Setback with Jet. Problem with budgies.

[gracebowen]

For a little over a week now Jet wants nothing to do with me. He won't step up and runs away. If I pick him up and take him to my bed with me he just flies right back to his cage. I guess it's kinda good I can pick him up without getting bit.

The only thing I can think of is this. Every night the budgies go to his cage. This started being a more frequent problem a few weeks ago. Ace will eventually step up to be removed. With Joy I have to get a shirt or something to catch her. Jet does not like that at all.

I try to catch Joy in her cage and simply shut the door but that doesn't always work.

I have thought about just leaving them in the same cage but I'm worried someone will get hurt. Ace has already had a cracked beak a long time ago.

 

[RavensGryf]

Aw, I can relate . All I can suggest is getting only as close as he wants you to be by watching his body language, and step back and go away if he starts to look like he's going to take off or get freaked out. Use a lot of nice "hi's" and sweet talking with relaxed body language and no fast movements, even being careful not to lift your hands too high or too fast around him. Try not to even stare at him too long if you look at him in the face. Offer him favorite treats if he's interested, taking care not to give him too many extra calories lol. Positively reinforce when he does well with you. That's about all you can do. How long it will take for him to come around again depends on the individual personality I think. I know it's discouraging... keep your head up about it the best you can, and keep reinforcing the positive.

A few weeks ago, Don (Griffin already hates Don) had to rush into the room where the birds are, because their owner was off doing something else and not paying attention :54:... Thankfully he noticed Griffin was climbing into Robin's cage (very bad idea). Griffin has already lost 2 toenails in bloody accidents to Robin, but apparently the kid hasn't learned. Don frantically shooed Robin and Griffin apart, and chased Griffin down like a mad predator in attempt to get him away, then back in his cage. Long story short, there was a delayed reaction (a week or two later) he started the same panicked freaking and death screaming with me for no reason when I'd walk near him... not constantly, but he is still very far from being "right". No rhyme or reason to when the "switch" gets flipped on. We can be sitting and cuddling, when all of a sudden in a split second he'll look at me as if to remember the day a few weeks ago when "a human predator" had chased him and in his mind, tried to kill him. It breaks my heart and I had to leave the room so many times, not only to get Griffin to calm down, but so that he won't see my tears and how upset I get.

How long is it going to take for Jet and you? For Griffin and I? Even if we don't do anything to reinforce the negative again, it will just take as much time as THEY need to forget about it. How long that is just depends on the individual I believe. Griffin is not anywhere near as easy going as related species Robin is. In the 20+ years I've had Robin, he has unfortunately gone through a few traumatic experiences as you can imagine would happen in that many years, and Robin has NEVER freaked out for long, or ever held a grudge. His temperament is just different. Griffin is just as tame, but freaked out badly with what I would say is something Robin would have gotten over an hour later. They're all different.. Hang in there Grace!

 

[Kyoto]

My budgies used to get into SO MUCH TROUBLE with my cockatiels and lovebirds. It was so hard to keep them off the other birds' cages! I had one budgie, Luna, who just loved to stand on the lovebird cage and tease them. She would lose a toenail almost every 6 months!! I did everything I could to keep her away from them, but sometimes I just wasn't fast enough.

Needless to say, she would still obsessively go at them.

As for my poor tiels, the budgies really bossed them around and would go into their cage and steal their food. They never fought, just would get annoyed and come out and give the budgies what they wanted. This is why as much as I love them, I'll never have budgies with other types of birds again. They are just so nosey :3 in the cutest way of course..

 

[gracebowen]

They generally get along fine. I just don't want them to sleep in Jets cage because he gets a bit testy at bedtime. Jet came over today long enough to steal a pretzel and eat it on my lap. TheBudgies came over for a taste. As soon as the fold was gone so were they.

 

[gracebowen]

Smart bird he knows plastic rattling means food. I was bagging up some other stuff. He heard the sound and came back. Now he's eating bird safe nuts out of my hand.