Help With A Stubborn Parakeet?

Hi all! I got an account on here because I am in need of some assistance! So my boyfriend got me a parakeet for our anniversary about two months ago, he's not old enough to tell what gender he is so I've just been using he for now.

Anyway, he never wants to do anything! He doesn't show any signs of being unhealthy, he's very alert and he sings along with the radio, but he never does anything active and I'm worried he's not getting enough exercise. I have tried all sorts of toys! He's got a swing, bells, toys with treats on them, ladders, mirrors, and I even put an empty toilet paper roll in there. He just sits on his perch and does nothing. I tried "playing" with his toys to try and get him interested and it didn't work, and I'll open his cage door so he can fly around the room and he'll just sit there.

The only time he'll leave the cage is if I offer him food, which he'll hop on my hand to eat it. Additionally, the only thing he will eat is seeds and millet. I tried leaving just pellets or just fruits/veggies in there for part of the day, and he'll just wait to eat only seeds. I tried mixing them, I tried mushing the fruit up, I tried sticking the seeds in mashed up fruit, I tried putting baby food on his seeds to get him used to the taste, and even hanging the fruit from the bars of his cage, but no matter what he only picks out the seeds. I don't want him to go hungry, but he needs a varied diet, and I don't have any other parakeets to show him an example. I tried eating what he had in his cage in front of him, but that didn't work. Its been two months and I have had no success, and I'm beginning to get concerned.

Any recommendations? How can I get him to be more active and eat some other foods? Thank you so much in advance!

Welcome Moondragon, glad you joined us! I don't think your budgie is being stubborn, I think he's just being a budgie, and that's a good thing. Budgies are amazing little parrots. Two months is really not that long for a budgie to adjust to a new home. It will take time for him to understand it's safe to leave the comfort of his cage and to trust his toys not to eat him. Hopping on your hand for a treat is good progress. Keep working with him and give him time to build a trusting bond.

My budgies won't touch any kind of mushy food. They will eat diced apple, shredded carrot, and zucchini and they like kale if I put whole leaves in their cage bars. You should look at Harrison's organic formulated diets for your budgie, it's very healthy and doesn't need extra supplements.