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Can a pair of babies learn to talk together

Alien_wind

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Yes, i know not all parrots talk and especially cockatiels.
Yes, i know they will not bond with me when they have a companion.
My primary purpose in getting a parrot is to achieve a compromise between a bonded sole hand fed baby, and wild parrots in a flock.
Let me explain, i want to raise a baby cockatiel and have that special "parrent baby" relationship with him.
But I don't want him to be lonely when I'm busy/at work etc.
So i plan on getting 2 baby siblings.
I'll admit a fascination with the idea of them learning human words from me as they grow up with me.
My question is:
Is having a companion guarantee that they wont learn words from me?
Even though they will both know me and be exposed to the same human language?
As long as they will be tame and playful I'm not worried.
But did anyone else try something like this and can share their experience?
Thank tou very much
 

expressmailtome

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Welcome! This is complicated. No, having two birds does not "guarantee" that they will not learn to speak in a human language, however the less bonded that they are to you as opposed to another bird, the less likely it is that they will try to mimic you. Just be aware that not a large amount of cockatiels will ever speak in a human language, and almost no females ever do. Also, please be aware that just because they are siblings does not mean that they will not mate, so if they are both opposite genders it will be important to not let the eggs hatch. Your best bet for this is to remove the eggs as they are laid, boil them, allow them to cool completely and then return them to your birds. One last point that I would like to make is that even though they are siblings, they may not like each other for their entire lives. Many times once they reach sexual maturity the dynamic between two birds who have lived together basically since birth will change.
 

Alien_wind

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Welcome! This is complicated. No, having two birds does not "guarantee" that they will not learn to speak in a human language, however the less bonded that they are to you as opposed to another bird, the less likely it is that they will try to mimic you. Just be aware that not a large amount of cockatiels will ever speak in a human language, and almost no females ever do. Also, please be aware that just because they are siblings does not mean that they will not mate, so if they are both opposite genders it will be important to not let the eggs hatch. Your best bet for this is to remove the eggs as they are laid, boil them, allow them to cool completely and then return them to your birds. One last point that I would like to make is that even though they are siblings, they may not like each other for their entire lives. Many times once they reach sexual maturity the dynamic between two birds who have lived together basically since birth will change.
Thank you for the informative reply!
And yes, i already thought of the breeding problem.
I will take extra effort to get a same sex siblings.
Although i know sexing babies isn't as precise.
Thanks for the tip though!
 

expressmailtome

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You are welcome. As for sexing, you can have your bird DNA sexed at any age for $20 in the United States.
 

Xoetix

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You are welcome. As for sexing, you can have your bird DNA sexed at any age for $20 in the United States.
I would hesitate telling someone that it is a flat $20 rate to have a bird sexed anywhere in the US. Many clinics charge different amounts. Just a heads up (I’ve worked in clinics in the US, and all but one charged more than $20).
 

expressmailtome

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I would hesitate telling someone that it is a flat $20 rate to have a bird sexed anywhere in the US. Many clinics charge different amounts. Just a heads up (I’ve worked in clinics in the US, and all but one charged more than $20).
I said that because you can do it yourself through one of the largest, if not the largest, DNA sexing companies in the country for $19.50 from anywhere in the United States: Avian Fee Schedule - ANIMAL GENETICS .
 

expressmailtome

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They have been around for many, many years. I used them about 20 years ago for my lovebirds.
 

expressmailtome

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Zara

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That company is based here in Andalucía (southern Spain), it is popular here though I have not used them personally. I did not gender test any of my birds and my vet has their own lab, I believe the disease testing was done in-house.

But I can't see them doing Chlamydia now
You could contact them directly to ask
 

Alien J

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Hi, @Alien_wind, I'm alien j (Janet from another planet). I only have one cockatiel that I've had since he was 19 days old, so I don't know anything about raising two siblings. I just wanted to say that TD started talking at a very young age. I believe 4-6 months. He talked up a storm. He grew quite a large vocabulary quite quickly. I was thinking I had the smartest bird in the world!

He said all kinds of things. "What's up birdie?" " Wha'cha doing?" "Come here cutie!" "Come here cutie, give me a kiss!" "Peek-a-boo!" "Pretty Bird." "Gimme a tickle!" He also learned to whistle tunes quite readily. The first song he learned to whistle was the theme song for the Andy Griffith show. Then the Marine's Hymn, Beetohvan's 5th, Pop Goes the Weasel... and the list goes on.

Then one day I realized he hadn't said much for a few days (though he spent a lot of time whistling). More days went by and I realized that TD didn't talk anymore. I think he was about a year and a half when he quit talking. He's 5 now. He still doesn't talk. He's learned many more tunes to whistle, but no talking. I wish I would have recorded more of it when he did talk bcuz he has the cutest little voice. Had the cutest little voice.

After doing some research, I found one article that said male cockatiels that do talk or whistle will do one or the other very well... usually not both. I guess TD's a whistler, not a talker. But I know he was a talker. He does still say one thing (usually when I am busy over a hot stove). He still says, "Gimme a tickle" ... so I stop what I'm doing, wash my hands, and give my little guy his tickle (scritches).

Good luck with your babies and your experiment! If I wasn't a full time RV'er and so limited in available space, I would have loved to try raising two babies!
 

Fuzzy

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I unfortunately am not familiar with companies outside of the United States that do this type of testing. @Zara , @Fuzzy , or @tka may know of this company, but I am not sure.
I'm based in the UK and I use this company, which I think is based in Spain:
Very cheap at 10 Euros

Editing to add that I have just seen that it is the same one that you quoted @Alien_wind - yes, I was very happy with this company.
 
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