Advice please! Bourke's parakeet

Hi all. I don't know who on here has a bourke's parakeet, but i have a dilemma. I just adopted/purchased a rosey bourke's from the local bird store. I was told, and have heard also - that these are real docile birds. Super friendly, and great when hand fed. Well, mine wants NOTHING to do with me!! I just took him out, and I think he tried flying back to the cage like 5+ times before I gave up. When I get my hands near him sometime he makes this pitiful sound like I am killing him! I mean, he will get up with some assistance - but this is not what i consider a hand fed, hand tamed bird. Maybe it will help to mention I am used to cockatiels, conures and quakers - I have a conure and quaker who are super lovey. The other conure hates me. But besides the point... they are what i expect from a hand tamed bird. Want to be with me, want attention, don't ever want to be in there cage if they can help it. So I keep in touch with the owner of the store where I got the bird. He offered to swap the bird with another one. There are 3 others to pick from. I have only had this bird a week and a half. Is this something I should consider?? I don't know what to do. I feel horrible thinking about doing it, but does the bird really care at this point?? I really don't know what to do. I am not sure if swapping will have a better result, or if these guys are just like this? I have a buddy on hold for him too, I went to visit him and he seems much nicer. But he is younger and still being hand fed. So, any bourke's owners on here? I could really use some advice. Am I expecting a personality I won't get from a bourke's?? Thanks in advance!

every bourke is different. some like to stay on your hand, or shoulder, some want nothing to do with you.

I had one a few years back(I bought him for my daughter who was 9 at the time) got it from a breeder, was told it was hand tamed.....yeah right. he did the same thing yours is doing, wanted nothing to do with us, and was not hand tamed what so ever.

my daughter was not very happy, so we traded him for a male cockatiel, which we still have, and never looked back.

they are beautiful and quiet, but not a cuddly type of bird.
Since you had an idea of what type of bird you had in mind, maybe the other one is a better choice for you.

I'm not saying return him, that is only your decision to make.

crimson said:

every bourke is different. some like to stay on your hand, or shoulder, some want nothing to do with you.

I had one a few years back(I bought him for my daughter who was 9 at the time) got it from a breeder, was told it was hand tamed.....yeah right. he did the same thing yours is doing, wanted nothing to do with us, and was not hand tamed what so ever.

my daughter was not very happy, so we traded him for a male cockatiel, which we still have, and never looked back.

they are beautiful and quiet, but not a cuddly type of bird.
Since you had an idea of what type of bird you had in mind, maybe the other one is a better choice for you.

I'm not saying return him, that is only your decision to make.

Click to expand...

Yeah I know it's my decision. But I do appreciate the advice and personal experience. It is a cute little bird. Makes the sweetest sounds, when left alone is his cage. But I like birds I can interact with. The bird I have on hold is actually a normal bourkes. So, makes me more hesitant to get a 2nd after this experience with the first. But he said he'd allow a swap for another rosey. I guess I just feel bad bringing it back. And I also fear it won't be any better. I am so stuck

I think bourkes have the personality of a cockatiel (passive birds, more squawk than bite), with the characteristic flightiness of a finch. That's just how they are.

My bourke parakeet is 16-18 years old and I've had her for 11 years of her life. She was parent raised and I never made the effort to tame her. However, at one point in time, I did have two of her much younger siblings that were also parent raised but handled by me. The male seemed more interested in being handled where-as the female was more on the alert.



So far, it sounds like you haven't made an effort to gain the bourkes trust, you simply took the bourke out and expected the bird to enjoy your company. Have you tried feeding him/her by hand?

MonicaMc said:

I think bourkes have the personality of a cockatiel (passive birds, more squawk than bite), with the characteristic flightiness of a finch. That's just how they are.

My bourke parakeet is 16-18 years old and I've had her for 11 years of her life. She was parent raised and I never made the effort to tame her. However, at one point in time, I did have two of her much younger siblings that were also parent raised but handled by me. The male seemed more interested in being handled where-as the female was more on the alert.



So far, it sounds like you haven't made an effort to gain the bourkes trust, you simply took the bourke out and expected the bird to enjoy your company. Have you tried feeding him/her by hand?

Click to expand...

I have no experience with working on gaining a bird's trust, honestly. All the birds I have had have been friendly, calm, and comfortable around me from the start. This could be my problem - maybe I am expecting too much right away. But it's all I know. Yes, I have tried to feed this bird from my hand. He freezes and stares at me/the food like it's going to attack him. The only time he will eat is when I am not around watching or paying attention to him. I will admit, I don't have hrs in a day to sit and work with him. I work full-time, school part-time, etc. Maybe this just wasn't the best choice adding another bird right now. I feel bad because I don't have hrs to sit with him. Even if I did, I really don't know what to do to get him to trust me (besides the food - which hasn't worked yet). From what I hear about bourke's parakeets, I am surprised. I get the comment you made about flightiness of a finch! I am seeing that for sure. But I am not seeing the similarities to a tiel.Tiels love to be with you (hand tamed). At least all of mine have. Even my least friendly one always wants to be out. Who knows, maybe I am just hoping for/expecting too much.

I equate them to cockatiels, not by friendliness but by behavior. They aren't very confrontational birds, and even when they are, it's mostly hissing and mock attacking, not actually causing any harm.

Taming a bird doesn't have to require hours throughout the day to interact with the bird. It can be as few as 15 minutes once a day, or twice a day if you can manage it. You may want to try removing food at night when the bourke goes to sleep, and offering food/millet by hand first thing in the morning. If after 5 minutes or so, if the bourke isn't interested, replace the food and try again the next day. Most birds, from what I've noticed, tend to be receptive within a few days. Once they start eating from you, they start getting more comfortable with you, and you can then go from there.

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who took the time to respond to my question. Against the advice of a lot of people I ended up swapping my bird for another baby. I felt and continue to feel HORRIBLE about doing it. I realize my decision was both selfish and lazy I hope that he ends up going home to someone with more time and patience to tame him, if that is their desire. The bird I ended up with was one I was eyeing the night before when I was given the option to switch them. He was the only one who really came up to see me and appeared to want my attention. I later found he was a sexed male, a customer had it done and later decided not to take him. All I can say is he is the complete opposite, personality-wise. He wants to be with me, without my forcing him. He came to me, he jumped up on me. So I am trying to get past the guilt and just enjoy him. What's done is done, and hopefully it's for the best. Thanks again everyone!