Baby budgie- flighted and on meds

Katrina38

Member
Mar 23, 2022
17
32
Parrots
Roscoe- english budgie
I need help! I have a 14 week old handfed English budgie that we have had for about 3 weeks now. He came to us with a respiratory infection and clipped to the point that he couldn’t even flutter. With that said, bonding has been hard because I have had to give the poor babe medicine almost everyday since we’ve had him (he is on his second round of antibiotics from the vet). In the 3 weeks we have had him he has grown enough feathers that he can fly and he loves being out of his cage. Here are my concerns and questions:

-How can we tame Him/ bond with him if he is flighted? It’s an adventure just to get him back in his cage these last few days

-How can I possibly train him to step up etc when he is flighted and does what he wants? He was starting to do step up before his wings came in and now not at all (can you blame him? I have to hold him and give him meds daily)

-Is there a way to get him and administer meds without breaking his trust daily?

I should note that he isn’t treat motivated at all. He has never eaten out of my hand and rarely even touches the millet in his cage (he eats his pellets). I can tell he is starting to feel better as he is now starting to play a bit.

I just want to set him up for success with how young he is and how much we are probably scaring him now now.

Should I clip his wings again?

Thank you for all of your help!
 
May 2, 2021
3,527
Media
4
Albums
2
8,038
Vermont, USA
Parrots
Stormy(M): blue Australian budgie
Picasso(F): green Australian budgie
Apollo(F): sky blue dominant pied Australian budgie
I need help! I have a 14 week old handfed English budgie that we have had for about 3 weeks now. He came to us with a respiratory infection and clipped to the point that he couldn’t even flutter. With that said, bonding has been hard because I have had to give the poor babe medicine almost everyday since we’ve had him (he is on his second round of antibiotics from the vet). In the 3 weeks we have had him he has grown enough feathers that he can fly and he loves being out of his cage. Here are my concerns and questions:

-How can we tame Him/ bond with him if he is flighted? It’s an adventure just to get him back in his cage these last few days
By letting him come to you :). I feel budgies are often clipped because people think they cannot be tamed when flying free. That is false. Budgies in the wild fly up to 500 km a day, so clipping them is cruelty in my opinion. Wing clipping also throws off their natural balance when landing, making them fall forward. It takes away confidence too.
-How can I possibly train him to step up etc when he is flighted and does what he wants? He was starting to do step up before his wings came in and now not at all (can you blame him? I have to hold him and give him meds daily)
Honestly, stepping up can be hard. Apollo refused for at least 2 weeks to step up. I used a branch instead of my hand to get him comfy, then moved my hand up the branch a little bit each day, until he was perching on my finger no problem!
-Is there a way to get him and administer meds without breaking his trust daily?
Water works quite well!
 

MayMaroa

Well-known member
Feb 13, 2022
1,031
1,761
Putrajaya, Malaysia
Parrots
2 female budgies i have a green named tofu she is 1 years old(she turned one years old in April) and i have a blue budgie named sky she is the younger one she is younger then tofu by a few days
This video is great for taming him from this video i tamed my birds to step up
 

BirdyBee

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2022
3,748
Media
34
Albums
6
8,080
South Africa
Parrots
Current birds:
John
Snowy
Pippen

Past birds:
Grumpy
Sunny
Griffen
Jeff
Gertjie

BirdyBee

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2022
3,748
Media
34
Albums
6
8,080
South Africa
Parrots
Current birds:
John
Snowy
Pippen

Past birds:
Grumpy
Sunny
Griffen
Jeff
Gertjie
OP
Katrina38

Katrina38

Member
Mar 23, 2022
17
32
Parrots
Roscoe- english budgie
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Thank you!
I just want to say this video helped a ton. Once Roscoe was done with meds, I started with the millet slowly and he isn't afraid of any of our hands at all now. He is very selective when he lets us carry him around ... but he is bonding, preening us, and trying to talk up a storm. He took much longer than any bird we've ever had - but we've made so much progress in the last month.
 

Most Reactions

Top