Help with a new older Budgie

[Mimi75]

Hi, I am Rhegan and I am new but haven’t posted yet. I planned on introducing myself more properly but need advice sooner than that.

My situation:

I had a older (10 yrs) Budgie given to me by an elderly person who was unable to keep up with her care. The woman was devastated she loved her very much and talked to her all the time. However this poor bird has spent that entire time in 15 x 15 cage and is a seed addict. All her perches were uniform dowels and the only toys she knows what to do with is her mirrors. She hops from mirror to mirror having lunch with the various ‘ladies’ in the neighbourhood it’s quite cute.

My goal is to improve her golden years. I’ve made some improvements I can detail if it would be helpful but the specific help I am looking for is for her cage situation. I want to get her into a bigger cage 19x19. How do I get her in? I don’t want to chase her around the cage with my big scary hands and traumatize her. She will finally come up to the door and accept spray Miller from me. I would hate to lose that trust.

Thanks in advance

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the forum Rhegan,

Is it possible to open the doors on both cages and hold them up together?
Leave a sprig of millet in the new cage to coax her in.

I had to do this with a lovebird I found to get her out of her quarantine cage.

Another way is to let the bird out of her cage, and leave the new one open and full of treats, once she is inside, close the door. (Cover the old cage with a bedsheet once she leaves it so she cannot go back to it) You can keep the old cage open next to the new cage so she can play in the old cage during out of cage time.

 

[Mimi75]

Thanks for the response!
I Left her cage open for 2 days in hopes she would get out. (in a safe area) she didn’t take the bait. I could probably set it up so open doors are together to make it easier.
Do you think I should take the familiar stuff from her current cage and put them in a similar layout in the new one?

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome. I'm going through a similar situation with an older cockatiel that I'm fostering. I plan on moving a number of his things - minus the dowel perches - into the new cage. And a similar set up. My tiel has mirrors too. Three actually. I took one away already. I'm probably going to still put one in his new cage but then work on removing it.

 

[Zara]

Do you think I should take the familiar stuff from her current cage and put them in a similar layout in the new one?

Yea, I did that when I moved Adelie from her nursery cage to her adult cage. I started with the stuff she already had and no more. Only once she was in, I started adding one by one, each day new items two days later.

 

[Mimi75]

Zara, great thanks that’s exactly what I needed to know!

Sunnysmom Let me know how it goes!

 

[Gribouille]

My budgies had a mirror on a swing that they loved very much

However they managed to break one of the perches so I was trying to repair it when one of the mirrors slipped and broke. The other one soon followed and I thought, well, maybe that's better... So now they have the swing fixed and a hole where the mirrors were. They can walk through and think it's quite fun to sit there and try get the toys I hang from the perches. No need for the mirrors!!

 

[Fergus Mom]

I want to get her into a bigger cage 19x19. How do I get her in? I don’t want to chase her around the cage with my big scary hands and traumatize her. She will finally come up to the door and accept spray Miller from me. I would hate to lose that trust.

Good for you Rhegan, for wishing to get her a larger cage!
When I set up the larger cage, I got a table that put the small cage door right next to the large one, and as someone suggested here. (I think I might have raised the small cage onto a couple of bricks to make the doors level) Then I 'motivated' the last one to go in (Fergus), by inserting a pencil (eraser side of course) in the back of his cage, and he went right into the new one! I loved watching them transition to the larger cage, as they are so cute exploring!

 

[Lady Jane]

Thank you for helping this senior budgie. You have some good ideas.

 

[Mimi75]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, input and kind words! I am happy to report it worked like a charm. She is acting like she’s always been there.

 

[Gribouille]

Saw an adult male in a pet shop, all alone and calling for some company. I would have taken him, if I hadn't already 2 at home. I know from experience that it is not working so well to have a third bird crashing the party when 2 are doing just fine..
But I'm sure adult birds/animals know very well that we have good intentions when we take them home and they enjoy what they get!