Untamable budgie any suggestions?

[Colinwastaken]

Hi I figured I would check with you guys, I have a male budgie (I’m guessing around 4 months) that I have had for 2 months, who seems happy enough until he sees my hands or I need to go in the cage, he’s terrified, despite all of my efforts to get him used to my hands. somebody must have handled him really rough at some point.

Anyway, he has absolutely no interest in food other than his seed/pellet mix. No fruits or veggies, no millet, nothing.

Like I said he seems fine when I’m just talking to him in his cage, but I can’t really bring him out of the cage if he’s afraid of my hand and he won’t fly out so I feel bad for him in there. Aaand I haven’t had any progress in 2 months.

So just wondering if anyone else has had this type of situation, any suggestions would be appreciated. I’m pretty much a newb when it comes to these guys

 

[Serin]

Get a second budgie cage mate, just enjoy them as birds and let them have their own lives. Don't try and make him want to come to you if he doesn't want to, talk to them nicely as often as possible and leave millet in the cage so he gets to try it on his own time. Once he does, offer it by hand and wait however long it takes for him to come to you. Eventually he will. Not all budgies become tame. They do much better and are more confident with another bird companion for support.

 

[camelotshadow]

Give him time...offer him millet & put it down for him & step away. Let him associate you with good things then you can slowly build up closeness. They will do anything for millet...

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

You haven't had him for very long. It can take some birds months to feel comfortable about their new surroundings... Months! So be patient, continue to offer fresh foods, a good pellet diet and a small amount of seed. Millet for treats. I always find that people who never had a bird as a companion have high expectations from their new pet. Don't be disappointed for how long it may take to create a bond and if not... enjoy your little budgie for the cute little guys that they are. Share a photo when you can.

 

[cassiesdad]

Remember...two months isn't really a long time.

Like I said he seems fine when I’m just talking to him in his cage,

..keep on doing this...making sure you don't make a lot of sudden, sharp moves around his cage..try not to stare at him...predators stare at their prey...calm and steady is what you're looking for.

Just a thought...I prefer my budgies to be "untamed"..they are allowed free flight at all times...I don't force any physical interaction between them and myself or my wife. They are true independent "thinkers"..so to speak.

This is just my thinking...it doesn't mean that you have to follow our lead...

 

[MauiWendy]

I have a rescue 1yr old male parakeet. He was completely upset and inanimated when he came to me. We’ve had him for about 3 weeks now. I’m in the same boat, seed junky. I started to crush and mix up pellets and sprinkle it over his food so at least he will get a taste of what’s in of it. Ive also mixed a little whole pellets and millet in as well. I noticed when I got him his food bowls were covered. It was like he was too nervous to eat and was eating very little. Since I took the covers off. He’s in his food bowl all the time.

 

[Fergus Mom]

I just looked at my log, and it was over 2 months before Fergus would put ONE foot on my finger to eat the millet I was offering him with my other hand (in his cage).
You can read the log here (link below) to give you a timeline on how long it took for mine to have real social interaction with me.
Make sure to keep replenishing your food bowl daily, as the empty hulls in their dish look like they have food, but they don't!

Fergus and Fiona Diary / Log of training and daily adventures beginning JUNE 2017 | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[Lady Jane]

Get him a cage mate for his happiness then the eating problem will go away. Sometimes budgies remain wild, especially if from a pet store.

 

[camelotshadow]

English seem easier to tame least my bubbles a parent raised was. Did it with miller in under 2 weeks. Pet store guy was amazed...A friend mightbe a good idea to provide security. Budgies are not high on the list in wanting human companionship but will give it at times. Just go slow & give treats. Mine loved millet.

 

[ParaSweet]

Its ok I have a parakeets and she did NOT eat she ate 3 times a day.She likes mixed foods.Try that.

 

[Sylvester]

It took my friend two years of diligently working with her budgie before he would step up for him. Two months is nothing.

 

[Birddude]

My budgies didn't eat millet for a while, but after a while they would accept it.

 

[mutlus]

it is bit late to tame a budgie after 3 months.they can give you real challenge if you dont know some tricks.i would recommend you to get second budgie,a male 1-2 months old who just left nest.after that get this baby to a room where they cant hear or see each other.start to tame this one(it will be easy if you bought really young one).it will take max 1 month to totally tame it if you did everything right.after that make them meet each other with right way.when he see younger bird is interacting with you he will follow aswell in time.with this way i tamed lots of budgies but you need to be patient.meanwhile you should keep hand taming him in cage.if you need more details you can ask me anything.

second way is mean way so i dont recommend it.you take his bowls when he goes to sleep and feed him from your hand in the morning.you should be careful to not starve him.i dont like to use this way so i always go with longer way.there are some people who put bird in very small cage without anything to perch on and keep chasing bird till he perches on their hand this way but again i dont like this taming style aswell so i never used.

i also like to tame them when they first came in a small room for a while because in big room they can find ways to stay away from you and also they can hit walls bad.in small room you will have more control so he cant escape from you much.he will learn he cant escape and after that he will understand you arent harmful.after this i teach him to stay on ground level or couch level so they wont get used to high spots where i cant reach them when they get used to it you can take them to bigger room.they wont start flying like crazy and hurt themselves or escape high places.budgies are very easy birds for taming but you should get them at early age to create real flock bond with them.

 

[Birddude]

do you use millet when you train you budgies?

 

[Birddude]

Would it be better to get a hatching that is around 2 weeks old.

 

[JLcribber]

Would it be better to get a hatching that is around 2 weeks old.

No. It would be better if you just started earning the trust of the bird you already have. You just want a trained budgie without putting in all the hard work required by you the human. It's not about the bird. It's about you. Any bird can be taught to trust. There is no shortcut.

 

[Marvel_ous]

Well said, John. There is no real shortcut. It took me near a year of working with him, frequently, and putting in a lot of effort before Sky trusted me enough to eat out of my hand (Only if he was hungry), and perch on my arm. (On his own terms) He remained afraid of hands until the day of his heart attack, however. I still loved that little bird despite his faults. A bird doesn't have to be fully "tame" for you to enjoy their company.

 

[mutlus]

Would it be better to get a hatching that is around 2 weeks old.

i dont think they are ready to leave nest when they are that young.i guess they leave their nest when they are 35-40 days old.you should just talk to a breeder and ask for a bird which just left nest.if you buy one when it doesnt know how to eat itself it might cause problems.better let them benefit from parents enough to survive without you hand feeding them.i wouldnt take that risk because i have seen baby birds sold too early and died because they couldnt feed themselves.if you asked me about millet.i just use it to feed them in my hand at first then let them eat as they wish.mostly using toys like bells to train them.

 

[BirdField]

Budgies, just like other parrots, are NOT domesticated. It will take time to gain their trust and young cannot expect to immediately be trusted by them. You shouldn't just get a younger bird and "tame" that one to "show" the other how its done.
You cannot expect a docile/"tame" budgie after doing nothing to let them get used to you. Just because they're smaller than large parrots does not mean they're less difficult to befriend. It just means they can't do as much damage as a huge beak could, unfortunately for them.
They see you as a big predator and if you keep sticking your hand in their cage with little warning, you're just sealing the deal in their mind. Go gradually, sit next to the cage and chatter, the next day maybe sit closer. Eventually after a few days, open the cage but don't put your hand in. Repeat this for a while. Eventually, when they decide, you can begin to hold your hand by the door with food in it and over a time, maybe get them to put a foot on your hand.
Just go at their pace. They are scared of you and if you don't take it slow, they are going to continue to be scared of you.

 

[4mybirds]

I've had my budgies for about a year now, they were rescued from a neglectful situation. I always move slow when I go in their cage to clean and make sure I talk to them all the time. Last night for the first time in a year Jeckle ran over to my hand while I was hanging millet and bit me, I was excited! My husband thought I was crazy, to me it was a step towards him not being as terrified of my hands.

I think with a lot of patience, understanding and love you little guy may surprise you. 2 months is a short period of time for the little guy to trust you.