Catching Budgie (Need help ASAP please)

Hey folk, I'm in a bit of bind here.

I've got two budgies, a female called Svea and a male called Tyr. Svea is steadily getting hand tamed and I have no trouble letting her come out to fly but Tyr is still very, very skittish in comparison who has mostly stayed pretty passive in his cage and never come out since I brought him home.

Svea is being a little irritable due to her first moulting and she had a fit chasing Tyr right out of the cage nearly eight hours ago now and he won't come back inside. I don't know if it's that he doesn't want to go but more likely he just can't find his way there. Svea has flown out and sat with him or sat calling for him in the cage several times but he keeps on finding perches on the high bookshelf or closet.

It's now 1 AM and I've had no luck getting him back inside. Tried tempting him with food but he flies off the moment I come close and I've left millet by the cage in hope he will go there. I attempted using a method I've seen spoken of many times using a towel to try catch him but that's proven hopeless as he simply flies over or around it and after the first two attempts simply darts off the moment I approach.

Any advice? I'm at my wit's end.

Dim the lights significantly and see if they go back.

I'll give it a go. Thanks for the speedy reply, will try put a small light near the cage and see if that helps.

No luck, he isn't showing any signs of moving.

You might want a bit more light than that--- try it, but if they start to get too comfortable, I would make a bit brighter or they might roost where they are lol--They need to be able to see where they are flying and I doubt they will fly through darkness toward a light (but I could be wrong).

I mean, like a room lamp instead of overhead lights (so that the room is like a bed-time story dark)...maybe a bit less light than you would need for reading.

What kind of cage do you have? Can you put it on the floor?

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I could put it on the floor, you think that would be helpful?

If he's seeking higher perches, could you somehow block those-- I know then you risk scaring him, but something like a sheet might be novel enough to dissuade him from landing...Then again, you do risk trust if you freak him out too badly.

I am confused about the floor statement-- there could be truth to it, but my instinct is to move it higher....I don't know..maybe I am thinking about this the wrong way...I don't currently own a budgie, but I have in the past. I am curious now though!

I think my best shot is catching him with a blanket but I'm unsure how to, he's a very quick and evasive flyer. I'm admittedly not too concerned about lost trust at this point because there's not much to lose, he's by far the most scarediest bird I've ever had despite being in the company of my much more gregarious female.

If you could hold up a sheet and walk towards him, you might be able to corral him over to his cage without touching him and if you hold it up like a wall, I doubt he will try to go over it....Just make sure that the blanket is very light weight--you don't want to squish him...Just don't want him flying into things and hurting himself either...

PS-- If he's with gregarious females, it is no surprise that he isn't bonding to you. He is bonding to one or more of them instead.

I'm gonna give that a go, it's my concern too he will end up hurting himself.

P.S. Actually, he's not very social with her either. I've thought of making a separate post about this in fact, she's quite interested both him and me but he avoids us both. It's been about a month and a half, expected him to settle in better by now.

BlooBloo said:

I'm gonna give that a go, it's my concern too he will end up hurting himself.

P.S. Actually, he's not very social with her either. I've thought of making a separate post about this in fact, she's quite interested both him and me but he avoids us both. It's been about a month and a half, expected him to settle in better by now.

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A month really is no time in bird land--especially if you have multiples in a cage together. My singular U2 wouldn't step up for 3 months when I got her (even though she liked me and knew how to step up when I adopted/rescued her).

BlooBloo said:

I could put it on the floor, you think that would be helpful?

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I did this with my birds when I couldn't handle them.
He should know that the cage is a safe place, he could be seeking higher places because he's scared. He might not know how to get back to the cage, try moving it to places he can get to.
Also have you placed treats at the cage door? Hanging them in the entrance might also help, especially if the other budgie starts eating it.


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Guessing you already tried favorite treats in the cage etc?

Yeah, I've got a piece of millet hanging by the cage door right now. I do have a strong feeling he really doesn't know how to get back in since this is only his second time outside, the first time was when he was totally new and he slipped out unintentionally and I managed to gently snag him while he was still disoriented. This time he is much more conscious of any attempts from me to get him.

Did you manage to get him back in?

No luck unfortunately, he had to spend the night out and he still hasn't gotten back in. I managed to give him some food at least.

Could spraying him down with water to slow him and then catch him work?

I wouldn't spray him- water shouldn't ever be associated with bad things. If you leave his food in his cage, he may get hungry enough to go back in. In the future (when opening the cage/letting him out), you might try hanging a curtain but letting him out more often so that the novelty isn't so high (but so that he can't go off into the larger room).

Is there something new or weird in the cage? It is likely that he is just relishing his new-found freedom, but just curious if anything in or around the cage has changed.

This next potential suggestion is a VERYYYYYY controversial issue (and it is largely dependent on the situation/bird), but when done appropriately, and depending on your training intentions, some people have had luck with appropriate wing-trimming. Whether you take this step will depend very much on the level of time you plan to devote to him, as well as his relationship with other birds, the size of his cage etc. If you plan to work with him a lot and you do want to go the training and clipping route, make sure that you get someone like an avian vet to do it so that they don't cut off too much---the wings should be trimmed on both sides so that the bird can still glide down (there are many breeders and even some vets who will trim wings improperly). In a flighted bird, trimming can be a source of frustration, but when done appropriately, a bird should still be able to fly some and control their landings. The last thing you want is a bird who thinks it can fly going to do so and then falling like a rock.

I do think it is very important for birds to get time out of their cages and it seems like he agrees...sadly, he can't keep doing what he is doing without posing a risk to his own safety.