I bought two budgies together and wont bond with me

[rodrigo]

i bought two budgies, had them for about 2 months now.. they just wont bond with me. i tried giving them millet only one of them accepts it. they seem to be scared of my hand so i tend not to go near them. i never let them fly in my room because once one tried and crashed in the wall. i was scared for it as it stopped eating for some days (its better now). any suggestion on how i can get them to bond with me? separate them? i dont know its my first budgies ;-;

 

[itzjbean]

Hello and welcome! Congratulations on your new additions.

I suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) that you got them from a pet store of some kind? I say that because sometimes the smaller species - finches, budgies/parakeets, etc. often times come from pet stores with a fear of hands/people. If they were in the same cage together at the pet store when you picked them out, that means they have probably been friends for some time, and therefore have relied on each other for that companionship birds want. Sometimes in a situation like this, they will not accept a human owner and only bond to each other.

There are ways to combat this and earn their trust, but know that it may be a long journey -- not impossible -- but will require lots of time and patience.

This is a great thread for beginners -- Tips for Bonding and Building Trust . Remember that birds have no reason to trust people, so we much teach them that only good things happen when people are around. It sounds like you need to press the restart button on your relationship with your new birds and begin from square one -- getting the two both comfortable with your presence.

Before attempting to offer them millet, sit near their cage, doing something that isn't including them - reading, crafts, etc. The idea is, you want them to get used to your presence so they no longer fear you approaching them. This may take a while, days, weeks, months, but eventually you work your way up to putting your hand in the cage with treats, millet, and allowing them to climb all over you. After you've reached that point, you move on to 'step up' training, which is asking each bird to step up onto your hand. Eventually you will then be able to let them out of the cage and work on recall, training them to fly to you!

Patience, love, and understanding is key! I hope this post has been helpful to you.

 

[rodrigo]

Thank you so much for this awesome advice! Also, i was wandering if i should get their wings trimmed as they keep crashing into walls when i let them out

 

[bug_n_flock]

Different people have different opinions on that one. Personally, one of my birds is clipped and the other mostly isn't(feathers growing in currently) and wont be again until we are getting ready to move or there is some other good reason. I think the decision should be made on a case by case basis. Are there regular hazards to birds such as open windows, fireplaces, predator pets? It might help to move the bird cage to a small room any time the cage is open and you are first starting out the taming process. This way if one gets out there are fewer hazards and a smaller area over which you will have to work to get the bird back in the cage(chasing them is a bad thing to do, it obliterates trust).

If you can manage it and your home is safe for them, I would say don't clip just yet. Mirrors, windows, etc put a piece of tape on until they learn the layout of their new home and know what things to avoid flying into. But if you do end up clipping, don't feel super guilty about it. Alex bird has been clipped his whole life and is perfectly happy relying on me or his cute little legs and beak to get him around, I have known plenty of other birds perfectly happy and healthy being clipped. That being said, Fatty seems to love flying and there is nothing cooler than looking at a bird about 3 ft away and saying "come here" and he flies to your hand(hoping that distance can increase as his feathers regrow and such). Enjoy your new friends!

 

[bug_n_flock]

Also keep in mind most pet store birds have very little flying experience and they are probably fairly young still anyway, so they are still learning and getting strong muscles and flight skills. Sorry for double post

 

[Teddscau]

I'm definitely against having birds, especially budgies, clipped. I've had many birds over the years, and I can tell you that it's not uncommon for them to smack into a wall or window the first few times you let them out. It's horrible to watch, and you can help prevent it by covering mirrors and windows, but you can't stop it from happening. It's all part of the learning process. Kids are constantly tripping and skinning their knees when they're little, but the only way you can prevent it is by encouraging them to walk or by keeping them strapped to a chair their whole life. It's best to let critters learn important life skills while they're young, otherwise they could end up seriously injured when they're older.

Also, fully-flighted birds are easier to bond with. If they feel nervous, they know they can get away from you by flying. This gives them the courage they need to approach you. In my experience, flightless birds tend to panic and feel helpless. Sweet little Rumi used to be extremely bold with me, preening me, biting me because she thought it was funny (I've told her and Pollo a million times not to bite me while they're eating millet from my hand, but do they listen?), shredding toys while I hold them... Now that she's no longer able to fly (multiple neurological episodes), I can see the look of fear on her face when she sees me going towards her.

Honestly, my advice for bonding with them is to read to them, listen to music with them, let them out to fly in a safe room while you supervise, target training, and feeding them from your hand (let them come to you; trying to force yourself on them doesn't work). Honestly, now that I keep the kids in an indoor aviary they're a lot more interactive with me. Heck, they'll even land on me and they prefer it if I hold their bath for them.

 

[LordTriggs]

what I would say in response to clipping is to wait at the moment. When you let them out close all the curtains and the door to the room (if possible) then just sit and try not to actively stare at them. Just chill and read a book out loud or something similar. The crashing is most likely a combination of not quite being fledged yet and also fear over a human being around. Allow them to calm down and find their wings and they should get more confident flying.

As for taming they may never become excessive cuddle bugs but could very well tolerate and enjoy your presence, they just prefer their own kind mostly. But go with the bonding thread that was posted above, don't put a time scale on things and just let them warm up to you

 

[rodrigo]

Thanks for all the help im extremely gratefull!

 

[gracebowen]

I can offer a different perspective on clipping. That's a baby clip.

I have only done this on cockatiels but it worked as intended.

I clipped half of the last two flight feathers. A couple of days later I clipped 2 more.

They could still fly quite well just not as fast. For budgies probably just half of the last two to try to slow them down a bit.

I'm not saying you should but offering an alternative thought on clipping.

 

[Midnightstarian]

I suggest the same as a lot of people above. (but this is what i did for mine)

With mine he came from a pet store and what i did was first without food i put my hand into the cage but did not put my hand near the perch or the bird, i sat my hand on the cage door. I'd do this for a couple days then slowly put your hand closer it can be tempting to move faster in excitement but keep moving slowly. Don't move the first couple of days just have your hand relax with them. And when you move closer, still relax. Once you're at the budgies pearch or if they come near you that's when you pull out the treat but it may take over a couple minutes for them to eat from your hand may even take a couple days but keep it up.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

All my birds are fully flighted (and they sure do love to fly) and I’m against clipping unless absolutely necessary for the safety of the bird. Your budgies are probably crashing into walls because they’re freaked out and don’t know the layout of the house very well yet, and haven’t yet fully developed their flying skills. It will take time for them to learn how to navigate the house, but once they do, the benefits of flying are enourmous. Like others have said, budgies are not very cuddly birds and will usually not enjoy being touched, maybe they will learn to tolerate it but my neither of my budgies let me touch them (apart from stepping up) even though Pearl was hand fed.