How to Teach a Pet Bird to Whistle

Birds require as much love, time and patience as other pets, particularly if you want your bird to learn how to whistle. Follow these steps and your pet will soon be filling the air with song.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Keep it age appropriate. While birds are never too young for you to start whistling to them, they have to be old enough to have the physical capacity to repeat what you've taught them.

2. Create a bird sanctuary. The room in which you choose to teach your pet bird to whistle should be safe, quiet and peaceful. Free the room from distractions such as television, radio and the telephone so that the two of you can sit calmly.

3. Choose your sounds carefully. For young birds starting to learn to whistle, keep the sound short and simple.

4. Watch your bird for clues. As you repeat the whistle, look for signs that your bird is listening to you. If she moves her head from side to side, up and down or ruffles her head and neck feathers, she's getting it.

5. Change your tune if you are being ignored. If you notice your bird looking around the room or playing, he is not listening to you. To get his attention back, change your tone or use a higher pitch, not a louder one.

6. Roll with it. Once you have seen that your bird is picking up on her whistling lessons, choose a longer and more difficult tune to teach her. Once she begins to get the routine of the learning process, it becomes easier and quicker for her to learn new whistles.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're teaching your bird to whistle in his cage, remove all toys, mirrors and food to minimize distractions.
• You may want to record yourself whistling and play the tape when you leave the house to reinforce what you are teaching your bird.
• If you eventually want to teach your bird to talk, you may not want to teach her to whistle first. Learning to whistle is much easier for a bird, and she may not learn to mimic words if she is taught to whistle before talking.

Resources

• Learn more about training pet birds.

[jmccasanova88]

on 7/5/2009 please please help me

[jmccasanova88]

on 7/5/2009 how old should the bird be before you teach it to talk yo whistel also How to you keep the bird from flying away. I have two cockatiels and even if i try to touch them, they fly away. I've had them for about a month. they bite even if i blow or bounce they wont come onto my finger they fly away when ever they see me coming tword them.

[whistling]

on 11/10/2008 If you are unable to whistle you can purchase training CDs at www.thewhistler.com

[Pelefon]

on 8/29/2008 You can buy a Bird Whistle and teach your Bird to whistle as you want it to be.. It really works!

I bought one here.. www.good-snoop.com