Can I teach my budgie to talk?

Q: I bought a budgie 6 months ago, called Jacko. I was told that budgies could talk, but he only whistles and squeaks. How can I get him to talk, even if it is just one word?

A: Budgies do not talk like parrots - they do not exactly mimic the human voice. However, they can learn to repeat sounds, and if you repeat one word often enough, Jacko will begin to make a sound similar to that word. Make a tape of yourself repeating one word over and over, and leave it playing beside the cage..