Birdie temper tantrum!

ct92404

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Oct 14, 2012
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California
Parrots
My first bird was a parakeet named Buddy (passed away November 8, 2012). My newest friend is a parakeet named Chipper.
Okay, first of all, it turns out that Chipper IS a female, after all! A while back, I took her to the bird farm (where I bought her) to visit. They said Chipper is definitely a girl. And her cere is tan now, no question about it. I really didn't care either way...I just wanted a friendly, healthy bird. For a while, I was hoping it was a male, but knowing that Chipper is a female hasn't changed anything. I love this little bird so much. :)

She's very friendly and affectionate, and we are definitely close. I pick her up and pet her all the time, and she likes to chew on my hair and nibble on my face. But she also gets a major attitude sometimes! When she makes up her mind that she wants to go somewhere or chew on something, she will NOT take no for an answer! If I'm holding her and I'm by my laptop, she keeps jumping down and pecking and chewing on the keys! And if she doesn't want to get off, she'll get an attitude if I try to pick her up. She complains with this little noise...kind of like "dee dee dee!" and then tries to bite me! She never bites me hard anymore, it's just kind of like she's just rebelling. Stubborn little featherbutt!

Anyway, getting to the subject of my post...Chipper can also be very clingy and gets jealous. I giver her plenty of love and attention, and I take her out of her cage and pet her all the time. But a lot of times, she still starts squawking whenever I leave the room. For the most part, she's well socialized and is used to people. Once she has been introduced to my friends and has seen them a few times, she will perch on their hand and climb up to their shoulder. But I have noticed that there are some people she still gets jealous about...especially my friend Judith! It's hilarious, as soon as Judith comes in the room, Chipper starts preening her feathers right away, like she's trying to look good! Then she starts squawking and pacing back and forth at the front of the cage and wants to come out. She even gets jealous of my mom sometimes! A couple of days ago, my mom came in my room to talk to me, and Chipper seemed to get really mad...she was squawking and flapping her wings!

I give Chipper as much attention as I can, but I have been going out more lately. And she has start tossing food out of her bowl again! I KNOW she's doing it on purpose! When I first got her the food, she seemed to really like it, and she was eating it without tossing it out. But lately, she started throwing seeds out again and making a mess. I just KNOW she's doing it on purpose. Like she's having some kind of birdie temper tantrum and she's trying to tell me something.

Do budgies normally get this clingy and have temper tantrums??
 

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
I don't know anything at all about budgies...

But all birds are emotional creatures, and I suspect any of them might throw a tantrum now and again...

Mine are well behaved, but they still do occasionally. Just not as often as most.
 

Folkeye

New member
Oct 11, 2012
58
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So Cal
Parrots
Jacky- Pacific Parrotlet (Nude-subspecies...feather picker.)

Jasper- Lady English Budgie
Female budgies can get crankier and moodier than the boys. Mine isn't so social, she's on her own terms with coming out of the cage for some playtime and attention. She'll get really angry with me every time my hand is in her cage, changing toys, hanging food or whatever. When that happens it's her angry dolphin noise version of 'GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!!!!' so I walk away, then she has a fretting sounding chirp that sounds like 'HEY, hey!! Where are you going?!! Don't leave my sight!' So she's a funny one. She does enjoy company every now and then, else she's pretty content entertaining herself with her toys. She comes out of the cage when she wants, plays, goes back in. she's happy.

As for the 'no' don't do that. I don't think that's in a bird's vocabulary. My second bird, a feather plucking (I believe due to a very bad wing/nail clipping 2 years ago), mental, parrotlet.... knows when I tell him not to do something. Especially if that something is chewing holes in my shirts. Nothing makes him happier than having his beak ripping a hole in my clothing while all the while getting scrtiches. I'll say to him in a stern voice 'You're NOT chewing holes in my shirt, are you?' That eyeball rolls up to look at me, he knows. Though seriously, when he does start chewing on my shirt I'll say 'no' and gently pry his beak off. If all else fails, I put on an old PJ shirt for him. I think he gets it, just won't listen. Same goes for whatever location he wants to be in. I can retrieve him 1000000x and he'll still fly right back to where I removed him from. So yeah, stubborn little things them birds are.
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
To me, it sounds pretty normal! LOL

I haven't had any budgies do that behavior, but then again, I don't think any of mine have been like Chipper! So that behavior would have been abnormal for mine, but for Chipper, it sounds normal!


Having said that, if you wanted to change it I'm sure you could.
 

JoeR

New member
Aug 8, 2013
36
0
North Carolina, USA
Parrots
2 Cockatiels
1 Quaker
Sounds like a normal, happy little bird to me.

Flock bonded to your friends.

Pair bonded to you, and acting like it.

My 2 cents (maybe a little less than that)
 

lisascannell

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Sep 1, 2013
546
0
South Australia
Parrots
2 Lovebirds, 5 cockatiels, finch, budgie, Indian Ringneck
My cockatiel does that same thing. I have spoiled him too much with love and attention and he has a temper tantrum when it's cage time.
 
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ct92404

ct92404

New member
Oct 14, 2012
153
0
California
Parrots
My first bird was a parakeet named Buddy (passed away November 8, 2012). My newest friend is a parakeet named Chipper.
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lol...no, I don't want to change it. To me, it's so hilarious that she gets so clingy and jealous. The only thing that is annoying is how she keeps throwing food out of her bowl! Especially since I know she's doing it on purpose because she's having a temper tantrum and trying to get attention! I don't know what goes on in her crazy little birdie mind!
 

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