New parakeet owner - not sure how to bond

[BitterBird]

I tried another website before this one and still haven't gotten a reply. This is what I posted over there:

I brought a parakeet home about 2 months ago. He should be close to 5 months old. One of the toys he has in his cage is a wheel with a bell and I've been noticing he spends every day sitting next to it, chirping at it and spinning the wheel occasionally. I took it and the other two toys he has out but I'm sure he gets really bored when I'm not home so I ended up putting them back in. I do my best to take him out of the cage 4 or 5 times a day and talk to him. If I take him out of the cage, he tries to get back in to get to the bell almost immediately. I'm not sure what to do. If I take out the toy, he will scream after a while, from what I guess is because he has nothing to do but if I leave it in, the only time he leaves its side is to eat.

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There are some new problems now too. The bird is, for the most part, finger trained. He hops away in the cage occasionally but will eventually sit on your finger. The problem is that the instant he is out of the cage, he takes off for one of my shelves. I let him sit there the first couple of days he was here but now that's the only he place he wants to be and it's getting bothersome. You can't have him perch on your finger and talk to him because he will leave in a few seconds.

Then there's the problem with his diet. I've always fed him a mix of seeds and he will eat millet sprays that I am holding, but I cannot get him to eat any fruits or vegetables. On top of that, I've seen him chewing up his feces which is worrying me.

Also, the cage I bought when I got him is already rusting and I'm afraid it will poison him. How do I take care of that?

Rust:
http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv40/ApocalypseToasterStudios/IMG_0301_zpsfb242e5b.jpg

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv40/ApocalypseToasterStudios/IMG_0300_zps36c10340.jpg

To summarize, I just want some advice on how to bond with him better. I am not taking it out on him but it's getting a bit frustrating.

 

[MonicaMc]

First off, your budgies wings have been mutilated. A bird should never be clipped like that.


If he likes the toy so much, why not take both out at the same time? Interact with him while you have the toy in the other hand?

It may also help to have some millet or food with you while you are interacting with him.



As far as diet, you just gotta be creative and to keep trying!

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html



As far as cage rust, you can try cleaning it off and repainting the area with safe paint, although it may also be a good idea to just replace it.

 

[veimar]

OMG, when I saw his wings it made me shudder!:11: I don't own a budgie, but I'm planning on one. The parakeet cages are usually pretty cheap, and if I was in your place I'd get another brand new one. Can you take him to another room where he cannot escape back to the cage? Like sit on the couch and read a book having him on your body? Oh, I just noticed that the previous person wrote the same thing. I have a conure and I have to invent tons of tricks to make him to eat veggies. I approach my bird as a baby on a very personal level - there is a lot of intuition involved. Good luck with your little one!
Oh, yes, I also played a lot of bird videos for my conure to entertain him. And I still do sometimes. He loves it. Just keep trying all sorts of things.

 

[MonicaMc]

I actually think it's best to train a bird where they feel most comfortable at, rather than a new and scary place where they might not be able to settle down.