or what you write... in many cases I keep my mouth shut... but I felt strongly about this one...


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

If you get a second bird, it will be less likely to talk as it will have bird company as well as human company, and therefore the need to communicate with us in words is much less.

As far as talking ability goes, large parrots are _not_ the best talkers. The parrots with the largest vocabulary and some of the clearest voices are actually male budgies. 'Tiel's generally aren't good talkers and have very high pitched voices so they can be harder to understand, although the males generally are very good mimics of other sounds, like telephones and alarms.


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

well yesterday i went to oldsmar fleamarket and well i bought me another cockatiel. its a white faced and grey cockatiel. and let me tell you he is a pretty bird and its just a baby. so now i need some help ok. i need some ideas on a name for him. i was thinking about nameing him after someone famous because thats how i have named all my animals i have. i think of people that are famous or a celebrity and name the animal after some one i like. so plz help me. whats a famous male name thats good to name a bird. u know i was thinking about nameing him harley after the motorcycle named harley davison. but im still thinking on a name. and hey when i got home i put him in the cage with my other cockatiel and when the one ive had well he just wouldnt stop trying to bite the new ones tail so i separated them in two different cages. ok well hey give me some ideas on what to name the new cockatiel i have now ok later. JIll


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## Clawsworth (Nov 9, 2009)

First of all, you should never buy a new cockatiel and then introduce it to your current one right away. It's best to quarantine for at least a month to prevent your other one from getting sick. (Cockatiels hide illnesses, so this time is used to make sure your new 'tiel is completely healthy before introducing the two.) You also have no way of knowing if your new 'tiel is male since you said he's a baby. Your other 'tiel seems to be female (as xxxSpikexxx has pointed out) and your new one may be female as well. I wouldn't want you to abandon two 'tiels if they end up both being female.


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## Kai (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi Jill,

Congrats on your new purchase. I hope he/she brings you a lot of joy. I can't say as I have any suggestions about what to name your bird. That has always been something I stress over. My last bird went unnamed for two weeks before I finally thought of something I liked. Harley is a cool name but, personally, I always associated that as being a girl name. Darn you batman and your Harley Quinn. =) I hope we will get to see pictures of your birds.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

Although i dont accept that you have bought a new bird, goodluck with him/her.
I suggest you read some threads on introducing two birds because you have had a horrible start so far. Its best to sepereate the birds, better still, in two different rooms, and slowly bring the cages together next to eachother."Play dates" are a good idea, on a nutural area, and if the signs are the a-ok then you should be right to house them together. Also, like xxxSpikexxx has pointed out your pervious cockatiel was female, hence why she didnt talk. I would hate to have two abandoned birds now.
Hope everything works out.


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

Clawsworth said:


> First of all, you should never buy a new cockatiel and then introduce it to your current one right away. It's best to quarantine for at least a month to prevent your other one from getting sick. (Cockatiels hide illnesses, so this time is used to make sure your new 'tiel is completely healthy before introducing the two.) You also have no way of knowing if your new 'tiel is male since you said he's a baby. Your other 'tiel seems to be female (as xxxSpikexxx has pointed out) and your new one may be female as well. I wouldn't want you to abandon two 'tiels if they end up both being female.


hey claworth,

i read your reply. and well as far as me buying a new cockatiel. who are you to tell me what i can and cant buy. and well yes i bought me a new cockatiel thats excactly the white faced and grey cockatiel. i think they are beatiful birds. i wanted a color that is unusal and i found the one i wanted. now u sayed i have no idea if its a male or female. well you are very wrong there ok. i had the person check to see what sex it was and it is a male. and yes its a baby that hasnt got all his tail feathers yet. and as fas as my first cockatiel im pretty sure its a male also because i told the guy i bought it from what it does is whistle and he sayed if it whistles then its a male. and im pretty sure he wouldnt lye to me because ive bought serveral birds from him.and now about u sayed u wouldnt want me to abandon them, well let me tell u this ok. im not gonna give up the first one i have or the new one ok because now i can teach the new one to talk and maybe then the other one will pick up words from the new one. and then ill have 2 males that talk. so theres your answer to your reply to me ok. later. Jill


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

Ezzie said:


> Although i dont accept that you have bought a new bird, goodluck with him/her.
> I suggest you read some threads on introducing two birds because you have had a horrible start so far. Its best to sepereate the birds, better still, in two different rooms, and slowly bring the cages together next to eachother."Play dates" are a good idea, on a nutural area, and if the signs are the a-ok then you should be right to house them together. Also, like xxxSpikexxx has pointed out your pervious cockatiel was female, hence why she didnt talk. I would hate to have two abandoned birds now.
> Hope everything works out.


ezzie,

iv read your reply ok. well i have separated the 2 birds in different cages ok. well spike is wrong ok, my first one is not a female. the bird guy told me if he whistles then hes a male because only males whistles. and yes everythings gonna work out because im gonna work with both birds to try and get them to talk. and maybe i will read some more on birds. but for now im gonna enjoy the birds while i can. and i have to tell u that now i got the bird ive been wanting, the white face and grey cockatiel. and i wanted a unusal color of the cockatiel and now i have that bird and im gonna enjoy my beatiful birds and try and get them to talk to me. so i hope i answered all your questions. and why dont u accept me buying another bird? i have a hard life i live here and if i can buy things that i enjoy then why not get the bird ive been wanting to have? ok later Jill


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## Rocky's Rose (Jun 24, 2008)

redneckJIll said:


> ezzie,
> 
> iv read your reply ok. well i have separated the 2 birds in different cages ok. well spike is wrong ok, my first one is not a female. the bird guy told me if he whistles then hes a male because only males whistles. and yes everythings gonna work out because im gonna work with both birds to try and get them to talk. and maybe i will read some more on birds. but for now im gonna enjoy the birds while i can. and i have to tell u that now i got the bird ive been wanting, the white face and grey cockatiel. and i wanted a unusal color of the cockatiel and now i have that bird and im gonna enjoy my beatiful birds and try and get them to talk to me. so i hope i answered all your questions. and why dont u accept me buying another bird? i have a hard life i live here and if i can buy things that i enjoy then why not get the bird ive been wanting to have? ok later Jill


Just because they whistle doesn't guarentee that they are male. I have a PROVEN female lunito cockatiel and my guardian has heard her wolf whistle! I know she is female because she has laid eggs and raised two chicks.
From what I've read of your earlier posts you didn't seem to be too caring of you first tiel and was just concerned about it talking. I had a male cocktiel for two years and he never talked. He just whistled. His son though learned to talk even before he was 6 months old. Some males just don't talk and I think you need to realize this and love your birds for their personalities and many other qualities that I've learned that only cockatiels have. I'm not trying to be rude or anything I just wanted to point out that just because they whistle doesn't mean that they are male.


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## Clawsworth (Nov 9, 2009)

Rocky's Rose beat me to it. Your "bird guy" may be misinformed -- it happens often. Also, I don't know how the flea-market salesman checked the sex of your new 'tiel, but unless it was a DNA test, you can't be certain. Both of your 'tiels may still be female, regardless of what you were told. Maybe you could post some bigger pictures of them, because we might be able to guess by looking at your older 'tiel. Also, I did not tell you not to buy another 'tiel -- you should read my sentence fully. I said you *should not buy a new 'tiel and introduce them right away.* If you quarantine them and then introduce them slowly (and like Ezzie suggested, putting their cages near eachother and giving them play-dates) they will be more likely to get along. I really do suggest reading more about 'tiels.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

Both sexes whistle, it isnt just the males, its just more COMMON in the males to whistle, females do it on the odd occasion or two.
And i agree with Clawsworth, there are many people on this fourm that can determine the sex from the bird visually with the aid of pictures due to their experence and even studying birds and bird genetics, maybe post some for us to see? 
Many "breeders" are backyard breeders and breed for money, not for health or wellbeing. Many breed for "unique" colours (like whiteface, or lutino which are common), and many also don't know the sex of these birds. A good breeder would have their birds DNA tested for genders. I wouldnt take your "Bird guy's" word for it.


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## nikol witch (Mar 2, 2010)

Jill!!!I think that it would be a good ida to post few pics of your both cockatiels, some people from here will tell you about their sex.But anyway i my opinion it doesn't matter if they are both females,males or female and male honestly.
This for which i care about is the right and full of love caring of your birds,they need it from you,but after all these i read i don'tthink they get it from you.And don't get mad from what we all write you in here.We don't itend to judge you because we are <<bad>>people or whatver but we tell you all that we tell you only because we are cockatiel lovers and generally parrot and animal lovers and first of all we put the great care of each animal that anyone in here owns.
For example my female cockatiel Arya...she is 1year old,...i have her since august of 2009...she never talks and she will never talk i think...but she whistles very sweetly and in a variety of songs and she learnt in a very easy way many tricks and makes me laugh all the time.And when i talk to her and tell her certain words she recognizes them all and answers in her own way.So i think these are some gos examples you can try hard and use for your tiels.
Teach them tricks and songs to whistle.


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

nikol witch said:


> Jill!!!I think that it would be a good ida to post few pics of your both cockatiels, some people from here will tell you about their sex.But anyway i my opinion it doesn't matter if they are both females,males or female and male honestly.
> This for which i care about is the right and full of love caring of your birds,they need it from you,but after all these i read i don't think they get it from you.And don't get mad from what we all write you in here.We don't itend to judge you because we are <<bad>>people or whatver but we tell you all that we tell you only because we are cockatiel lovers and generally parrot and animal lovers and first of all we put the great care of each animal that anyone in here owns.
> For example my female cockatiel Arya...she is 1year old,...i have her since august of 2009...she never talks and she will never talk i think...but she whistles very sweetly and in a variety of songs and she learnt in a very easy way many tricks and makes me laugh all the time.And when i talk to her and tell her certain words she recognizes them all and answers in her own way.So i think these are some gos examples you can try hard and use for your tiels.
> Teach them tricks and songs to whistle.



nikol,

ive read your reply to me ok. i will take some pictures of my 2 birds and put them on here for yall to see them.and i agree with you on doesnt matter what sex there are but i would like males only. the women i bought the new one from well i told her i wanted a male and she checked the sex and i think i did get a male thats just a baby because it doesnt have all his tail feathers yet. but like u sayed it doesnt matter what sex they are i will love them no matter what!!!and your wrong about me not careing for my birds. i talk to them everyday and say words to them and i take them out of their cages and let them be out for awhile instead of being couped up in cage all day.and u say dont get mad at write yall write to me. well im sorry but it seems like yall are judgeing me and critizing me about my birds. and i dont like being critized or judged by people who really dont know me that well. im a loven and careing woman with all my animals i do have.i give them lots of love and care. and when i get some money im gonna go buy a tape with saying for birds and play it and hopefully the birds will pick some of it up and start talking. well thats all i have to say for now. later JIll


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## Clawsworth (Nov 9, 2009)

If your birds are provided with a good home and get out often to play, nobody has a problem with you. Nikol is right, we are all 'tiel and animal lovers, so we only care about the welfare and happiness of your birds. When you post things like "im going to trade his butt in for another bird that will talk to me," you can't expect people not to question you. You have to be accountable for what you say, and if it's true that you will love your birds regardless of their sex, then that's great! Nobody is attacking you. If you posted your original question _without_ threatening to abandon your 'tiel, you only would have received straightforward answers.

Again though, you don't know that your new 'tiel is male unless you do a DNA test. You'll just have to wait and see.


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## Ezzie (Jan 19, 2010)

I agree with clawsworth, the way you have sentenced, and asked us for opinions makes it sound as if you don't care for the birds wellbeing and only care if it can talk or not.
Maybe if you re-phrazed your words better and had taken out the "i will trade his but in for a new bird" maybe the people on this fourm, who some are experts, wouldnt disagree with you. Also, when you ask for opinions and we give them our honest opinion, you should not be mad at the answer.
I just hope honest to god that these birds get a long and happy life.


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## redneckJIll (Feb 22, 2010)

ok i may came out a little harsh about the first cockatiel. but to answer yalls questions. the birds do have a good home with me because i talk to them everyday .and i love all my animals i do have. and yes i ask for opinions and seems some of the answers are a little harsh to me. so lets get over it and talk about something else ok. well now i need a name for the new one. so tell me what some good names for male birds. im trying to name the bird after someone famous and a celebrity. or even male famous bird name. so hey give me some ideas ok. later. JIll


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## krystina (Mar 12, 2010)

wow, Clawsworth, your Nimbus is so adorable!

... i am actually really shocked with the post too. the bird doesnt HAVE to talk, its a bird, its not human but its still a living thing, it still has feelings and a real brain. my tiel is molting right now on my lap, he just pulled out one of his tail feathers and made a squeak noise so therefore it must of HURT. hes still grooming away...
if you only want a bird that will sit there and talk, not knowing what the words coming out of its mouth really mean then thats just plane old lazy, you know, poor bird, hasnt got a clue in the world what 'hello'' might mean but will say it.
none of my birds talk, 2 budgies and 1 tiel, but hey do i take them back to my neighbor and complain? no, because i love them, they love me and my family, they dont bite and go out of control and they just make their normal little chirps.
my guess it you will use the bird like a tv, listen to it talk words and when your sick of it you'll put it back in its cage. i get my birds out before i go to school and let them run around for a hour, then my parents play with them for 3 or 4 hours and when i come home i let them run around on the floor for as long as they want and they walk back to their cages to eat and come back out when they want to play.


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