wings clipped and teaching to talk

Question
QUESTION: dear madam

it was nice to know about you ,

well i need some information from your side,

i have an african grey around 4 months old.

now my bird wings are not clipped and once i open the cage then he comes and fly and sits on my hand or on my shoulders, and when i try to talk with him he responds but like a small bird ( chick ) but still not able to speak,

he is now 4 months old, is it necessary for me to clip his wings if i want him to know how to learn to talk,

when he is in the cage he always want to some out and makes sound but once when he comes out he is busy with the house atmosphere and dont make any noises, but once he sits on my hand and i start talking to him then he makes like baby cound ( chick ) ,

will he try to learn and at what age ? does ineed to clip his wings if i want him to learn talking ? when the birds have mroe freedom then they dont learn to talk is this true ?

can you give me some suggestions on this please,

response will be highly appreciated

rgds/sunny

ANSWER: Hi, Sunny,

Learning to mimic (birds mimic...they don't actually talk) has nothing to do with trimming flight feathers.  At 4 months of age, your bird is doing very well.  Every bird is different, they progress at their own speed, therefore, each bird learns to mimic, etc., when they are ready.  When your bird is out investigating its surroundings, it is not very interested in talking.  He wants to learn about the things around him.  When he comes to you, he's ready to interact with you.  This is all perfectly normal.  Having too much freedom has nothing to do with their ability to mimic.  Not all parrots learn to mimic.  They all have the ability, but some do and some don't.  There are no guarantees when it comes to birds.  Your bird is only 4 months old....s/he has plenty of time to learn to mimic!  Just keep repeating to your bird what you want s/he to mimic, but be careful because your bird will also learn to mimic things s/he hears on TV, the radio, etc., some good, some bad.  Some birds mimic the sound of the microwave, the telephone ringing, someone sneezing, etc.

Chrys

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QUESTION: dear chrys

thanks for your answer i really appreciate, from yesterday my bird has started taking out some different sound of voice like calling me or something,
also when i was talking with him today he was trying to say something but cant say, he changed his voice and not doing mimic then i rewarded him with apple and then again i repeat and he again started with different voice,

if there are these changes do you think my parrot will learn to talk in future ? as i have heard some parrots dont talk ?
when i talk to him he his very active he sees on my lips and then try to move his mouth , everytime i talk he sees to my lips , is this the sign that my parrot will learn to talk ?

can i know normally what age african grey learns to talk ?
just for an idea, and the above changes do you feel my bird will talk in the future,

response will be highly appreciated,

rgds/sunny

ANSWER: Hi again, Sunny,

Sounds to me like your grey is well on its way to "talking" in the near future.  Be patient....each bird is different and progresses differently.  However, if your young bird is already mimicing sounds, s/he is doing great and so are you in working with your bird!

Chrys

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: dear chrys

thanks for your answer, one more thing needed to ask you , i have seen him plucking his wings and tail today, why is that so ? is there any shortage of food or something as in china we dont get the pellets etc to get birds feed, we only get the seeds and fresh fruits and vegetable,

what do you suggest me to give him so that he is healthy

response wil be appreciated

rgds/sunny

Answer
Hi again, Sunny,

When you say "plucking," is this bird actually pulling out its feathers or just "preening" them?  You can feed this bird anything healthy and nutritious for humans, except chocolate, sugar, salt, avocado, citrus seeds, caffeine, soda, milk and dairy products (birds are lactose intolerant).  All my parrots love cooked brown rice with veggies mixed in, so you may want to try cooked brown rice and mix a variety of other foods in with the rice.  You can feed all sorts of fruits, but be aware that most fruit is mainly water, so not very nutritious.  Melons and berries are best when it comes to fruit.  Visit my website for more ideas for food:  www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

www.birdchannel.com is also a good website.

Chrys