Confused and needs help- Budgies

[Jasmine]

I've been researching Budgerigars for 2 months because I'm thinking about getting one. The thing is, I'm not to sure on when to start handling them. Some people say to wait until the bird gets used to everything, which can take a couple of weeks, which I don't mind, and others say to handle the bird the day you get it so that it can get used to you. What do I do?

[Monica]

Some birds may enjoy being handled as soon as they come home, while others will take time. If the bird is not tame then it's better to allow them to settle in a little before trying to work with them. Try offering treats from your hand.

[sugarbeth]

You'll soon start to be able to read your bird's cues, and they'll let you know what they can handle. Don't ever force your bird out, grab them or chase them. Let them choose what they're okay with until you've built up the trust. If they panic or fly away from you, that means to back off of what you're doing because you are moving too fast. Just be patient and talk to them and offer them treats through the cage at first, then progress to stepping on your hand, etc. Good luck!

[Jasmine]

Thanks. What treats do you recommend that won't fail?

[sugarbeth]

The only one my budgies can't resist is millet. Don't hang any millet in the cage - make it something they can only get from you. (Unless they are unfamiliar with it - then just keep it in their cage long enough for them to get addicted to it - heh heh.)

[Jasmine]

Thanks I hope it works.

[Razzle]

Any thing and any treat can fail. The thing that is the most important is patience. If you haven't bought/adopted a budgie yet, then I would say rather than going into a pet store, pointing and saying "I'll take the green one with white wingtips" I would recommend that you find a pet store or breeder that will let you handle their birds and I would suggest you adopt the first budgie that steps willingly onto your finger or hand to be taken out of its cage rather than being (no pun intended) flighty.

If this is your first bird then you might surprisingly find a cockatiel to be easier to work with than a budgie, and they really don't require that much more space.

Any bird you get, I would suggest that you start with a tame one and handle it the first day it comes home so that you are part of the environment it gets used to, rather than a later intrusion. What we did with our conure was we opened his cage door and went to the other side of the room. An hour or two later he came out and sat on top. Now he preens our hair and ears for ours on end.