Budgies started to hate me and u cant tame them anymore!

kokoandkikithebirds

New member
Aug 15, 2019
3
0
i have been taming my budgies for over 5 months now and in the past month they started to eat from my hand which i thought was great until now, they started flying and screaming and started to get very scared from my hand and its very sad to see them do that.
please can anyone help?
 

itzjbean

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2017
2,572
Media
4
119
Iowa, USA
Parrots
2 cockatiels
It's not uncommon for budgies/ parakeets to not want human interaction. Unless they are hand raised by humans it can be extremely difficult to hand tame them, and even then they can regress and not want anything to do with people.

It's just how they are, and likely how they were raised -- we are big predators and it goes against their instincts for prey to trust predator if they were raised by their parents.

You may just have to accept them as they are, and instead of trying to earn their trust and get them hand tame, turn your focus to making sure they are happy, healthy and have everything they need - fresh food and water daily, plenty of toys and a large cage to enjoy with each other.

I'm not saying its impossible to tame them, people do it, but it sometimes just doesn't happen... birds will be birds, flighty and content without humans whether we like it or not. My newest cockatiel was not hand fed and so is still frightful of humans moving too closely to her. She is much more comfortable with a bird companion in her cage rather then interacting with me, and that's okay.

If you want a tame baby, opt for a hand fed baby from a reputable breeder and keep it separate from the other birds so you can bond with it on its own.
 

18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
Not much to go on there, could be a lot of things, are they getting 10-12 hours of sleep? They getting a decent diet? How old are they? Genders? What have you started doing differently than before? The birds will tell you what they want, sometimes they want to be left to themselves, I like to look at it as me giving them the opportunity to interact with me, they can choose to accept that interaction or not, if not, give them some space and offer again later, if you try to force things with them they are going to be afraid...any additional information would be very helpful
 

bug_n_flock

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2018
1,371
207
Isolated Holler in the Appalachian Wilderness
Parrots
B&G Macaw, Galah, 5 cockatiels, 50 billion and a half budgies. We breed and do rescue. Too many to list each individual's name and age etc, but they are each individuals and loved dearly.
How much time do you spend in the same room as them? How much time talking to them thru the bars?
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
This article has lots of great Info
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

Also as stated by other members, if you didn't get a parakeet from a breeder who socialized them as babies it much harder. But it can be done, some have success.
My budgie Cloudy will come and eat scrambled eggs and other stuff from my hand, come to my face and make cute noises. But my other budgie will not come near me at all.
You have success and then a set back. Something spooked them about hands. Do you ha e to start over. Never chase them with your hands, you want them moving toward you.
I hope you can enjoy these lively and lovely parrots even if hands on friendship remains off the table. They still enjoy time out if the cage, play, good fresh veggies.
 

Aspie_Aviphile

New member
Jul 19, 2018
145
13
England
Parrots
Biddy, budgie, departed 2nd Sept 2018; Bo, Indian Ringneck, 5th Feb 2020; </3
Have you changed something about your hands? New nails or new substance rubbed on your skin, like sun lotion or moisturiser? Birds see colours we can't, and anything rubbed on the skin can make it look completely different to them.
 

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