Can't tame my budgie.. AT ALL

[ewalker]

Hey!

I found a budgie about three weeks ago. He's a pretty yellow one.. I took him to the vet. He said that the budgie was male, and six months old or less. I've worked with him daily, and can get him to get on a stick that I'm holding to come out of his cage, but as soon as he's out, he goes straight for a mirror that is behind the cage. He is obsessed with this mirror... Inside or outside of the cage he could care less that I'm around him... I talk to him a lot, he has a huge cage with all the toys you could think of.. The vet told me to only put seeds and treats in his cage while I'm there so he can see me putting them in and taking them out.. However, I have found that he is starving for those stupid seeds.. He will not eat a single pellet if his life depended on it. I put missing link on top of his seeds so hopefully he's getting some nutrition.. But he just doesn't care about my company at all, nor does he sing or really make any noises... I'm about to try to rehome him. I have a five week old sun conure that is my baby, and I guess I want to focus more on the one that actually cares about my existence. Any suggestions on what else I can do for this budgie?

 

[IcyWolf]

you have only had him for three weeks and who knows what his past was like. I'm actually surprised that you already have him stepping up on a stick! I bet if you keep working with him he will come around. Training a parent raised bird(we can only assume that he is) is a lot different than a freshly weaned hand fed baby like your conure. Just give him some time before you make any concrete decisions. As far as the mirror, if he can see it from his cage, he probably thinks there is another bird over there and he wants it's company. Can you remove or at least cover up the mirror until you have created a better bond with him, or simply move his cage to a place where he can't see any mirrors?

 

[ewalker]

I hid the mirror. I'm even thinking about getting him another budgie friend... Maybe that'll help? I just want him happy, and I sure can't tell if he is or not... He seems smart though.. His name is Skeeter. I will keep working with him, I guess I thought he would be "tamer" by now, but if you say that it's already a surprise that he's getting on a stick, well I guess I'm doing okay

 

[IcyWolf]

Getting him a friend will definitely not help in making him tame. If you don't want him to be tame then getting a friend is fine, just make sure you have a big enough cage for the two of them to get plenty of exercise. And budgies are very smart! My little girl that I kept from my last clutch is great, she does flight recalls and gives kisses and even knows her name and she is only about 12 weeks old! I'm pretty sure I could free flight her outside if it wasn't for the hawks that live on our property.

 

[ewalker]

She sounds smart! That's awesome! I'll just wait to get him a friend, and I'll be patient ")

 

[Rio Mom]

Just wondering, you said you found the budgie? Have you tried to find the owners? You can put up signs, posts on craigslist, lost bird sites, etc. Just don't specify what bird you found, so the real owner can identify it. Somebody may be missing their bird terribly.

 

[cdog]

Yes first thing you need to do is find the owners. If that cant be done then you can keep working with him. It took my sisters budgies 2 months to start making noises so don't give up. You have to just work with him everyday. If you want to tame him getting a friend is the worst thing you could do because given the option he would much rather spend time with another bird than with you. I don't think this is the case with all budgies but my sisters didn't have to be forced onto pellets, I,(I take care of them more than my sister does), just put a bowl of pellets in their cage and they eat half pellets and half seeds on their own.

 

[ewalker]

I live in downtown Fort Worth, and I put fliers all over the neighborhood (apartment complex), and also in the newspaper. I tried to see if he was microchipped also. I feel that someone either lost a companion or let him go I want to make him as happy as possible. Are their leg bands that can be ordered etc. for birds? I'm not planning on him ever escaping again, but just in case?

 

[PetoftheDay]

You can definitely get leg bands, if your vet doesn't have them, you can order them online, just to be safe! If he was Unhappy, you would hear about it, don't worry. Three weeks is not a long time at all! Keep working, and you'll get there eventually!

 

[IcyWolf]

I would be wary of putting a leg band on him, at this age you can only put on one of the split rings that must be crimped on. I have heard too many horror stories of them coming uncrimped just slightly and the bird can get caught on cage bars or toys and very easily snap a leg. I would either just keep him trimmed or be super diligent about open doors and windows.

 

[MikeyTN]

Im with Icy on this, probably wouldn't put a band on him. Do you have him clipped? By clipping you would have a better chance training him.