Getting a Quaker Parrot to Talk

If you want your quaker parrot to talk well and pick up a lot of words, he needs to be involved in your life and your day to day activities in the house. Rather than leave him alone in his cage while you do the housework, read or watch television, keep him with you and talk to him as you do your thing. The more he gets used to hearing human speech, the easier it is for him to mimic it, so keep talking to him about anything and everything.

Positive reinforcement is the best way to encourage desired behaviors, so praising and rewarding your quaker parrot will help him learn to talk more quickly. Whenever he says a word, get very excited and praise him so he knows he has done well. Every now and then, you can reward him with a tasty treat, such as a seed or a piece of fruit -- but not each time he speaks; otherwise he might end up a chubby chirper.

Repetition is the key to getting your quaker to say a word clearly and have him remember it. When he's learning to say a certain word or phrase, it might be slightly muffled or unclear. Figure out what he's trying to say and repeat it back to him loudly and clearly. This will help him to get his pronunciation down. With a little practice, birds this species generally become clear talkers.

Adding a physical cue to your lessons can help your quaker parrot to learn a word or phrase more quickly. For instance, if you're attempting to teach him to say "goodbye," try repeating the word while leaving the room. After a while, he'll associate you leaving with the word and will say it whenever you leave the room. Not only will he learn faster, you can also effectively teach him to say certain things on command.