New tiel

[lichphantom]

Update :

They are now eating more comfortably with my hands , they allow me to feed them even if my hand is very close to their face , I don't wait until they come to me I just put for example part the Romaine in my hand and put it inside the cage directly to them, they would eat without hesitation from my hand , I even introduced them to some fruits , I put it between my fingers and they have no problem in eating them and sometimes they mistakenly bite my fingers while they eating , and even though sunflower seeds are part of their mix seeds bowl sometimes I give them between my fingers the seed and they happily take it , and when I tried to put one finger empty without food , they would kinda play with the finger by biting it ( but not in hurtful way) it's like they are playing with it and with the nails

BUT despite all of this and it might seems like a good progress , but they are not even a less afraid from my hand when I try to reach out to them to touch them or when I try to change their food , they will still run scared from it just like the first day I brought them , it's very frustrating for me because I thought getting them used to my hand with food will make them at least less afraid of it but it seems like they won't let me touch them , and probably frustrating for them too since they are still stick in the small cage and growing in it , at this rate I can only transfer them to their big cage when they allow me to touch them and make them step up .... what should I do now ? and how should I make them get used to my hand ? I might have made a progress but it feels like I'm stuck here since it's been like 13 days without any more progress made , should I just continue what I do hoping that they would suddenly accept my hand or I should try something new with them ?

also I wanted to ask about how should I restore their food ( which is seeds mix ) ? the thing is because the weather is really so hot , I noticed some insects in the food and sometimes worm , these insects don't come from the outside but they are just created from hot weather in the seeds , I'm putting the seeds in plastic bag and hide it ,but should I try to put it in container ? and is it possible that I put it in the fridge or something to protect it from heat? I just don't want to deal with these insects , the guys in the pet store says they are not harmful for birds , but I just don't want these insects around , it even takes me long time to prepare their food since I have to check the seeds and kill any insects I find , so is there a solution to this ?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Update :

They are now eating more comfortably with my hands , they allow me to feed them even if my hand is very close to their face , I don't wait until they come to me I just put for example part the Romaine in my hand and put it inside the cage directly to them, they would eat without hesitation from my hand , I even introduced them to some fruits , I put it between my fingers and they have no problem in eating them and sometimes they mistakenly bite my fingers while they eating , and even though sunflower seeds are part of their mix seeds bowl sometimes I give them between my fingers the seed and they happily take it , and when I tried to put one finger empty without food , they would kinda play with the finger by biting it ( but not in hurtful way) it's like they are playing with it and with the nails

BUT despite all of this and it might seems like a good progress , but they are not even a less afraid from my hand when I try to reach out to them to touch them or when I try to change their food , they will still run scared from it just like the first day I brought them , it's very frustrating for me because I thought getting them used to my hand with food will make them at least less afraid of it but it seems like they won't let me touch them , and probably frustrating for them too since they are still stick in the small cage and growing in it , at this rate I can only transfer them to their big cage when they allow me to touch them and make them step up .... what should I do now ? and how should I make them get used to my hand ? I might have made a progress but it feels like I'm stuck here since it's been like 13 days without any more progress made , should I just continue what I do hoping that they would suddenly accept my hand or I should try something new with them ?

also I wanted to ask about how should I restore their food ( which is seeds mix ) ? the thing is because the weather is really so hot , I noticed some insects in the food and sometimes worm , these insects don't come from the outside but they are just created from hot weather in the seeds , I'm putting the seeds in plastic bag and hide it ,but should I try to put it in container ? and is it possible that I put it in the fridge or something to protect it from heat? I just don't want to deal with these insects , the guys in the pet store says they are not harmful for birds , but I just don't want these insects around , it even takes me long time to prepare their food since I have to check the seeds and kill any insects I find , so is there a solution to this ?

You are making good progress, so keep it up. Be patient. Birds can take a while to decide you are harmless enough to make friends with you.
Regarding their food, it's simple- store smaller amounts of their food in the refrigerator, and for longer term, store larger amounts in the freezer, just like you would to protect your own food. I would toss out the bug infested food. If you wouldn't eat it because it has bugs, why would you let your birds eat it? It's gross and bugs can also transmit diseases. Unrefrigerated food can also attract rodents!

 

[lichphantom]

You are making good progress, so keep it up. Be patient. Birds can take a while to decide you are harmless enough to make friends with you.

but what else should I do to gain more their trust ? is there some kind of things I need to do like trying to make them only eat the treats from palm of my hand or something ? or just keep doing what I do and over time they would come around alone ?

Regarding their food, it's simple- store smaller amounts of their food in the refrigerator , and for longer term, store larger amounts in the freezer

I didn't know I could restore them in fridge , but how much is a short term to store in refrigerator ? for example if I buy food worth of 1 month , I should put half of it in refrigerator and half in freezer or I can put it all in refrigerator? and for how many hours I shoud remove it from the refrigerator before giving it to the bird ? and can I put it with plastic bag in refrigerator or there should be some container ?

why would you let your birds eat it?

I only let them eat it because i had no choice , I went to 4 different pet stores and they were all the same , I tossed out many food but it turns out every pet store is the same so I only gave them when there wasn't food to give , the thing is in my city they sell the food in open container and not in closed box , they say so that it can be exposed to the air but this have insects problem apparently , I ordered a closed box of seed mix from the capital and should be arrive soon that's why i wanted to know how to store it so there will be no insects

 

[DonnaBudgie]

but what else should I do to gain more their trust ? is there some kind of things I need to do like trying to make them only eat the treats from palm of my hand or something ? or just keep doing what I do and over time they would come around alone ?

I didn't know I could restore them in fridge , but how much is a short term to store in refrigerator ? for example if I buy food worth of 1 month , I should put half of it in refrigerator and half in freezer or I can put it all in refrigerator? and for how many hours I shoud remove it from the refrigerator before giving it to the bird ? and can I put it with plastic bag in refrigerator or there should be some container ?

I only let them eat it because i had no choice , I went to 4 different pet stores and they were all the same , I tossed out many food but it turns out every pet store is the same so I only gave them when there wasn't food to give , the thing is in my city they sell the food in open container and not in closed box , they say so that it can be exposed to the air but this have insects problem apparently , I ordered a closed box of seed mix from the capital and should be arrive soon that's why i wanted to know how to store it so there will be no insects

When you buy their food, put all of it in the freezer for a few days to kill any live insects.
I would store their dry food (pellets and seeds) in the refrigerator in a zip lock plastic bag or a plastic container. There's no need to warm up their dry food before feeding it to them. If you buy large amounts of dry food (more than a couple months' worth) you can store 30 days worth in the refrigerator and the rest will stay fresh longer in the freezer in a sealed plastic bag or plastic container. It really depends on where you have more storage space. If your freezer is very small then store all of it in the refrigerator. Bugs won't invade their food in either one.

As for taming and gaining trust, now that they will eat from your fingers, try to hold the treat so they have to sit on your finger or your hand to eat it. They will become more and more comfortable with you and your hands if you keep it up. Also, spend time just sitting close to their cage and talking to them in a soft friendly voice. Just sitting close to their cage and reading, using a computer or smart phone or watching TV will make them view you as a part of their family flock. If the room they are in is bird-safe (no cats or dogs and no open windows or doors) and you are there to supervise them closely, you can open their cage door and let them come out if they want and investigate. Be very careful they don't fly out a door or window. I assume their wings are not clipped.
Keep up the good work. They will come around in time.

 

[lichphantom]

When you buy their food, put all of it in the freezer for a few days to kill any live insects.
I would store their dry food (pellets and seeds) in the refrigerator in a zip lock plastic bag or a plastic container. There's no need to warm up their dry food before feeding it to them. If you buy large amounts of dry food (more than a couple months' worth) you can store 30 days worth in the refrigerator and the rest will stay fresh longer in the freezer in a sealed plastic bag or plastic container. It really depends on where you have more storage space. If your freezer is very small then store all of it in the refrigerator. Bugs won't invade their food in either one.

Thank you for the advice , I have lot of storage space in freezer and refrigerator , I usually buy a 1 month worth of food , I will try to store it in the freezer at first for couple of days to ensure there will be no live insects and then will put it in the refrigerator .... but you said that there is no need to warm up the food , wouldn't the seed be too cold for the birds to consume if it's coming from refrigerator or especially the freezer and give them directly without warming them? The plastic bag would still make the cold reach the seed no?

As for taming and gaining trust, now that they will eat from your fingers, try to hold the treat so they have to sit on your finger or your hand to eat it. They will become more and more comfortable with you and your hands if you keep it up. Also, spend time just sitting close to their cage and talking to them in a soft friendly voice. Just sitting close to their cage and reading, using a computer or smart phone or watching TV will make them view you as a part of their family flock. If the room they are in is bird-safe (no cats or dogs and no open windows or doors) and you are there to supervise them closely, you can open their cage door and let them come out if they want and investigate. Be very careful they don't fly out a door or window. I assume their wings are not clipped.
Keep up the good work. They will come around in time

I tried to hold the treat in the edge of the palm of my hand in a way that they need to put their leg in my fingers to reach it but they would lose interest if I do thisband they would just walk away , I tried this for days that's why there was no more progress it seems like eating from my fingers and playing with my nails is their limit ...

I'm trying to spend as much time with their cage close to me and to my family and we talk to them constantly , since they are still in their small cage and couldn't transfer them yet it was easier to move them wherever I go in my room or living room , the rooms are bird-safe but the problem is I couldn't even let them out of the cage to go to their big cage , I could lure them outside of the cage with the treats because they would follow it through the door but I'm afraid I won't be able to let them inside the cage again once they are out since they are not tamed yet , I'm afraid they would fly in panic and wouldn't return to their cage especially that it is small and I have to hold the small door to make it open... so what I should do in this case ? I would actually like that they would have their freedom and investigate and fly since that was the point of not clipping their wings but it's just seems like complicated situation because they don't allow me to touch them yet and therefore I won't be able to return them to their cage

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thank you for the advice , I have lot of storage space in freezer and refrigerator , I usually buy a 1 month worth of food , I will try to store it in the freezer at first for couple of days to ensure there will be no live insects and then will put it in the refrigerator .... but you said that there is no need to warm up the food , wouldn't the seed be too cold for the birds to consume if it's coming from refrigerator or especially the freezer and give them directly without warming them? The plastic bag would still make the cold reach the seed no?

I tried to hold the treat in the edge of the palm of my hand in a way that they need to put their leg in my fingers to reach it but they would lose interest if I do thisband they would just walk away , I tried this for days that's why there was no more progress it seems like eating from my fingers and playing with my nails is their limit ...

I'm trying to spend as much time with their cage close to me and to my family and we talk to them constantly , since they are still in their small cage and couldn't transfer them yet it was easier to move them wherever I go in my room or living room , the rooms are bird-safe but the problem is I couldn't even let them out of the cage to go to their big cage , I could lure them outside of the cage with the treats because they would follow it through the door but I'm afraid I won't be able to let them inside the cage again once they are out since they are not tamed yet , I'm afraid they would fly in panic and wouldn't return to their cage especially that it is small and I have to hold the small door to make it open... so what I should do in this case ? I would actually like that they would have their freedom and investigate and fly since that was the point of not clipping their wings but it's just seems like complicated situation because they don't allow me to touch them yet and therefore I won't be able to return them to their cage

The seed will warm up to room temperature within minutes from the refrigerator. Cool seed won't hurt them. My birds eat cool veggies right out of the fridge and drink cold water no problem.
From the freezer you should wait about half and hour OR until the seed feels cool but not ice cold.

You need to SLOWLY progress from taking food from fingers to sitting on your hand while eating. It's a process that takes time and patience. Don't give up.

You should wait to let them out of the cage until they are comfortable perching on your hand so you can get them back in without chasing and grabbing them.

 

[onamom]

Great advice from @DonnaBudgie above. I agree that it does sound like you are making progress, just slowly. Which is ok! Slow progress is still progress. It is good they will take the food from your hand. Will they move toward you at all to get the food if you offer it from an inch or so away?

 

[lichphantom]

The seed will warm up to room temperature within minutes from the refrigerator. Cool seed won't hurt them. My birds eat cool veggies right out of the fridge and drink cold water no problem.
From the freezer you should wait about half and hour OR until the seed feels cool but not ice cold.

Thank you for all these informations , I didn't know about being possible to store it in freezer or even in refrigerator... by tomorrow I will get the command of the seeds in closed box , hopefully there will be no insects there since it's in closed box and not in the open air , but I will put it in the freezer at first for couple of days to be safe and then put it in refrigerator

You need to SLOWLY progress from taking food from fingers to sitting on your hand while eating. It's a process that takes time and patience. Don't give up.

I'm trying my best , it's just I get very discouraging comments from my environment and from pet stores that I will never be able to tame them since they weren't handraised from the beginning so sometimes I get the thoughts of " what if I will never be able to hold them no matter what I do " so this kind of make me scared they will always be in cage , but I'm not giving up and I will try to just keep what I'm doing and hopefully there will be more progress

 

[lichphantom]

Great advice from @DonnaBudgie above. I agree that it does sound like you are making progress, just slowly. Which is ok! Slow progress is still progress. It is good they will take the food from your hand. Will they move toward you at all to get the food if you offer it from an inch or so away?

yes when they are for example in one edge of the cage and I offer it in the other edge they would come directly to me to take it , sometimes it happens when I get close to their cage even without treats they will immediately come closer to where I'am because they think I'm about to give them a treat, and when they do that I give them seeds between my fingers through the bars and they happily take it and then play with my finger , but even with all of this they still not any less scared from the hand when I try to touch them or put my hand in the cage without treats

 

[onamom]

yes when they are for example in one edge of the cage and I offer it in the other edge they would come directly to me to take it , sometimes it happens when I get close to their cage even without treats they will immediately come closer to where I'am because they think I'm about to give them a treat, and when they do that I give them seeds between my fingers through the bars and they happily take it and then play with my finger , but even with all of this they still not any less scared from the hand when I try to touch them or put my hand in the cage without treats

That is still huge progress!! Keep it up!

 

[lichphantom]

That is still huge progress!! Keep it up!

I will try my best ! but do I have to just keep repeating what I'm doing ? because it seems whenever I'm trying to do new progress with them they lose interest and walk away from me

 

[onamom]

I will try my best ! but do I have to just keep repeating what I'm doing ? because it seems whenever I'm trying to do new progress with them they lose interest and walk away from me

I would keep up what you are doing until you are able to get them to step up on your hand to take the treat from you.

 

[lichphantom]

I would keep up what you are doing until you are able to get them to step up on your hand to take the treat from you.

I will keep doing that and hopefully I can make them step up on hand!

but I wanted to ask , because after a month I'm going on a vacation for 3 or 4 days , and probably won't take them to not expose them to too much heat and all , but would they be okay being alone if I make them enough food ? would it be bad to stay long time away from them and this would interfere with the progress of taming ?

I will let them in the living room with the TV open and there will be air conditioner , my father will be home but he won't interact with them he will just close/open TV/lights ect ...

 

[onamom]

I will keep doing that and hopefully I can make them step up on hand!

but I wanted to ask , because after a month I'm going on a vacation for 3 or 4 days , and probably won't take them to not expose them to too much heat and all , but would they be okay being alone if I make them enough food ? would it be bad to stay long time away from them and this would interfere with the progress of taming ?

I will let them in the living room with the TV open and there will be air conditioner , my father will be home but he won't interact with them he will just close/open TV/lights ect ...

It is good that your father will be around even if he doesn't handle them - never a good idea to leave a bird alone for more than a day unsupervised in case of emergency. If he is able to feed them and water them then you should be fine. The short time away shouldn't make a big impact on your progress bonding

 

[lichphantom]

It is good that your father will be around even if he doesn't handle them - never a good idea to leave a bird alone for more than a day unsupervised in case of emergency. If he is able to feed them and water them then you should be fine. The short time away shouldn't make a big impact on your progress bonding

Thank you , but he actually wouldn't be able to feed them and water them , therefore I will have to give them plenty of food and water in multiple bowls , or this won't be good thing to do to give food directly of 4 days ?

also I will put a camera with laptop in front of their cage so I can monitor them frequently with my phone and see what they do while I'm on vacation just in case something happens , I would feel more secure with the camera to be able to see them

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thank you , but he actually wouldn't be able to feed them and water them , therefore I will have to give them plenty of food and water in multiple bowls , or this won't be good thing to do to give food directly of 4 days ?

also I will put a camera with laptop in front of their cage so I can monitor them frequently with my phone and see what they do while I'm on vacation just in case something happens , I would feel more secure with the camera to be able to see them

When I need to go away for a long weekend and leave seven budgies at home (Rocky always cones with us) I always feel bad but I put a few extra dishes of pellets and seed and few more bowls if water in each cage. Then I add their special holiday treat- a big, fat whole millet spray for each pair! This keeps them busy and well fed until I get home! I'd rather fill their cages with food and water than trust someone to feed and water them every day and risk one of my budgies getting out of the cage and all hell breaking loose when they try to get them back in the cage!

 

[lichphantom]

When I need to go away for a long weekend and leave seven budgies at home (Rocky always cones with us) I always feel bad but I put a few extra dishes of pellets and seed and few more bowls if water in each cage. Then I add their special holiday treat- a big, fat whole millet spray for each pair! This keeps them busy and well fed until I get home! I'd rather fill their cages with food and water than trust someone to feed and water them every day and risk one of my budgies getting out of the cage and all hell breaking loose when they try to get them back in the cage!

I will put then some extra dishes of their seeds and more bowls of water when I go on the vacation , my only concern is that they are still in the small cage since I couldn't transfer them yet to their big cage and space will be less with extra dishes , and sometimes before they sleep I have to break out a fight between them , I just want to somehow transfer them in the big cage they are more grown now and need more space but I didn't find any solution for that yet

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I will put then some extra dishes of their seeds and more bowls of water when I go on the vacation , my only concern is that they are still in the small cage since I couldn't transfer them yet to their big cage and space will be less with extra dishes , and sometimes before they sleep I have to break out a fight between them , I just want to somehow transfer them in the big cage they are more grown now and need more space but I didn't find any solution for that yet

Many people will disagree with me, but personally, I would catch each bird in a small towel (one at a time) and put them into their new cage before the trip. I think you've tried for long enough to let them transfer themselves. They will get over it.

 

[lichphantom]

Many people will disagree with me, but personally, I would catch each bird in a small towel (one at a time) and put them into their new cage before the trip. I think you've tried for long enough to let them transfer themselves. They will get over it.

I personally wouldn't be able to do this and catch them with small towel since I will be afraid if I do something wrong and end up to hurt them , but I will see if I can call someone who is familiar with birds to come and he would take them out to their big cage . otherwise I will try now to transfer all their food and water bowels to the new cage and try to lure them out to the door with food in my hand since now they follow my movement of my hand when I have treats , I haven't tried this since I wasn't able to lure them before so I will try it as last resort before I call for someone to catch them

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I personally wouldn't be able to do this and catch them with small towel since I will be afraid if I do something wrong and end up to hurt them , but I will see if I can call someone who is familiar with birds to come and he would take them out to their big cage . otherwise I will try now to transfer all their food and water bowels to the new cage and try to lure them out to the door with food in my hand since now they follow my movement of my hand when I have treats , I haven't tried this since I wasn't able to lure them before so I will try it as last resort before I call for someone to catch them

Having a disinterested third party do it when you are not in the room is a very good idea.