Hi all, new budgie owner to be !

[Miss_sj]

I will do, thanks!

 

[Miss_sj]

Is this suitable? In stores I've only been able to find wooden dowels.

 

[cassiesdad]

...they look fine...

 

[Shezbug]

Congratulations...he’s gorgeous.

I hope your hand heals soon and doesn’t cause you too much grief

 

[Miss_sj]

Thank you! We are calling him Flynn.

He is adjusting very well, such a sweetie. I put some new toys in today and he's checking them out. He seems to enjoy us sitting and talking to him and chatters back sometimes! He just doesn't like having his cage covered for nightime

 

[Miss_sj]

Just ad I posted, he started munching on some carrot I put in! Yay! So happy he likes veggies!

 

[Miss_sj]

I'm still learning the ropes here! Since the one time he tried carrot he won't eat ANY veggies, even carrot which he used to like. He seems happy when I put my hand in his cage and even grinds his beak and squeaks at me (its a very happy soumding squeak!), but I can tell he has a boundary where he wants me to keep my hand. Is this all normal so far? I'm a bit worried he's just eating seed (all he will eat)

He's got a very sweet night time routine....he sits on 1 foot grinding his beak and yawning and watching me looking very sleepy....but when he sees me reach for his bed time cage cover he realises its bed time and wakes himself up and quickly plays with each toy one last time. He then promptly falls asleep 2 mins later!

 

[cassiesdad]

I'm still learning the ropes here! Since the one time he tried carrot he won't eat ANY veggies, even carrot which he used to like. He seems happy when I put my hand in his cage and even grinds his beak and squeaks at me (its a very happy soumding squeak!), but I can tell he has a boundary where he wants me to keep my hand. Is this all normal so far? I'm a bit worried he's just eating seed (all he will eat)

Sounds normal to me. Young ones will try different foods, and they'll eat things for awhile, then that particular food might fall out of favor for awhile. The important thing is that he's eating. Budgies are more a seed eating bird than others...ours eat a 60% seed, 30% chop (mostly veggies and dark greens) and 10% pellet diet that our AV has recommended. Of course the percentages are approximate, as you can't equate physical amounts of carrots with pellets.

The most important thing is to keep at giving a diet where he has the chance to sample and eat different foods.

As for your hand, yes, that does sound normal, also. Your job is to build up a trust in your little one about your hands...

 

[Zara]

I'm a bit worried he's just eating seed (all he will eat)

Maybe you could give sprouting a go?

Here´s some info: Some general info on sprouting .. thought it might be helpful | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
You can buy sprout mixes from various places.

 

[Miss_sj]

Thanks, sprouting is a great idea!

I've been leaving his cage door open often, and I'm surprised he hasn't ventured out. He definitely notices the door open and looks at it with interest, but thats it. Once he hopped down and had a good look

 

[Miss_sj]

I hope its not annoying that I keep posting little updates and questions! My friends and family think I've gone mad and don't seem to appreciate my photos and text updates!!!!

Flynn LOVES brocolli! So glad he's eating a bit more. I'll keep offering different foods and I'll look into sprouting properly over the weekend.

He seems to love my boyfriend and gets super vocal and excited as soon as he gets home. He likes when I sit and talk to him and I do give him a lot of attention, but he goes nuts over boyfriend! Its so weird because I don't think my boyfriend is particularly patient or good at reading Flynn- I've been explaining that he needs to go slow but he just puts his hand right up to Flynn (who clearly doesn't like it.) Yet he is the favourite!

He has a habbit of screeching really loud in the afternoons. I think its excitement as he is playing with his toys at the same time, and it gets my attention and I often go and sit and talk to him. He always stops his screeching and startss beak grinding and looking very lovingly at me (he LOVES being talked to). However my boyfriend and mum are telling me I'm rewarding "bad behaviour" by going to sit with him. Is screeching really bad behaviour?! I think its just him being an excited bird.

 

[Zara]

I hope its not annoying that I keep posting little updates and questions!

Post and ask away! That is what the forum is for

My friends and family think I've gone mad and don't seem to appreciate my photos and text updates!!!!

I´m lucky, my dad loves hearing about my birds. He asks me how they are.

Birds are funny like that. They will just choose anyone to be their favourite, regardless of who feeds them or cleans their cages, provides toys etc.

Nothing is really ¨bad¨ behaviour. If you like to listen to screeching or it doesn´t bother you, then you can carry on as you are. Otherwise switch to going over to talk to him when he is quiet. My birds sometimes get loud when they are excited or having fun too.

 

[Miss_sj]

It is SO funny! When he goes nuts over my boyfriend you'd think he'd been alone all day! But he hasn't.....just stuck with the boring one! Lucky he is cute lol.

And the other thing....he sometimes eats a LOT. Like for 30 minutes straight. Is that normal? It doesn't seem like an alarming amount of husks in his seed dish but he seems to eat for ages.

 

[Lady Jane]

Try not to worry so much and enjoy your little one. Birds are very keen on being in tune with their flock members. I think you are doing just fine. Looking into making birdie bread. Budgies seem to adore it and you can mix a ton of good nutrition into the bread.

 

[Zara]

When he goes nuts over my boyfriend you'd think he'd been alone all day! But he hasn't.....just stuck with the boring one!

Try not to worry so much and enjoy your little one.

This reminds me of my little nephew. He´s now 2.5. When he was 1, he would scream and cry whenever he heard by brothers voice but couldn´t see him, or if my brother walked in and out of the room. He just pined for him. He never did it with his mum yet he was with her all day. Doesn´t mean he loves one more than the other, he just missed my brother while he´d been at work.
My OG bird Sydney, I love him so much. When he hears the door, he flies to my boyfriends chair to wait for him. He misses him during the day, and as much as he enjoys my company, he also likes my boyfriend. He soon comes back when he wants scritches though lol.
At least he´s happy to be with you while your boyfriend isn´t

 

[Miss_sj]

Thanks everyone for all the help. He has started standing on my hand today (with a food bribe) and ventured out of the cage too. We are slowly making progress!

 

[Miss_sj]

I've got a little bird who has been sitting on my hand for over an hour chatting to me.. and comes without food. I can't believe how well we are settling in

I put him back to his cage to have a rest and he's making a clicking noise that I was making when I was talking to him....i think he must be a genius

 

[Zara]

Nice to hear he is settling in well

 

[Miss_sj]

Thanks everyone for all the tips and comments! Flynn loves his new driftwood perches too.
I'm getting a bit more confident now and Flynn is super friendly and happy.

Here is a pic of him enjoying being in the courtyard and chatting while I cleaned his cage

 

[EkkieLu]

Thanks everyone for all the tips and comments! Flynn loves his new driftwood perches too.
I'm getting a bit more confident now and Flynn is super friendly and happy.

Here is a pic of him enjoying being in the courtyard and chatting while I cleaned his cage

Welcome Aboard Flynn! I'm so glad you're here!