Don t whistle or encourage your bird to do so or it may abandon its attempt at talking. This is because whistling comes more naturally for the bird. You can always wait until after it has picked up some words before you teach it to whistle. If you find yourself lacking the time or patience to keep repeating the word or phrase, you might feel compelled to play a recording to the bird instead. This is a rather undesirable method, as the bird may quickly lose interest and not learn the word.
Birds respond better to live trainers, rather than a tape it can easily tune out.
If you must make a recording, be sure to keep the phrase as clear and consistent as possible and only play it for 15 minutes at a time, twice a day. Teaching your bird to say its first word may not come easy. Depending on the bird, the amount of training, and the phrase you are teaching, it can take anywhere from one week to six months before you see any results. You may first hear a lot of babbling, as it attempts to repeat the words. Reward your bird with a treat when you hear this, as it will encourage the bird to speak.