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Bird Beginner with questions

BirdNooblet

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He has drank from his dish and he is eating so I am keeping them the way they are now. He spies his water dish and has drank from it, he is just a bit hesitant still.

I will try that idea with the pellets and seed. I want him to be on pellets. I am doing a good job keeping my cat away from him. Jimmy will panic when the cat isn't even in the room. He normally does it when he is hungry so should I be trying to hand feed him to calm him down? I don't want him to panic but he does know where his food dish is.

I noticed this morning he ate some of his dried up poop that was on a perch. It was the first time he done it. I read that it could be he is lacking something. I haven't tried to give him any fruits or vegetables yet but should I offer some cut up banana, apple, or orange? It's all I have currently. He does have a cuttlebone but hasn't really touched it that I can see. I do see tiny beak marks in it that look like they came from him. As for giving him space to explore his cage, he is in my room since that is really the only place he can be. I am studying a lot since I have an exam coming up so I will be on my bed and he is a bit higher up from me.

I think that he may be 4 months old. His eyes are very black.
 

BirdNooblet

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I waited until he was done with his seed and took the bowl out but left the pellet for him. After a few hours he began to squawk and pace back and forth on his perch before flying and climbing on the sides of his cage. He went to his food bowl and maybe had a pellet before resuming panicking. I put a bowl of seed at the bottom of his cage and he went for that. Why does he continue to panic? I covered the sides and back of his cage, leaving the front exposed to make it so he doesn't panic. My cat is nowhere near him when he panics.

What can I do to try and stop him from panicking? I don't think I should let him panic for awhile since he could harm himself and it's generally not good.
 
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MyAussieFriends

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I think what you should do is to stop fiddling around with his food. Have him eat a mixture of the seeds and pellets. As for the panicking, I would just let him be. He needs to become more accustomed to his surroundings.

I feel like you are very anxious surrounding the care of your baby. It's great that you care so much about his well being, but they can feed off of that stress and anxiety. Just relax, and let him get used to his new home.

I know when I got my first pair of budgies, they would freak out whenever I put my hand in their cage. But as they got used to me, they stopped freaking out, and learned that I am a friend and not a predator.
 

BirdNooblet

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I am anxious since I've never had a pet bird. Yeah I will let him eat the mixture for now and once he is more comfortable I try to get him off the seeds. Should I keep the majority of his cage covered or keep it open?

Yeah I'm going to let him be. I have anxiety myself so I will try not to stress out too much. He is drinking and is eating his seed and being more chatty. I just hope I didn't traumatize him in the beginning since I'd try to get him to go on my finger and stuff. But I haven't touched him at all today and won't until he is content. I'll let him eat out of my hand at times to try and build trust, but slowly.

Also is me being in the room all the time going to deter him from exploring his cage? I'm not at his eye level, I am below it. I can leave the room if need be for him to explore, just I'd have to close the door and he'd be completely by himself. I don't want him to panic when he is alone.
 
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MyAussieFriends

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I think you should keep some seeds in their diet, as they seem to do well on seeds.

I would keep his cage open, and not covered during the day so he can see you and the room around him.

You'd be surprised how hardy budgies can be. Don't stress too much about scaring him with your hand, because I know I have done the same with mine when I first got them.

Just keep studying and working on your school stuff and let him be. He'll do his own thing, and you'll do your own thing.
 

BirdNooblet

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Currently he in in front of a window and I have a sheet covering the back so he doesn't get scared or distracted from the outside. We are on the second level so no one can come up and scare him. I know it's probably not the best place to have him but with how are apartment is it's the only place for him really and away from our cat. He can see the room from the front and the sides. I also have black curtains that keep the heat out so if it gets too warm for him I will pull them together.

I was wondering if it is alright if I opened the window he is in front of. He is in his cage and the screen has mesh covering it so nothing can get out. It gets quite warm in my room and it is summer time and I'd like to have them open for some air to circulate in my room on nice warm days. I know when it's cold to keep them shut.
 

gibsongrrrl

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would it be possible to put his cage in a corner? Lots of birds generally like that cage placement because it makes them feel secure. I wouldn't worry too much about him. This is all new to you both and you are adjusting. As long as he is eating and drinking he will be fine and the more comfortable he gets in his new surroundings, the more he will behave more normally. As for the freak outs, just try to observe what is going on around him and see if you can pinpoint what is causing it. Is there a toy in his cage he is afraid of, can he see something out the window (bird of prey/cat/dog), is the staring at the cat, a moth, an ant, anything at all. Also try to stay calm. They definitely pick up on our anxiety and that will cause them to be unsure also. :hug8:
 

BirdNooblet

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Hm, I maybe able to put him in a corner, I'd have to see if it is possible. I'd have to move some things around.

As for his freak out, it seems to correlate with food. I have not touched him really today, only to get him to eat out of my hand twice to gain some trust. I did have to move him to a different perch since he had his tail feathers in his water dish and kept getting me wet when he shook. xD I don't think having feathers in your drinking dish is good. But he seemed to be fine with the little move. All he does really is stay on a perch and chip every now and then. He looks around sometimes but that's it. Hopefully he shows me his personality soon. He's so cute.
 

BirdNooblet

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I moved him the best I could do a corner of my room. He can now look down on me. I think he is really scared though since he is breathing fast and seems to be taking air in through his mouth by opening and closing and making a very slightly clicking sound.

No more moving anything else around. I don't want to traumatize him. Hopefully this helps and he calms down. Either way he is staying where he is now.

I feel so bad for stressing him out. It breaks my heart to see him so stressed. :arghh:
 
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BirdNooblet

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He seems to be doing really well today. He showed interest in two of his toys and he head bobbed at me and chirped quite a bit today which was so cute. It was interesting to see him bob his head. Something I never saw before.
 

BirdNooblet

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He seems to be doing good. He still sits on one perch and is quiet though. He does chirp every now and then and pokes at his toys. Yesterday when I tried to get him to step up he bit me. He bit me a few times so I am not going to try to get him to step up for awhile. I'll try to get him to eat from my hand to gain trust but that's about it. I hope he doesn't hate me now.
 

MyAussieFriends

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I don't think he hates you. When I got my first pair of budgies, they did bite me too. Something I did was let them bite me and don't give them a reaction. They are small enough that their bites don't really do any damage. Your budgie will eventually realize that biting doesn't really accomplish anything.

You should really feel more confident about your progress with this little guy!
 

BirdNooblet

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He is doing much better. He is going after his cuttlebone and I place my hand near him with some seed and just have it a bit out of reach and he will perch on my hand which is so cool. He is still a quiet bird and is occasionally going after his toys. I hope he is more vocal and playful as the weeks pass.

I was wondering if I should have my t.v on since my room is fairly quiet and he is rather quiet. But if I put on music or my t.v he is more vocal. He sometimes makes a loud AKKK AAKKK AKKK sound sometimes which I don't know if he is mad or happy. He'll bob his head though and do the normal chirp which is nice to hear.

Also I want to introduce fruits and veggies to his diet but is it too early? How should I cut up the fruits and veggies? I tried giving him a piece of banana and he wasn't fussy on it. Also I gave him a slice of apple and he seemed to like it but he couldn't eat it well. Should I take the skin off with it and cut it into chunks?
 

BirdNooblet

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I'll try that. I'm able to get his attention with the seed and I'll lower my hand to get him to jump onto it. I'll try to move my hand further away as he gets used to my hand. I did notice that he doesn't like to be pet. Is this something I can train him to enjoy once he becomes tame?

I am still a little concerned since he still just sits on one of his perches and will nip at a toy or two before leaving them alone. He's such a quiet little bird. Do you think it will change the more time has passed?
 

MyAussieFriends

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All birds have their favorite perches. They usually like the highest perch, as it makes them feel more confident.

I'm sure as time goes by he will become more and more playful.

Some birds never like to be petted. It's their personal preference.

You should post more videos/pictures of the little guy :)
 

BirdNooblet

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Should I leave my t.v on since my room is very quiet and he does seem to become more active with it?

I will when I can. Even though it is horrible quality.

Am I earning his trust with moving my hand away and making him come down for it? xD
 

MyAussieFriends

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I wouldn't leave it on all the time, but it sometimes would be okay.

I think you are earning his trust. Good job!
 

BirdNooblet

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I hope I am. I have now had him a week which is awesome. I wish I could find sound files with all the sounds they make so I know when he's mad and stuff.
 
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