Help w/Rescued Budgie

[Beasley]

(I am going to try to sound calm)
(Also is he a budgie?)

Hello bird family!
I was at petsmart for dog food and stopped to look at the birds, a guy by me was looking at reptiles and went off on a rant that ended in him explaining he was wanting to get a snake to eat his “stupid bird” - I ended up buying this man a frozen feeder mouse (he was annoyed it was already dead) and he more or less chucked a taped shut box he grabbed from his car at me. Petsmart is amazing and took this little love out and put him in a carrier box for me, yknow with actually breathing holes in it.
Luckily I had my spare cage already set up so he could quickly be removed from the box carrier. He can’t fly well, bit me like crazy, and I had to chase him around and throw my shirt on him to get him safely into the cage. He has shed a few feathers but has not yet made a single sound. I also haven’t seen him eat or drink. I’ve got him in my spare bathroom for now but when I go in there to talk to him he is calm and seems content with my presence.
Honestly I know nothing about Parakeets and have no idea what this poor guy has been through. I’ve been researching but everything seems to say I need to leave him alone several days/weeks and clip his wings so he can’t get away from me. He’s scared enough and I have never had any of my birds wings clipped. I don’t know his age but he seems young and healthy.
I just want him to know he’s loved and wanted and to give him a happy life. Is there any hope of him not being a cage bird? Is there anything I could or should be doing to help him adjust? I’m going to have him seen by my avian vet of course but honestly any advice or assistance is greatly appreciated! Second pic is to better see his size, he’s at the top left side.

Thank you all for your help!

 

[WillowNMurphy]

Anything is possible, you just need patience. Remember, what seems like a long time to us may seem 10x faster to a bird, especially a traumatised one.
You can look in this section of the forum for more info about budgies: Budgie Boulevard | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
And this thread is about people's experiences with budgies, which will hopefully help a little: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly about BUDGIES! | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

Also tagging some budgie parents who can help more than I can!
@Lady Jane @Fergus Mom @SquawksNibbles

 

[Beasley]

Ah! Thank you!

 

[finchly]

Hi, please don’t clip his wings until you educate yourself about it here on the forum. The others will be along shortly to give you some advice.
I don’t have budgies but I just wanted to say thank you for saving this baby.

 

[Beasley]

I am really hoping to be told I don’t have to clip his wings. I am against the practice personally and my house is bird proofed, I love seeing my babies fly <3 and absolutely, I’ve got some R rated words for that man, but I’ll give him credit for at least doing the right thing in the end.

 

[LSA]

I recently (5 mos ago) got a second budgie for a grieving (or so I believed) budgie. Neither budgie has been clipped and do well. I do advise a large cage and a same gender companion. The two are now fast friends, inseparable is my guess. The best purchase, other than food, was a friend for him.

@WillowNMurphy, thanks for tagging such knowledgeable budgie people! @Beasley, thanks for rescuing that beautiful baby!

 

[TikiMyn]

Thank you for helping that poor baby, what a horrible man! Time and patience He has been through a lot and is still shaken up probably. Clipping his wings for the purpose so he ''cannot get away from you'' will do nothing for your relationship but set it back. Take it at his pace, of he shows signs of fear, back off to show him you understand. Move slowly, talk softly, read to him if you like at a distance he is comfortable at. I would suggest some natural perches instead of the (sanded?) dowel, and a rope perch if you can. And add some more toys while you are at it But seriously, that wil, probably make him feel more secure. Perhaps he will freak out at new things, and then you have to take a different approach of course. My blind rescue lovie takes great comfort in hiding behind her toys I think if you give it a few weeks of not forcing anything, feeding him treats when walking by, ambient attention(being in the same room doing non threatening things) and maybe hand feeding some spray millet, he will at least be able to come out of his cage and be return to it when you feed him.

 

[Roxhum]

What a sweet heart. Thank you for saving him. He probably is so quite because he is adjusting to his new life. Soon enough he will be chattering all day. I love my budgies, they are so cheerful. Mine, even though hand fed, are not so keen on being handled. I have not spent enough time with them. Budgies are very social and happiest with a budgie friend. Another reason mine aren’t as tame. I don’t mind. They are not afraid of me and they are so cheerful and active. Fun to watch.

 

[MommyBird]

Tikimyn pretty much said it all.
And I wanted especially to second getting rid of the sanded perch covers. They are very bad and can make sores on his feet.
If that man is all he knew this little guy has every reason to be traumatized for awhile. Budgies are innately "optomistic" and happy guys so with your patience he will improve.
I also say don't clip his feathers, it just makes him feel more helpless. Budgies fly like little unguided missiles though when learning, scared, or in a new place. Let him out the first few times when you have plenty of time and in a place where there are no windows or mirrors, and upon saying that I know they also manage to fly into walls.
Wait awhile before letting him out, introduce him to millet spray so you have a bribe to get him to stepup or go back to his cage on his own.
You are a caring person who has some birds and bird knowledge already; I think your instincts are very good!
Let us know how he progresses.

 

[Lady Jane]

Wow what an experience for this little budgie. Thanks for rescuing. A few pointers based upon your photo.

First thing is to get a larger cage. The one in the photo is not going to work for a permanent cage. Flight cages are not all that expensive and have more room. Second of all I ask you not to cut this birds ability to fly and make her totally dependent upon you.
If you make the larger cage comfortable and fun for the bird to be inside of then he or she will want to fly back into his or her home.
Could be female but hard to tell with the photo.

What Budgies need to be happy:

Natural or rope perches. A few Platform perches would be well used
Bird safe toys. Not the ones sold in a pet store. We have wonderful toy vendors here on AA.
Make sure you have an avian vet lined up for wellness checks and emergencies along with a fund to pay for this
Good quality food: Pellets such as Goldenfeast for small beaks and other seed blends they sell. (not in a pet store)
Fresh veggies chopped daily. Served in fun ways such as in a bag clip hanging in the cage
Another Budgie because these birds do not do as well when they are alone.
Budgies like safe ladders and swings. I have had no problem giving a budgie as safe mirror but some people do not
A bird safe room to fly. First flights should be in a small room like a bathroom
No spray cans, candles, artificial scents in the air, no Teflon products, no avocado, chocolate, candles, plug ins, alcohol and by all means no one smoking in the room where the bird stays.
A source for music and hearing other birds chirping. I use YouTube.

You will eventually have to groom this budgie as nails grow too long in about 2 months.
My budgies like to a gentle, warm fine mist spray for bathing. You can find this bottles in a pet store amphibian department.
Or a bath in a suitable bowl of warm water if that is preferred.
Budgies like to fly so hanging toys are really nice. Here is my arrangement And here is a chart to tell the gender of your bird as maturation proceeds.
Most of all thanks again for saving the bird and I wish you good luck.

 

[CeciliaZ]

Thank you for saving this baby. I found a budgie at work last year, brought him home and now he has a budgie friend also. He is not tame in the sense that you can handle him - but he is not afraid of me. He has no problems with me taking out his food and water bowls, changing the paper and toys in his cage. Both budgies are not clipped, they are let out to fly around in the bird room and they go back inside their cages. And if you can - I would suggest a flight cage also.

 

[Fergus Mom]

Oh my gosh, I would have freaked out at the stupid man with the taped up box - THAT POOR baby!

Since you mention you have other birds, I imagine you already know that budgies hull their seeds, so the feed dish looks like it's got food, when it does not. (Empty hulls). I always try to remember to tell folks that if it's their first bird, since I've seen some who did not know.

Everyone here has given such excellent advice! I am beginning to believe that these feathered miracles KNOW and FEEL that they are loved, and despite their fear of us predators, they will come around to their own comfort zone with us sooner or later. Like others said here - spend time with him/her, talk to him, dance and sing with him, and soon he will learn to trust you. He is such a pretty bird, and looks young too! Bless his/her heart!

 

[cassiesdad]

Again, thanks for giving this little one a chance to have a wonderful life.

Great advice already given...so...patience, patience, patience.

Also, when things settle down, I'd suggest a wellness visit with an AV, if possible...it's always good to have a checkup...

 

[Beasley]

First I just want to thank everyone for your kindness and advice! Also yay for no wing clipping and letting him fly!

My spare bathroom is set up with perches, covered mirrors and toys for my little zebra finches so I can definitely let him out in there when he’s ready. Yesterday he just went crazy flapping into everything and then hid behind the toilet.

Oh no! I didn’t know sanded covers could hurt! Thankfully I cut them into smaller pieces and put those on specifically to take them off and help him see my hand in his space is non threatening and even fun! By the end of the night his cage looked like a bird toysrus puked in there lol.

He seemed interested in the colorful acrylic toys and I will put my rope swing in once I wake him up. I agree that cage isn’t fit to house anything. I only ever use it as a temp while I’m cleaning a main cage so I don’t end up with escapee finches/nosy lovebird supervisor.

I also read that you can house budgies with zebra finches and they will live harmoniously without issue. Is that true?

I had the temp cage set up for them but due to the surprise budgie, I had to improvise and use a fish tank with a mesh lid to clean their flight cage. It looks sad because I took the picture below before I put any toys in but this thing is massive and I only have 5 zebra finches in it.

Could I put my budgie in with them? And if so does he need a budgie buddy? Would 2 budgies be okay in there too? The food and water is so low because I have a temporarily flightless finch (Meep) but the AV said she’s going to make a full recovery! I love their feeder because it’s got a grate to collect hulls, I need to buy a second one for sure if he’s going in with them. They’re on a high quality finch food mixed with the xs zupreem. I gave him the same but with more of the zupreem.

I have no problem getting another flight cage and/or another budgie. Anything to make him comfortable and happy.

Based on the cere he could be male or female, it’s light blue with darker blue forming in the center. From what I can tell he must be young because it’s not a solid color yet.

Do I need to quarantine him? I left a message for my AV to have him seen too, she’s going to think I’m nuts hahaha I went from lovebird to crazy bird lady in 2.5 seconds

Also how long do I wait until I try letting him come out to (hopefully) play and interact with me?

Thank you all for the guidance and help!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thank you so much for rescuing him. I wouldn't put him in with your finches or even in the same room with your finches. You need to quarantine him for at least 30-45 days. Since you have other birds you may also want to bring him to vet for a new bird check up.
Thank you for saving the budgie from that horrible @#$@# inhuman person.

 

[Beasley]

I have rescued my fair share of dogs, rodents, rabbits, and even my first 2 finches (who were abandoned in an empty house by a neighbor) in my lifetime, but I have never encountered someone so brazenly hateful. They had to use a box cutter to get the little guy out and used a net to put him in the carrier.
I am amazed at how still and quite he was...when I got my black cheek zebra male he was jumping so vigorously he almost hopped his carrier off the counter!

 

[cassiesdad]

Do I need to quarantine him?

Yes, that would be the right play....it's always better to quarantine a new bird.

I also read that you can house budgies with zebra finches and they will live harmoniously without issue. Is that true?

I don't know the answer on that...sometimes budgies can be a little rowdy.

And if so does he need a budgie buddy?

Budgies do better when they have budgie pals...maybe in the future that might be something you can look into...

 

[Tiel Feathers]

That poor budgie! He was luck you were there and could take him home. He’s awfully cute!

 

[Sylvester]

Too bad you didn't get the guy's license plate, animal abuse is a felony in most states. I would also imagine that his box being thrown didn't do him any good, make sure the vet knows about that.

Thank you for taking him in.

 

[SquawksNibbles]

Sorry I'm late to this thread. Thank you so very much for taking that little one in, @Beasley!

You're going to need a lot of patience. Clearly the guy who previously had him did not care for him in the slightest, so who knows what all he has been through, poor fella.

I do think it's important that you give the bird a little while to just settle in and get more comfortable with his new surroundings. Once he seems settled in a bit more, you can just start spending a lot of time by his cage. It might be tempting at some times to just stick your hand in the cage to see if he'll step up or allow you to touch him, but honestly he just needs plenty of time to get used to you just being around him before you start trying to actually interact with him. Can you just spend a little while each day sitting by the cage? Remember that this is a scared little bird, so please be careful with sudden movements and loud sounds around him. I personally love to read, so maybe you could do something like that while sitting by him and his cage. You can also occasionally drop some of his favorite treats in his food bowl while you're sitting there. Also, please watch for signs from this Budgie. You will be able to tell when he's getting scared and stressed, and if that happens it's important that you take a step back and just go at the bird's pace from there.

From the picture it looks like your little one is a female, but that could be wrong.

I agree with everything else that has been said about the avian vet, quarantine, no clipping, new cage (whenever you get the chance), etc. But right now he's probably already doing much better than he was when he was with that man!

What does he currently eat? Budgies do well from a diet of (sprouted) seeds, pellets, vegetables, and other fresh foods.

Thank you again for rescuing him/her! Please keep up updated about your new addition, and feel free to ask any more questions you may have.