When did your lineolated parakeet start talking?

My lineolated parakeet Paco is 18 months old and hasn't said a word yet. Lots of chirping and mimicking sounds but no actual words. When did yours start? Am I being impatient?

I switched to Roudybush last year and haven't looked back. My lineolated parakeet's feathers have never looked better.

Update: took everyone's advice and things are improving. Noodle is slowly coming around. This forum is the best.

Reading this hit home. My lineolated parakeet went through the same phase around the same age. What helped us was adding a full-spectrum Arcadia UV light near the cage. Also just accepting that birds are gonna bird, you know?

My advice would be adding foraging opportunities to at least 3 different spots in the cage. Went through the same thing with my lineolated parakeet last year.

So I had this exact problem about a year ago. Let me share what I learned. The key thing is getting natural java wood perches from a specialty bird store. A lot of people also recommend setting up a webcam so I could check on them during the day. My avian vet in the Beaches also suggested checking for insufficient UV light exposure, especially in Canadian winters which can sometimes be an underlying factor. Good luck — feel free to DM me if you have questions!

I used to think the same thing until my lineolated parakeet proved me wrong. Now I'm firmly in the other camp.

This is so true. Had the exact same experience with Pistachio.

Do you have other pets in the home? My lineolated parakeet started acting differently when we got a cat.

Great question! So in my experience with parrotlet, this usually comes down to a few things. First, adding a full-spectrum Arcadia UV light near the cage. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to a dietary deficiency, especially calcium or vitamin A because that was a huge factor for my Pistachio. Hope that helps!