Help Taming My Budgie?

[SamRose]

I've had my budgie, Haven, (female) for almost a year now. She used to be very social and let people hold her all the time. After about a month, she started pecking my finger when I held her. I looked it up and trained her out of it. Now she hates being held, and has for months. I have been trying to train her out of it, but she hides when I reach into her cage, and avoids my hand, and anyone else's, at all cost.
I keep her in my bedroom, which I spend a fair amount of time in, being homeschooled. Most of the time I am reading or painting, (I am 15). She just hangs out in her cage, playing with her toys. Bells are her favorite. Anyway, I am a little worried about her lack of being social. Sometimes she chirps and flaps her wings, and I worry she is lonely.
There are two things I am thinking of. One is I could move her into a different room where she would get more human interaction. My dog used to be able to get downstairs, which is why she is in my bedroom in the first place. Now my dog can't, because we put up an electric fence. So I can move her to any room in our large, finished basement that we spend a lot of time in.
My second idea is to get another parakeet. I've read that it would have to be a boy, because females fight amongst themselves apparently. So, if I can't train her out of her skittishness, would it be better to get another bird so at least she isn't lonely? Or should I just keep trying to train her to like human interaction more? I also had the idea to get another cage to keep the second parakeet in, and they could stay in separate rooms until I had trained the second parakeet to be social, then put them together? Would the second parakeet rub off on Haven and make her more outgoing?
Sorry this is so longwinded. I would love some advice! And hopefully not too expensive ones. XD My limit is probably less than $100, being an average teenager. Thanks in advance!

 

[noodles123]

you said she "hides"-- huts etc are often bad news. I have to go to bed because I am exhausted, and I am not saying she shouldn't have a place to get away, but if she has like a hut or forest or crazy shadowy area, that's a hormonal trigger and can lead to behavior/territorial issues/nest behavior.



If you get another parakeet, 45 day quarantine in totally separate air space/cage on the other side of the house with extreme attention to washing hands/arms/clothes etc in between.



Birds should not be in the basement if at all possible, as they are flock animals and need light and varied/flock-style interaction (while still keeping a schedule).



2 birds can kill each /fight/mate/get jealous/obsessive/not care about the other. Period. They may love it, hate it or a mix, but never get a bird for your bird. You need to think carefully about the consequences of combining two (regardless of gender)-- Keeping in mind that breeding and egg binding poses serious health risks to females.

 

[SamRose]

Thank you for your answer! No, she doesn't have a hiding place really. She just tries to get herself behind hanging toys and in the corner of the cage. She mostly just flits around the cage, avoiding my hand. And our basement is half the square footage of our house, if not larger. It is one of those completely finished basements with large window wells, a huge family room, and four bedrooms. It is pretty well lit, as far as basements go. I keep the light on in my room all day too, for extra light. It is also warmer than the upstairs, and I wanted to make sure she wasn't near the kitchen, because of the chemicals on pans and stuff that I read can be harmful. I might be able to move her to the library upstairs, it is just right next to the front door and our upstairs is very open, without doors, so I wouldn't really be able to let her out. We may put doors on that room eventually, and then I could move her there. I'm just looking for options for rn.

 

[noodles123]

I will try to type more later- but I wanted to add--- if you cook with Teflon, your parrot can die in any room of the house. It won't always happen, and 2 identical birds could breathe the same air, with one surviving and the other not. Similarly, a single bird could be around a pan for multiple uses and suddenly die.


You are smart to keep them away from the kitchen due to heating oil, boiling water etc, but do not trick yourself into believing that Teflon/PTFE/PFOA/PFCs are not dangerous because you have them in another room. I have personally witnessed what can happen when working with a rescue and new bird owners.



Again-- smart to keep them out of the kitchen, but that doesn't mean protection from chemicals...If you have birds, you NEED to switch to PFTE/TEFLON/PFOA/PFC free cookware no matter what. Doors do not save them from respiratory distress, much like a door would not do much to save a human from a carbon monoxide leak.

 

[SamRose]

Oh, thanks! That makes sense. I don't think I cook with Teflon, but I will check in the morning.