A few tips or advice for a semi-tamed budgie

[Riptide Queen]

I'm so sorry if everyone has seen lots of posts like this, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask around for tips or advice.

I came home with a semi-tamed budgie named Smokey about a week ago, he is not too scared of you, and will perch on your finger as well as knowing what 'step-up' is.

I do know taming does take a lot of patience and effort but I just needed a few guidance for taming semi-tamed budgies..

He will perch on your finger, but shortly after will try to fly away or fly off on the floor. I do praise him when he does step up and when he's perched on my finger. I do this every day with him for about an hour/hour and half (so I don't stress him out)... He doesn't seem to care for treats or any kind of food as a motivation so I'm not sure what to reward him with...

Any tips and advice would be highly appreciated!

 

[slinky-kitty]

Hello and welcome! Smokey sounds adorable. My budgies love millet. Hold it in you fingers and he should hop on and start chomping in no time! It may take a short while for him to discover it if he hasn't had before but I'm sure it will work. I hold my hand still in the cage and let them come to me to eat it. My budgies are not as tame as Smokey and it sound like you have already started forming a great bond.

 

[HawkEagle]

Hello,
It sounds like you and Smokey will be great friends soon! Maybe I could recommend millet, a type of grain (I guess), often sold dried with the stems. You can get them at most pet stores in different sized packs. I have a pack for my budgie and hope he will like it
I know millet seems to be a popular pssitacidae treat around here.
But you are doing well!
My best wishes to you and Smokey!

 

[Riptide Queen]

Hello and welcome! Smokey sounds adorable. My budgies love millet. Hold it in you fingers and he should hop on and start chomping in no time! It may take a short while for him to discover it if he hasn't had before but I'm sure it will work. I hold my hand still in the cage and let them come to me to eat it. My budgies are not as tame as Smokey and it sound like you have already started forming a great bond.

I will retry the millet, I have three other budgies and they're no where near tame, but i know they go nuts for the millets, but Smokey doesn't seem to really care for it as much... Hmmm... I'll try that when I get home today! thank you!

 

[HawkEagle]

Good luck with your budgie!

 

[camelotshadow]

sounds pretty tame to me...congrats its a great start.

They usually will do anything for millet but guess there are exceptions.

 

[Riptide Queen]

Hello,
It sounds like you and Smokey will be great friends soon! Maybe I could recommend millet, a type of grain (I guess), often sold dried with the stems. You can get them at most pet stores in different sized packs. I have a pack for my budgie and hope he will like it
I know millet seems to be a popular pssitacidae treat around here.
But you are doing well!
My best wishes to you and Smokey!

Thank you! I had tried millets before but he gives me this sassy look and won't eat it. I'll try the millet again when I get home today!1 Thank you so much!!

 

[Riptide Queen]

sounds pretty tame to me...congrats its a great start.

They usually will do anything for millet but guess there are exceptions.

I totally know what you mean. My three untamed budgies go crazy for the millets, but Smokey is just kinda, "eh..." I'm hoping to make a little more progress with Smokey so he doesn't fly away when I take him out of his cage.

 

[HawkEagle]

I'm sure Smokey will become much friendlier to you with a bit more patience and care

 

[Sky&Sunshine]

Yes taming budgies takes a lot of time! I've had mine since July and are still taming them. More Sunshine as Sky is quite tame. When i got them they had never been tamed, and just hid or flew away. It has taken months! (And i have had to spend hours in my aviary, spending time with them) But maybe it is more difficult taming budgies when there is more than one and they are in an aviary? I started with offering them food, which i did every day (it took a long time for them to take it) Eventually Sky did. So I did this every day for over a week. Once he was pretty confident, i moved my hand so that he would have to hop on to get the food. I then did that every day. Gradually i began to earn his trust. Now he hops on my finger, climbs down my arm, and sometimes lands on my head or shoulder. He loves to be with me! He chirps to me and bobs his head up and down to me, and we even play games together. When i try to take a photo of him he lands on my phone! He so funny and always makes me laugh. Now I am slowly earning Sunshine's trust. She will eat out of my hand, sometimes perch on it but she is not very confident yet. But one day...

 

[Sky&Sunshine]

Taming a budgie, is not just about making them tame so they will hop your finger, its about earning their trust- they want to play with you, to be with you....

 

[Riptide Queen]

Yes taming budgies takes a lot of time! I've had mine since July and are still taming them. More Sunshine as Sky is quite tame. When i got them they had never been tamed, and just hid or flew away. It has taken months! (And i have had to spend hours in my aviary, spending time with them) But maybe it is more difficult taming budgies when there is more than one and they are in an aviary? I started with offering them food, which i did every day (it took a long time for them to take it) Eventually Sky did. So I did this every day for over a week. Once he was pretty confident, i moved my hand so that he would have to hop on to get the food. I then did that every day. Gradually i began to earn his trust. Now he hops on my finger, climbs down my arm, and sometimes lands on my head or shoulder. He loves to be with me! He chirps to me and bobs his head up and down to me, and we even play games together. When i try to take a photo of him he lands on my phone! He so funny and always makes me laugh. Now I am slowly earning Sunshine's trust. She will eat out of my hand, sometimes perch on it but she is not very confident yet. But one day...

My three budgies won't really take to being tame (I feel bad because I don't enjoy seeing them in the cage even if it's a big one... So I was lucky to have Smokey who came to me semi-tamed. He's slowly getting used to being out more which is nice, because he will wonder when he can come out.

 

[Riptide Queen]

Taming a budgie, is not just about making them tame so they will hop your finger, its about earning their trust- they want to play with you, to be with you....

That's very true!

 

[Sky&Sunshine]

My three budgies won't really take to being tame (I feel bad because I don't enjoy seeing them in the cage even if it's a big one... So I was lucky to have Smokey who came to me semi-tamed. He's slowly getting used to being out more which is nice, because he will wonder when he can come out.

Thats nice

 

[Sky&Sunshine]

That's very true!

yes it is!

 

[camelotshadow]

They are going to fly...that's just what they do.
He has to learn you are the source of good things.
Still they want to fly & play & not be perched on a finger.

My english budgie learned to tolerate stepping up.
Millet was her weakness & I slowly day by day got the millet closer to my hand
til it was on my hand & she was eating from my hand then I moved it d=far enough away so she had to step up on my hand to get it. Soon she was on my hand eating it.

Then she learned out & would pace the side of the cage.
I opened the door only enough to fit my hand so she had no choice if she wanted out then she had to get on my hand. She learned. Still I'd hold her for a shirt while while she wanted down to get at her favorite toy a small black plastic fan which she would climb & chew happily.
She's get on my hand to go back to the cage & later on she flew back herself when she wanted. Didn;t have her much more than 6 mo though as she had some sudden seizures & died at about a year old.

 

[Riptide Queen]

They are going to fly...that's just what they do.
He has to learn you are the source of good things.
Still they want to fly & play & not be perched on a finger.

My english budgie learned to tolerate stepping up.
Millet was her weakness & I slowly day by day got the millet closer to my hand
til it was on my hand & she was eating from my hand then I moved it d=far enough away so she had to step up on my hand to get it. Soon she was on my hand eating it.

Then she learned out & would pace the side of the cage.
I opened the door only enough to fit my hand so she had no choice if she wanted out then she had to get on my hand. She learned. Still I'd hold her for a shirt while while she wanted down to get at her favorite toy a small black plastic fan which she would climb & chew happily.
She's get on my hand to go back to the cage & later on she flew back herself when she wanted. Didn;t have her much more than 6 mo though as she had some sudden seizures & died at about a year old.

I'm so sorry for your sudden loss.. she sounds like a sweetheart...

 

[Riptide Queen]

Here's Smokey! Sadly he was given to me with already clipped wings. But once they grow out he will get to fly about!

 

[Sky&Sunshine]

awwwwwwwwww adorable!!!!!

 

[Riptide Queen]

awwwwwwwwww adorable!!!!!

Thank you! He cracks me up a lot. When he grinds his beak, its super loud, and I thought something was wrong with him and I got worried so I went to go see if he was okay and he was on his perch just grinding his beak. Not even my IRN grinds her beak that loud!