Leaderboard

I can't imagine a parrot starving to death as long as they recognize what's offered IS edible. I suppose mine has a varied diet because I would offer things that I was also eating. I made his first fresh foods seem more like me sharing with him than just dumping it in his dish and letting him figure it out. His main diet is fresh fruit/veg/starches. He came to me on a seed/pellet diet. He already liked seed mixes & peanuts but would pick through his pellets, eating only his favourite colours first. But if I am patient, he will eventually even eat the pellets in the non-desirable colours. I consider seed/pellets as treats -- not his main diet. With fruit/veg/rice/pasta... I guess he figured it out that this was what was being offered and relented and tried the foods I feed. Seeing me eat the same foods helped a LOT. He's so healthy, with good feathering and bright eyes. Patience works.

I was lucky - I bought mine from his breeder who had had Snickers returned to her twice -- so he already knew a lot of words and phrases. Plus he's learned a lot more with me. And he can say things appropriate to situations. He was considered unadoptable by the breeder due to behavioural/biting issues (due to poor previous homes) but I convinced her to let me have a trial period with him and found success. I really wanted a known talker... had no idea he would bond so well with me and lose all of his undesirable behaviours she claimed he had. Snickers also does sound affects -- worst is the sound of my smoke alarm; plus he can do the sound of a truck backing up. He repeats most household sounds (but not the phone - go figure). He's also an excellent whistler. Doesn't sing though.

Mine started at 11 months and she's 20 now. I really didn't teach her. She began saying things she heard. She mostly copied the sounds of things she heard like the telephone, and other appliances . The more time you interact with them and just have them near you the better they seem to talk.