Struggling to tame budgies

Mollylc

New member
May 2, 2020
1
0
Hi,
I got my first budgie on the 11th January 2020. She is okay with me touching her and will go on my finger however she started to show signs of loneliness so we decided to get another budgie for her on the 21st of February 2020. This other budgie we named Rio is so scared of humans, he hides behind the mirror if your hand comes near him. He will eat some millet of you if he see sky eating it first but the minute he realises you are holding the food he will run away or climb all over the cage. I have watched multiple videos on budgie taming and read a lot on the internet about taming but they all seem to be taming with food which I have tried since we have got him and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I have now started to notice sky becoming a bit more aware of human interactions as well and she has started to run away when you go to touch her. They come out their cage everyday and they just sit on the curtain pole I have tried to get sky to come and sit with me or put her on the floor to play with a toy to see if Rio will follow but she just flys away before we get close to the floor. They also have no interest in toys they have one or two toys in their cage but they are just not interested. So I was hoping if anyone has any tips for me I would love to hold and love Rio as I feel bad for him when I’m touching sky and to see them playing with toys. I have had a budgie before who loved to be held and to sit on you while you watch tv and to play with toys so I have never experienced problems like this before, so if you have any tips please let me know. Sorry for the long post.
 

Amsterdam

New member
Sep 8, 2018
565
23
Turkey
Parrots
..
Hi,
I got my first budgie on the 11th January 2020. She is okay with me touching her and will go on my finger however she started to show signs of loneliness so we decided to get another budgie for her on the 21st of February 2020. This other budgie we named Rio is so scared of humans, he hides behind the mirror if your hand comes near him. He will eat some millet of you if he see sky eating it first but the minute he realises you are holding the food he will run away or climb all over the cage. I have watched multiple videos on budgie taming and read a lot on the internet about taming but they all seem to be taming with food which I have tried since we have got him and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I have now started to notice sky becoming a bit more aware of human interactions as well and she has started to run away when you go to touch her. They come out their cage everyday and they just sit on the curtain pole I have tried to get sky to come and sit with me or put her on the floor to play with a toy to see if Rio will follow but she just flys away before we get close to the floor. They also have no interest in toys they have one or two toys in their cage but they are just not interested. So I was hoping if anyone has any tips for me I would love to hold and love Rio as I feel bad for him when I’m touching sky and to see them playing with toys. I have had a budgie before who loved to be held and to sit on you while you watch tv and to play with toys so I have never experienced problems like this before, so if you have any tips please let me know. Sorry for the long post.

2 is harder to tame then 1 budgie age also matters

what you can try and it will take a long time for you to notice any difference is keep your hand everyday for just 20 minutes in the cage to let them know your not any danger after that 1 week you did repeat this again by 1 week holding some millet in your hand and let them eat from it after that 1 week so 2 weeks total now try to gently chase them with your finger in the cage if they step up put them on the perch and repeat the same it will take some time and energy but for me this always worked
 

DestinyCall

New member
May 5, 2020
16
2
It sounds like you may need to take a few steps back in your training to help Rio catch up to Sky. From what you have posted, I think Sky learned to trust you pretty quickly. Rio may have had some bad experiences in the past, so he has not learned to trust people or hands yet and will require a gentle approach. You will have to take things more slowly to give him the chance to learn that he is safe and that you will not harm him. This is quite common with birds from pet stores, since they do not get as much positive exposure to people as a hand-reared parakeet. It takes more work to earn their trust, but it can be done with patience and time.

You mentioned that Rio is freaked out by hands inside his cage. That means he is not ready for you to put your hand inside his cage. You need to start somewhere else. How does he react if you put your hand close to cage on the outside? What about if you stand next to the cage and talk gently? Test his reactions until you can find a safe distance for Rio. Respect his body language and listen to what he is telling you. Once you can find a distance that allows him to feel safe around you, work on gaining his trust. Stand near the cage and talk gently. Move your hands slowly. Touch the outside of the cage. Allow him to become relaxed in your presence. Avoid doing anything frightening. If possible, it might help to raise up the cage (or lower your body) so your head is below the level of the bird. Height = security for birds, and you want Rio to feel safe and in control.

Once you believe Rio feels comfortable with your presence outside his cage, try offering millet through the bars of the cage. Don't try going inside yet. Let the cage offer him extra confidence to be close to your hand and act as a reminder to you that he needs to set the pace of the interaction.

Eventually, you can try putting your hand inside the cage. Take your time and watch Rio's body language carefully. Don't move your hand toward the bird and don't chase after him with a sprig of millet. Just put your hand inside and give him time to adjust to the hand. Later on, try offering millet and allowing him to approach you, if he wants.

Short, frequent training sessions are better than long, drawn out sessions. Go slowly and don't be afraid to go backwards for a bit if the bird acts fearful in a familiar situation. It is better to build a solid foundation rather than rushing it. In the mean time, do not worry about Rio missing out on the closer interactions that you are able to have with Sky. He will get there eventually, at his own pace.
 

Melscamp

New member
Oct 31, 2019
35
1
NY
Parrots
Hunny Bunny Munny Sunny & Roger the parakeets
Move really slow like you're doing Tai chi. Mine have gotten more friendly over time.
 

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