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Wait couple days or get another one?

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Ludo

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Hi, I got my parakeet from a breeder. I got her on Wednesday and today’s Sunday. I am a student so I travelled home on Friday and am going back to my apartment today on Sunday. My parakeet is very quiet and I have to handfeed her otherwise she doesn’t eat. She sits in a corner most of the time and is also sleepy and sluggish. I have been letting her out of the cage and I also play parakeet sounds and that’s the only time she chirps a little bit. I recently changed her feed to bigger fuity seeds/grains and she cant fit it in her mouth I guess and spits in out. The breeder asked me to get another bird for her company but I am with her 24/7. Should I wait it out since I am going back today and don’t plan on changing her environment and houses anytime again soon, or should I get another bird. I dont want her to die of loneliness of something but idk why am I not able to provide her company because I sit by her and talk to her all day but I also don’t want her to die of loneliness or not eating. I was thinking about wait another 2-3 to let her settle in and see what happens but I just get worried seeing her like this all day. I don’t think she sleeps either despite covering her cage and setting her in a quiet room. I am afraid that if I get another one then either of them won’t bond with me. Please help!!
 

Wardy

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First thing i would advise you to do is feed her what the breeder was feeding it.
A new home a new face etc. Is a big enough stress without a change of food if you dont know what the breeder was feeding i
would contact him straight away ask the question and source some of the food straight away.
You say the food you are feeding wont fit in her mouth surely that is a red flag.
I wouldnt worry about loneliness i would make feeding the bird a prority and take things from there.

@Ripshod
 

Ludo

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First thing i would advise you to do is feed her what the breeder was feeding it.
A new home a new face etc. Is a big enough stress without a change of food if you dont know what the breeder was feeding i
would contact him straight away ask the question and source some of the food straight away.
You say the food you are feeding wont fit in her mouth surely that is a red flag.
I wouldnt worry about loneliness i would make feeding the bird a prority and take things from there.

@Ripshod
Yeah makes sense, I am feeding her the old seed from walmart but the breeder said that it has pesticides in it so I bought the ones from pet smart but she seems to like the walmart one. My question is, how do I get her to open up and most importantly eat the food herself, what if I am not around for couple hours and she just starves. She eats from my hand but is resistant to climb on it and she hasn’t bonded with me yet either.
 

Lady Jane

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Did the breeder give you some of the food that she was eating? Usually they do. Budgies have strong flock instincts. They usually like another budgie for a friend, even if you are home all day.
 

Ludo

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Did the breeder give you some of the food that she was eating? Usually they do. Budgies have strong flock instincts. They usually like another budgie for a friend, even if you are home all day.
The breeder didn’t give me anything but I’ll ask her. My thing is that I have seen single budgies thrive with their human owners and seeing that is what made me get her. But I just wanna know if her behavior in these first few days is normal or what am I doing wrong. If I get another one then I wanna bond with this one first which is not happening as of now so if you have any suggestions..
 

Wardy

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I dont keep budgies however i have tagged someone in who does who will be able to offer budgie specific advice however as i said in my first post the budgie has had a massive change actually two you got the bird Wed took it to where you where staying and then travelled home Friday and will now be travelling back to your appartment today.
Give your bird some time to settle into your appartment when you get there continue talking to her and take your time give the bird the oppertunity to get to know you.
There is no absolutes that a bird will bond with you and there is no timescale regarding them bonding it could happen next week it could take a lot longer.

Try and relax offer the bird the food it was used to that the breeder was feeding it and continue spending time with it and allow it to become used to you its cage and its surroundings.

@Sparkles99 also keeps budgies so may have some specific advice to help you
 

Sunni Tiel

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There is no absolutes that a bird will bond with you and there is no timescale regarding them bonding it could happen next week it could take a lot longer.
I agree, You only got your bird just recently. Don't expect too much from a new bird, the change in environment is especially stressful for a young one. She will need a while to adjust, it can take anywhere from a week to years to tame her, and sometimes you just get a budgie who isn't a people person. Not all birds will enjoy the company.

You will need to work on transitioning her to a healthier diet, seeds alone will not provide what your bird needs from her food. The ideal budgie diet would be something like 25% seeds, 25% pellets, 40% veggies and 10% fruits. you don't need to feed exactly that, more pellets, less veggies, more seeds, etc. Adjust it to what fits you and your bird. Don't worry about any of that yet though, for now just work on making sure she eats at all.
 

Zara

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Wardy and Ladyjane gave you good advice.

You really need to get your bird settled in before anything else. Before worrying over trivials such as ¨bonding with you¨ or new foods. Your bird has regressed and is only eating when hand fed. It is a big problem. So now you need to slowly allow her to wean again. Offer her a hand feeding, then straight afterwards, offer her the dry foods she was eating before whatever brand that may be, feed her that one, the one she acually eats. Whether it is a good or bad seed mix, for now, it will do. Also be sure to offer finely chopped veggies after hand feeds, maybe some mashed veggies, mashed cooked sweet potatoes. Straight away after being hand fed is when the bird will be most likely to try new foods, so that is what you need to do. Also have lettuce leaves and other veggies to hand around the cage through the day, maybe a piece of millet spray.
Getting her to eat on her own is number one priority.

Everything that happened until you got home, forget about it. You were on the move with a new (very scared) bird so it is to be expected they are not comfortable, happy, singing and playing.

For the next few weeks, don´t rearrange things in the cage or swap the food. Let you bird get settled in to how things are right now. After your bird weans, wait a few weeks before transitioning to the diet of your choice, and be sure to do that gradually and without forcing.

As for a friend, it would be nice for her to have a friend in her life. I don´t know the best time to do that. @Lady Jane or @Ripshod will know more .
 

Birdie Mama

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@Zara

when you say hand feed, are you thinking formula or something similar? Not just holding food for her to nibble on? I just want to make sure I understand correctly…
 

Zara

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@Zara

when you say hand feed, are you thinking formula or something similar? Not just holding food for her to nibble on? I just want to make sure I understand correctly…
Going off of what has been said, I am understanding that the bird is eating formula? ¨Handfeeding¨ is formula. ¨Eating out of my hand¨ is eating adult food out of the hand.
We´ll have to wait and see what OP meant to help clarify.
 

Ludo

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Going off of what has been said, I am understanding that the bird is eating formula? ¨Handfeeding¨ is formula. ¨Eating out of my hand¨ is eating adult food out of the hand.
We´ll have to wait and see what OP meant to help clarify.
Sorry I meant I am offering seeds and pellet from my hand. I don’t mean formula. That being said, how do I get her to eat it herself from the dishes. I placed 2-3 dishes in her cage so it’s convenient but she hasn’t really noticed them.
 

Wardy

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Sorry I meant I am offering seeds and pellet from my hand. I don’t mean formula. That being said, how do I get her to eat it herself from the dishes. I placed 2-3 dishes in her cage so it’s convenient but she hasn’t really noticed them.
If you have paper on the grate of your cage scatter a good potion of food onto the floor ( not under a perch if you can manage to ) this will give another option of food for your bird to find.
If it hasnt found the food bowls is your bird drinking ? Maybe put a bowl of water on the cage floor as well.
This will give your budgie more oppertunity to find food and water whilst settling in.
 

Ludo

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Yeah I already put multiple food bowls and if I scatter it on the bottom will it get mixed up with its poop? I think she identifies the food bowls but I can’t be sure. I don’t let her go too long without food so I just hand feed her so I think scattering it might help. Thanks!
 

Wardy

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Yeah I already put multiple food bowls and if I scatter it on the bottom will it get mixed up with its poop? I think she identifies the food bowls but I can’t be sure. I don’t let her go too long without food so I just hand feed her so I think scattering it might help. Thanks!
Thats why i suggested not to put the food under a perch i done this with both of my conures when i brought them home with no issues.
Try not to look directly at your bird when observing it look from the corner of your eye looking directly at them can make them feel threatened sometimes especially a new bird.
If it feels threatened it wont be putting its head in a bowl so it cant see you.
 

Lady Jane

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She will find and eat food from a dish. I would only offer food in your hand as a treat once or twice a week such as a short piece of millet. Like @Zara wrote let the bird settle down in new home before moving forward. Moving slowly with a new bird is usually recommended.
 

Ludo

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Thats why i suggested not to put the food under a perch i done this with both of my conures when i brought them home with no issues.
Try not to look directly at your bird when observing it look from the corner of your eye looking directly at them can make them feel threatened sometimes especially a new bird.
If it feels threatened it wont be putting its head in a bowl so it cant see you.
Will do, tysm!
 

Ludo

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She will find and eat food from a dish. I would only offer food in your hand as a treat once or twice a week such as a short piece of millet. Like @Zara wrote let the bird settle down in new home before moving forward. Moving slowly with a new bird is usually recommended.
Great, tysm!
 

Ripshod

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She won't starve herself. If she was eating seed before you picked her up she'll eat the seed in the dishes. She's a young bird in a strange place with a strange human - she's scared. Just back off a while and leave her to it. She'll feel vulnerable when eating and drinking so if you remove one of the scary things (yourself) she'll feel safe to put her head in a dish. It just takes time for them to relax so you'll likely not see her drink for a couple of weeks. Hanging round her staring is predator behaviour so stop it. If you need to you can sit away from her and do something else, just taking the occasional glance. Watch her behaviour and adjust yourself as she progresses.
There's no need to rush into getting her a friend. Get to understand her and she'll show you if a friend is needed by her behaviour.
 

Sparkles99

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I would put a whole millet spray in her cage, no strings attached. It’s easy to see if any’s been eaten or not. It’s also very tempting for them. If she won’t eat it, something’s off.
 
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