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SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!

BigSkyMT

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Here are some pics of her new setup.
I know the cage isnt the best. This is the cage Pepper came in when I adopted him from his previous owners. Once I get further in the bonding process, I plan on buying her a large flight cage off Amazon & possibly getting another budgie in the future, if all goes well.
If she cant bond with me after a couple months, maybe I can find a yellow budgie that looks like her reflection & remove her mirror. That's months down the road tho, for now I just want her to get settled in & atleast she can spread her wings & get a little exercise & she has different size perches now, so she can stretch her little feet & build strength in them. Her old cage had the same size little dowels. All shes had for over a year. This is atleast over twice the size of her old cage for now.
 

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Birdie Mama

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She is gorgeous! She should be happy once she settles in. Love her new setup. :heart:
was wondering if you should still give her millet. Who knows what the previous owner called millet and how long it would be left for her to try. Maybe put a few loose seeds in with her banana or hang it by the banana so it doesn’t matter how long before she tries it. Bet you she will at some point! :)
 
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Yoshi&Raphi

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Here are some pics of her new setup.
I know the cage isnt the best. This is the cage Pepper came in when I adopted him from his previous owners. Once I get further in the bonding process, I plan on buying her a large flight cage off Amazon & possibly getting another budgie in the future, if all goes well.
If she cant bond with me after a couple months, maybe I can find a yellow budgie that looks like her reflection & remove her mirror. That's months down the road tho, for now I just want her to get settled in & atleast she can spread her wings & get a little exercise & she has different size perches now, so she can stretch her little feet & build strength in them. Her old cage had the same size little dowels. All shes had for over a year. This is atleast over twice the size of her old cage for now.
She’s adorable!
 

BigSkyMT

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She is gorgeous! She should be happy once she settles in. Love her new setup. :heart:
was wondering if you should still give her millet. Who knows what the previous owner called millet and how long it would be left for her to try. Maybe put a few loose seeds in with her banana or hang it by the banana so it doesn’t matter how long before she tries it. Bet you she will at some point! :)
That's a great idea, I will add millet once she settles in a little more. She's absolutely terrified of any movement. This poor bird she just sits by her mirror all day long. She didn't move from her perch since I put her in her new cage lastnight. She didn't even eat. I moved her water & food next to her perch very slowly & she flew all around the cage, hitting her toys in a panick. After I got her food & water by her perch, I sat on my bed & just talked to her. She instantly started eating aggressively. She was so hungry but too afraid to move 2ft to her food. So now I am going to have to keep her food & water close, so she doesn't starve herself & she's going freak out everytime I do it. I feel so damn awful for her. This is so tragically sad.
What if I get another budgie & tame it in the same room until its bonded with me, then introduce the two gradually? She is so absolutely terrified of humans, maybe another budgie can help her come out of her depression. I wish she'd one day bond with me, but if that's impossible, I'd want her to bind with another bird. She is depressed & craving affection. Watching her cuddle up to her mirror & trying to preen her reflection then waiting for a response, just kills me. . I dont know what to do for this little terrified girl. She has zero quality of life, just sitting in the same position, in the same perch, all day long. It is so sad. It's all she's done for over a year & doesn't know how to play or explore. What is the best thing I can do for her? Feel so damn sad for her.


Pic is how she is all day long. Just sitting there, doing nothing.
I moved her food & water close, that's as far as she will move
 

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Dona

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Hi, I read the thread quickly so I might be wrong in suggesting you remove the cover from the cage. But my birds in the past certainly slept more if I had a partial cover on them.
 

Monica

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It definitely sounds like she could use a companion! Just hard to say if she'll accept one or not! Poor girl!

She probably needs time to settle in at least. Some calming and quiet music may help put her at ease, too.
 

BigSkyMT

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It's been a few days & she is settling in nicely. I've been keeping her in my bedroom & when I leave she chirps until I come back, but is still frightened when i get close to her cage? She started to flock call my cockatiels back & forth most of the day. I've brought them in my room so she could see me interact with them. I decided to being her cage out & put it next to the tiels cage with them both locked inside. To my amazement, she left her safe perch with her mirror & went right up to my tiels, like she is so excited to see another bird. Shes afraid of me, but not afraid of the my tiels. I let my tiels out & they crawled all over the top of her cage. I was afraid this would spook her, but she followed them around from the inside. I opened her cage door & Hercules went in to investigate. I stayed close, just incase. She was so happy to see Hercules, she wasn't even scared, just kept a few inch distance. Right now I have my tiels out, flying the livingroom & have little birds cage door left open. Shes went to the door a few times, trying to talk herself into going out the door & doing a cute dance with anticipation, but sikes herself out & goes back to her mirror for comfort. So I'm going to give it a few more hours until bedtime & see if she decides to come out, if not I will try again tomoro. Thinking of leaving her cage next to theirs from now on. I dont know if she will ever bond to me, but I am now hopeful she will bond to other birds. I am so excited right now, I dont know what to do with myself!

If she does leave her cage to explore, would that be a good time to remove her mirror? Do you think she will put herself back into her cage? I dont want to have to chase or grab her, but I cant wait to see her fly free!!! Spread her wings finally!! Shes been locked in a small cage with just her mirror for over a year. Her mirror is all she knows & where she goes to hide & seek comfort. What do you guys think?

Pics of Hercules & little bird checking eachother out thru cage bars. She has no fear of the tiels & I can tell she is just craving that flock interaction.

Here's some pics of Her & Hercules
And pic of their cages next to eachother. Hercules seems interested & Pepper could care less about any of it. He just wants constant kisses heehee!!
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20200113_191457.jpg
 

Begone

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Great update! ♥
Have you remove her mirror yet?
If not now is a great time.
The mirror can be the reason why she stay in her cage. And it's better to remove it asap. Mirrors are not good for them.
That she seems happy for bird company is good, that tell that she probably just will be happy for a budgie friend. And the color of the bird doesn't matter, they don't see colors the way we do.
If she haven't been flying for over a year take it slow, don't let her fly to much. And don't be surprised if she can't fly more than a short distance now in the beginning.

Good luck! ♥
 

BigSkyMT

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Great update! ♥
Have you remove her mirror yet?
If not now is a great time.
The mirror can be the reason why she stay in her cage. And it's better to remove it asap. Mirrors are not good for them.
That she seems happy for bird company is good, that tell that she probably just will be happy for a budgie friend. And the color of the bird doesn't matter, they don't see colors the way we do.
If she haven't been flying for over a year take it slow, don't let her fly to much. And don't be surprised if she can't fly more than a short distance now in the beginning.

Good luck! ♥
Okay. Thank you so much for replying! I will remove her mirror today. Going to try again today to see if she wants to come out of her cage. I will keep close eye on her. The previous owner said he tried everything to get her to eat millet & she wouldn't touch it. I put some ontop of her cage & my birds only get it for treats, so Hercules came right over & once she saw him eating it, she decided she was too & loved it. Very excited because now I have a treat she likes that I can use to bond with her. Major break thru. I am very hopeful for this little girl!

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BigSkyMT

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What a nice thread!!
So wonderful to see someone who cares so much. They look like they are treated like Royalty <3
Thank you so much! I really try, my life revolves around my birds & animals

Guess what guys?!! After I took out her mirror, she decided to fly out of her cage. She didn't make it very far before she was exhausted! I held very still & just talked to her, she caught her breath & flew right into the bird tree I have hanging from my ceiling. She follows Hercules everywhere & is chewing on branches & toys, she's preening like she never did & she's making all sorts of happy noises! I am so happy for her, I could cry! She's getting mental stimulation & exercise she hasn't had in God knows how long. She is so happy!!

Here are a few pics of her enjoying being a birb! Also, any tips when its bedtime tonight on how to get her back into her cage without forcing her?

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Preening together!

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All 3 together on their mega bird tree!
 

Fergus Mom

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Thanks SO much for these pics... she is happy, and looks happy too! :heart:
 

zoo mom

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Such sweet pictures.
 

Tara81

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Maybe try putting her back into her cage after the tiels are in their cage. She may try to follow them. Once they are not next to her, then you can try getting her to step onto a perch she is familiar with to escort her back to her cage. Good luck!
 

BigSkyMT

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Thank you guys for replying!

Maybe try putting her back into her cage after the tiels are in their cage. She may try to follow them. Once they are not next to her, then you can try getting her to step onto a perch she is familiar with to escort her back to her cage. Good luck!
I tried putting my birds to bed first, then I tried turning off a few lights so it was like dusk, then I tried a wooden branch for a perch. She flew all over the house & was getting scared. I let her calm down & had to put a pillowcase over her. I felt really bad, but after 2 hours of waiting & trying, it was my only option. The moment I put her in her cage, she was happy as could be.

Now I have all her cage doors open & she's too afraid to come out again, so I'm just going to wait. Poor girl doesn't know any better. It will be a work in progress, but going to work with her with stepping up on a branch I took off of their gym. If only she would step up, everything would be perfect, but I know its going to take time, a lot of time & she's worth it!
 

Tara81

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Thank you guys for replying!



I tried putting my birds to bed first, then I tried turning off a few lights so it was like dusk, then I tried a wooden branch for a perch. She flew all over the house & was getting scared. I let her calm down & had to put a pillowcase over her. I felt really bad, but after 2 hours of waiting & trying, it was my only option. The moment I put her in her cage, she was happy as could be.

Now I have all her cage doors open & she's too afraid to come out again, so I'm just going to wait. Poor girl doesn't know any better. It will be a work in progress, but going to work with her with stepping up on a branch I took off of their gym. If only she would step up, everything would be perfect, but I know its going to take time, a lot of time & she's worth it!
Try coaxing her with millet to step on a branch on her own whenever you have time :]
 

BigSkyMT

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Try coaxing her with millet to step on a branch on her own whenever you have time :]
Thank you for replying. I tried millet, I tried a branch, she is absolutely terrified of humans & runs or flies away if I get withing 3ft of her, so that last 2 nights I have been moving her food & water into her cage & she puts herself back in when she gets hungry & I close her cage. So far its working great. I think she is getting used to the routine of me uncovering her cage around 9am & letting the other birds out. It takes her about 20-30min before she decides to come out & I leave her be all day with supervision, once she goes back in her cage later at night I talk sweetly to her & quietly close her cage doors. I hope she continues to pit herself to bed, because anything that I do to scare her makes our trust go backwards. That's the opposite of what we want

I'm going to give it a few more weeks or a month, then I would like to adopt another budgie & try to bond with it & then introduce them & get them a large flight cage. She loves my tiels, but I think she would appreciate another budgie companion. There are so many budgies on craiglist in my area, but they are all 3+ budgies already bonded to eachother. Would I be better off waiting until I see just one or can multiple budgies bond at the same time? Once we buy a larger home, I'd like to setup a large bird room & rescue all the unwanted budgies, hubby already gave me permission heehee but that is about a year away from happening.

God Bless all, will keep everyone posted on progress!
 

Monica

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What an awesome update! :)

Was going to say, possibly another way to get her back in the cage is to take the cage to HER instead. If the food and water is working though, use that!


You can use your cockatiels to earn her trust. If you feed them treats and give them attention, she will follow, don't worry! :) Monkey see, monkey do! She might not be *as* friendly, but she will learn by example!


And yes, it is possible to introduce more than one budgie into the flock.
 
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