Bird Beginner with questions

[MyAussieFriends]

My advice:

- He knows where the food is. He could be just nervous about eating that in front of you. I know with my pet store budgies, they didn't start eating in front of me for a while.

- I suggest adding a seed mix to the pellet diet. Many people believe that budgies do well on a seed diet - it is more natural for them as they are seed eaters in the wild. A high quality seed mix, mixed together with some pellets is great.

- Millet is a fatty treat. However, he is a new bird and is probably very scared and lonely. A bit of "bird crack" acts as a nice comfort. Plus, it ensures he does eat.

- When you eventually notice him playing with the toys and eating/drinking from his dishes, I would start trying to tame him. Use the millet as a training tool. Only offer it when he's out of the cage with you so he equates you with good things.

 

[BirdNooblet]

Yeah I'd rather give him some bird crack since I want him to eat.

So should I have the majority be pellets and mix in some seeds? Or have it mostly be seeds and have pellets mixed in?

Thanks so much everyone for the advice you have given me. c:

 

[MyAussieFriends]

What I do is make my own mix. I buy a high quality seed mix, and mix it with roudybush pellets. About 1/3 pellets, and 2/3 seeds. Then there's all the adding fresh foods.

 

[BirdNooblet]

Ah okay, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[GuineaPigster]

One of my budgies does better on a diet of 4/5 pellets and 1/5 seeds. My other one does better on 1/3 seeds and 2/3 pellets.

 

[GuineaPigster]

I think it depends on the bird though!

 

[BirdNooblet]

I bought him some budgie seed and mixed in some of his pellets in with it. He seems to like the seed. I hope he is getting in some of the pellets though. I'll continue to keep putting in some of the pellets with his food for awhile and once he is more comfortable I will decrease the seed very slowly.

This to be precise Budgie Seed

 

[BirdNooblet]

He seems pretty content today, just sitting on his perch and going for his food. I do hear beak grinding which sounds adorable. So should I not touch him at all nor try to get him to go on my finger until he is completely settled into his new environment? I know someone did say he could still be scared and just go on my finger because he is scared and it's all he can do. But he did eat from my hand earlier today which I think is a sign of trust? I don't want to make him more scared, but he does need interaction. I do talk to him and whistle to him and I do put my hand in the cage for him to get used to it more.

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I would take him eating out of your hand as a VERY good sign

 

[BirdNooblet]

I feel so stupid for asking such simple or easy to answer questions, but I am a bird nooblet after all. xD

I'm glad I am making some progress with him. So should I try to get him on my finger or just leave him be and keep putting my hand in the cage and whatnot? He still only sits on a perch and occasionally makes noise. It does look like he knows his name.

 

[Alyse]

I feel so stupid for asking such simple or easy to answer questions, but I am a bird nooblet after all. xD

Questions are good! We are happy to answer questions to help you become a birdy know-it-all

I think you should give him some time before you try any contact. Sit by the cage and talk to him quietly through the bars. Soon enough he'll become comfortable with you and come out to investigate

 

[BirdNooblet]

Okay, will do.

I have noticed that he takes some naps during the day then chows down on his food and that it is normal. Should it be expected since he isn't really interacting with his toys yet?

I tried to get a better picture of him. I'm not sure how old he is and was wondering if anyone had any ideas? He doesn't look very old to me.

 

[bluethebudgie]

Hey! I actually just got my first little bird (a parakeet too) about a month and a half ago. It was actually very similar to how you're explaining Jimmy(?) haha idk if you ever said his name but I saw that on the file title so I'm just assuming. Anyway, I got Blue from a petstore as well and for the first couple of days I never really caught him eating much and I didn't see him drinking. And I also noticed the poo problem! Him being my first bird, it was sort of alarming. A lady at the petstore had set up his cage for me and had hung some spray millet in there, and at first I didn't know much about it, so he ate that. But then I searched and after a few days, I noticed him eating seed from his dish more and caught him drinking and I took the millet out. The poo problem also solved itself, as I assume it was caused by stress like another user on here mentioned to you.

As for interaction and all that. I hadn't known about some going on your finger but then when they feel comfortable they don't! I think that may have happened with my little guy. The lady at the petstore demonstrated how to tame a bird in five minutes. She sort of did this "dominance" trick to mimic how the birds would show they were in charge in the wild. And then he was stepping up and letting us scratch him. However, shortly after bringing him home, he wasn't really into anyone going near him. We sort of had a rocky start, though. Blue had scaly face mites without me realizing it. So, when I found this out a few days after getting him, I started applying oil using a cotton swab until I got the proper medicine for him. He did not like this. The medicine I ended up getting him had to be applied to the skin once a week for 3 weeks and to do this, I had to hold him down. He did not like this either. So, to help gain his trust, I would hold some spray millet in one hand and point out my finger for him to perch on with the other. And right when he seemed to be getting comfortable and stepping up without the bribing, it was time to re-apply that darn medicine. It was worth it though because now he is happy and healthy, but still trying to earn his trust. :/

ANYWAY that took forever and a day... basically I guess if I had to redo it and knowing what I know now, I'd be much more patient with him. You'll probably hear it a lot from everywhere, but honestly: patience is key. Also, about the age thing! Here's a nifty picture that sort of helps you evaluate around which age you're little birdy friend might be. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5pAdOyDQ...Wondering+how+old+your+little+budgie+is_2.jpg It's hard for me to see his eyes from the picture, but basically you can tell an approximate age range by the color of his irises. There's also a trick about how far the bars on their heads go down but idk how well it would work with him having a different mutation, but you can search about it and might be able to tell if you like.

Here are a couple pictures of Blue if you would like so that you can compare. When I got him I was told he was 7 months old, so based on that he should be 8 months in this picture and idk I think he fits the description.

So sorry this is so long!! I hope it helped some-

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I feel so stupid for asking such simple or easy to answer questions, but I am a bird nooblet after all. xD

I'm glad I am making some progress with him. So should I try to get him on my finger or just leave him be and keep putting my hand in the cage and whatnot? He still only sits on a perch and occasionally makes noise. It does look like he knows his name.

Everyone starts somewhere, and you are asking very good questions

If I were you I'd continue have him eating out of your hand. It'll help him see that your hand is a friend and not an enemy

 

[BirdNooblet]

Yes his name is Jimmy and your information was very helpful and I didn't mind it being long. Hm it looks like he may be 6 months or younger, he has very dark eyes. He started to freak out in his cage today because I knew he was hungry. He ate out of his food dish with no issues yesterday but now he seems a bit afraid of it. I put a tiny amount of millet in he and he'd eat in it then no problem. But he freaked out again so I hand fed him what I could.

 

[BirdNooblet]

Now he won't eat from my hand, he'll walk on it and my arm. He knows where his food is. I wish I could speak bird. I hate seeing him fly around in his cage freaking out.

 

[Alyse]

I wish I could speak bird.

I think this ALL the time!!

 

[BirdNooblet]

I hate that I keep moving his food and water bowls around but I am trying to find the best places for them. His food dish seems to be in a good spot and he will eat from it (for now, he seems to like to pretend he can't) and now I have to get him to drink. I keep moving his water around to find the best place for it. He hasn't drank in awhile so I put some water droplets on the edge in hopes he will drink. He seems to stare at it and I keep hoping he'll go for it.

I can't believe how anxious I am when it comes to him. I don't want him to starve or become dehydrated so I am always watching him to see what he is doing. I want him to drink now. I have only had pet cats and am always worried when it comes to Jimmy eating and drinking.

He does seem to be a bit chattier today which is good.

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I hate that I keep moving his food and water bowls around but I am trying to find the best places for them. His food dish seems to be in a good spot and he will eat from it (for now, he seems to like to pretend he can't) and now I have to get him to drink. I keep moving his water around to find the best place for it. He hasn't drank in awhile so I put some water droplets on the edge in hopes he will drink. He seems to stare at it and I keep hoping he'll go for it.

I can't believe how anxious I am when it comes to him. I don't want him to starve or become dehydrated so I am always watching him to see what he is doing. I want him to drink now. I have only had pet cats and am always worried when it comes to Jimmy eating and drinking.

He does seem to be a bit chattier today which is good.

Keep the food bowl and water bowl in the same place. He knows where they are. Some new birds won't eat in front of people. Make sure to give him a little bit of space to become comfortable in his surroundings.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

Could his freaking out be related to the cat? can he see the cat walking around or is the cat in a separate area? Just seeing a predator walking around and staring at him could be causing him stress. You might try separate dishes for the seeds and pellets. In my experience, when you mix them together the bird will just pick out the seeds. I have pellets available all day and only offer seeds separately then remove the seeds when they are done - about a half hour or so. Not sure how much seeds you would want to give a budgie, but if you are wanting him to eat pellets you could offer seed in the morning then remove after a half hour and do the same thing in the evening. That way you know he is eating and won't starve, but he'll be more likely to eat the pellets during the day when he is hungry. Once you know he is eating the pellets, you can cut the seed down to once a day. put the pellets in a dish higher in the cage, as that is where he is more comfortable, and the seeds down lower or on the bottom. Have had lots of success switching birds to pellets this way.