I have a cockatiel that I have had about 8 or 9 months, he's a wonderful bird but I cant seem to get him ....

Question

..to talk or whistle. Hes all the time chirping, but is there any way that I can still learn him or is it to late.

Answer 1

Cockatiels are wonderful little pets. A point to consider.... birds in general cannot be 100% positively "sexed" by how they appear. Have you considered the possibility that your "male" bird may be a female? Amongst cockatiels, it is the male that "sings" which includes whistling tunes and mimicing sounds such as monosyllabic words. Females, on the other hand, have been known to whistle, but this is atypical. They tend to respond with chirps and trills. There are two ways to positively sex your bird. The first (and non-invasive) method is through DNA, which is obtained via blood sample at your vetenarian's office. The second is by surgery and positive identification of the sex organs. For the sake of your pet, I'd recommend the first method. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Let's see if I can Help. I have breed and hand feed many a bird including Cockatiels.At 8-9 months they are still very young. Sometimes it can take over 16 weeks to get a bird of the formula and get them to feed on their own.So you are looking at 4 months right there. If your bird is a MALE COCKATIEL.,he will start to whistle after you get him started after a while he will want to whistle better than you can. Some female birds do do a bit of whistling but not like a male. The boys are usually the ones that will talk too. NOW you do have to be patient ,it could be over a year before you will hear the first words, but once you hear them talking in courage further conversation. Please remember in MOST cases ( there are exceptions) a bird will just mimic you. But have fun .Birds make great companions and pets.

Answer 3

I have a female and male cockatiel. The male started to talk and whistle at a year or so. The female only chirps. So your birdie might be a female. Females don't' have the ability like the males to talk and whistle.

Answer 4

Are you sure it is a he? Some males will not say anything, but if he has possibly just 1 or 2 chirps normally, it could be a female, which rarely talk.
If you are positive he is a male- it is not too late. I have a 2 yr old that I am teaching new words and songs to. Just keep trying. He may be practicing, but too shy to do it in front of you (Seriously, my male will not sing if he thinks a person is listening)

Answer 5

my sister was home for Thanksgiving and sang What do you do with a drunken sailor? in a high pitched voice over and over (and over and over) to Flip, my 1 year old cockatiel. By Sunday he was shrieking Yo ho ho. He likes the high pitch and seems to respond to it, just like a dog will.

He picks up funny things, like a car alarm, wolf whistle, and my whistle to call the dogs in. Those are the things that he hears all the time Every time he wolf whistles at me, I say thank you, and now he will wolf whistle and say thank you right after. Just keep talking to him/ her.

Answer 6

It's a female. It would be talking and whistling by now if it were a male. Only the males talk and whistle.

Answer 7

It's never too late for them to start talking, although as they get older it becomes more time-consuming. I think repetition is the key. Give him some time, I'm sure he's probably listening to everything around him & will eventually learn well enough to start talking. And who knows, he could be chattering away to himself when no one is around - birds do that sometimes :)

Answer 8

You can train any bird to talk,but it takes time and patience. They are like children, when you're trying to teach them something they don't understand. They have a hard time learning it, but with repetitiveness and lots of love. They will catch on and start to talk.

Answer 9

just talk to him all the time