Need Help!!!

[Tauches]

I'm trying to tame my male budgie, Raymond. I've tried everything!!!! He is just too shy. I need a training method that YOU have used, and one that has worked on your budgies. I'm losing my mind!!!!! :eusa_wall

[Loony]

well i had a budgie just like that and so to get him tame id jsut stikc my hand in the cage and leave it their for 30 min and then slowly inch my hand toward her untill i could pet her
i did this for about a week and now she loves to come out and give me kisses

[HareTrinity]

I've trained two male budgies successfully and am currently making slow progress on my newest budgie, despite her being female and having a companion, so...

Since I'm busy, I'll just give you the basics of what's by far my most successful method, step by step:

1) Get a mirror.

Mirrors aren't recommended toys for budgies when you have more than one, but since it sounds like you don't (and since the budgie won't go totally wild without his mirror once trained); go for it.

The round mirrors with a bell seem to be the best... Attach it to the top of the cage next to the highest perch. Give you budgie at least a couple of days to get used to it (and don't mind if he seems to be flirting with it; male budgies are pretty flirty critters in general). And once this is done, or if your budgie already has a mirror that seems to be by far his favourite toy; great! Let's get started.

2) Cage = Safe

Generally, it's best to never stop any pets from having somewhere to go to be safe... I usually end up trying to take some sessions with budgies on the ground whilst training them, because budgies will always prefer to be higher up, so, once cornered and offered a finger they'll usually hop on... And fly off... Oh, well. If your budgie's fine with being on the ground, play games with the mirror there, but if he's skittish, best try to get him used to approaching the mirror on top of the cage.

Get the budgie on the cage (I'm guessing you can at least get him onto your finger in the cage, but if he's not so fine with being on a finger outside of the cage, pick him up, let him grab onto the bars and from there climb onto the top of the cage).

Mirror ready? Good. Hold it near your side of the cage furthest away from the budgie. See if you can get him to wander up to the mirror to start chirping to it.

Don't worry if this stage takes a while... My Amaz (who has unfortunately passed away) was a much loved bird because of how wonderfully cooperative he was, and he got the hang quickly, but I'm pretty sure that my twerp Tludgy is much more representative of the species, and he took quite a while to get the hang of it.

Eventually, though, your budgie should be fine with going up to the mirror, and should be fine with walking onto your free hand to do so whilst he's next to the cage, and, eventually, anywhere in the room.

3) Flying to you

Be prepared for the "yes-no-maybe-argh!" side of budgies as Raymond tries to make up their mind whilst flying towards you and their mirror. Stay patient and go back to getting him to hop onto your hand from the cage, and eventually he'll fly over to you.

The reason it takes so long seems to be a mixture of not wanting to leave the cage, not wanting to approach something as scary/silly as a human and being lazy... It IS worth the wait, though, and having a budgie fly to you from anywhere in a room is not only a cool party trick but also a much more convenient way of getting budgies off of curtain rails.

Hand tame, and willing to fly to you (can also be achieved by putting a reasonably tame budgie at one side of the room, standing next to their cage with your hand where they'd usually land, and trying to get them okay with landing on you now and then) is pretty much as far as my basic training goes... I've had budgies playing odd games of hide and seek, and climbing from one hand, across my shoulders, to the other, before, but kissing and talking and such aren't things I've ever really focused on... Though, once hand tame; budgies DO like sitting on shoulders once they get used to it.

Here's some extras:

New budgie?

A problem with my method is that it includes getting the budgie attached to a mirror, which tends to mean that they won't want any new friends. This ISN'T permanent, though; you just have to remove all of the mirrors from the cage, and, eventually, your budgie will take a shine to his new friend.

This DOES mean that he won't be so interested in any mirror you're holding, but if you get hold of his friend... That'll have the same effect, without your old budgie seeming offended (though I've noticed the new one being used sometimes looks a bit disgruntled).

Biting stage

BEWARE!

I have NEVER trained a budgie who didn't go through the stage where, all of a sudden, your hand becomes food. First bite's fine, but then parakeets will chew... It's not nice.

Leather gloves are inconvenient but a big help whilst waiting to see if the budgie naturally grows out of it (budgies are, for some reason, terrified of leather gloves, so if you put them on every time your budgie gets vicious, they might learn not to do it).

Worse comes to worse; get a small water pistol... I'm not sure this is the recommended method, but I'm a rodent/lagomorph person, so... Mammal methods. Tludgy was a biter for over a year, but he gave it up after getting wet a few times... Last resort, though. Plus, the :eusa_wall ? I KNOW that feeling SO well with budgies, and I'm generally a very calm person, especially around my pets!

Ah, well... Last but not least:

Got time?

I'm a student. I don't have much. And it DOES take off a LOT of pressure if you train your birds when it's dark outside.

Why? Well, when they fly off to the curtain rails or such, all you have to do to retrieve them is memorise where they are, turn the lights off, and go and pick them up. Much quicker, and much less stressful for both you and your pet.

Stay calm, don't panic, and good luck!!!

[Barak]

Originally Posted by Tauches

I'm trying to tame my male budgie, Raymond. I've tried everything!!!! He is just too shy. I need a training method that YOU have used, and one that has worked on your budgies. I'm losing my mind!!!!! :eusa_wall

I've never met a creature that can deny their own stomach. I start with Spray Millet (a dietary necessity) in small amounts. They come in stalks that you can cut to length with clean scissors. Put a thumb-sized amount in their food. They love it. Caution; it is addictive and unhealthy in large amounts. Then, start putting the millet chunks near the cage door. Then, outside the cage a few inches. Then, hold the millet in your hand right next to the cage door, etc. You'll have 'em eating "out of your hand" soon enough. They also sell a liquid spray form of millet, but it could encourage biting. Take your time.

[NotEnoughTime]

I dislike the way my budgie reacted to a mirror. He *loved* the mirror, both figuratively and physically... He lost a lot of hand-training when I gave a mirror because he bonded with the "bird in the mirror" - not me. Because I allowed freedom in the home - anytime my bird found a mirror (or shiny surface) he would end up chirping and masturbating at himself...

I would avoid a mirror if you want to hand-tame.

As Barak said the way to a bird's heart is through its stomach. And a *lot* of patience.

Never try to force a budgie - it will just end-up mistrusting you. Allow the budgie to choose to be with you and then you won't be able to get away from the bird... Reward behaviours that involve coming to you with millet (or whatever treat he likes). I believe Loony has a good approach by simply putting the hand in the cage and waiting and patiently moving closer. If the budgie exhibits *fear* then *YOU* back-off... Immediately. Let the bird know that you are not a threat. Eventually he will choose to be with you.

[silvercb67]

My first bird was a budgie. Take him into a very small room (bathroom) & sit with him & talk for several minutes 3x per day. He'll come around. Mine did very quickly.

[Monica]

If anyone looks at the date of the thread, it's over 4 years old... Actually, nearly 5 years old...

[NotEnoughTime]

Arrrrrgh - didn't even check that!! Sigh - it used to be one of the things I'd look at first... Thx Monica.

[kali]

Originally Posted by Monica

If anyone looks at the date of the thread, it's over 4 years old... Actually, nearly 5 years old...

This is the second one?!?!