Ive been given a budgie and i know nothing

[jemmas]

Hi everyone, 

My grandmother has owned birds all her life however i dont believe she keeps them well enough.

She owns a budgie whos mate died about 4 weeks ago and has the bird has just stayed in the same place for 3 weeks where the other budgie died . My grandmother isnt looking after this bird well enough and is mixing the grieving budgie with canaries... she has asked me to take it since im studying animal management in college, but ive never owned a budgie...

I accepted to take the bird in and see what i can do, im going to pick the budgie up tuesday.

Her budgies are not tame as she has never handled them. What i plan to do it get the bird a larger cage and begin to tame it or perhaps rescue a new mate for the bird.

Whats the best way about handling a bird who hasn't been handled before (shes owned this bird for 5 months and its mate was an older bird). I really want to improve the birds living conditions and try and provide a better life for it.

Can anyone please give me some tips on making the transition of moving less stressful and easy for the bird and also taming tips. I usually do alot of research before buying a new animal but this is very sudden and i really want to help this poor budgie. I know close to nothing about birds so any help is much appreciated, i really want to give this bird the best chance at life. I feel bad for knowing so little but this was not expected at all, its been thrown on me so im hoping the budgie community can help me with this situation.


Thank you

[Ichigotchi]

Hi Jemma
I'm not an expert, but my tips would be:

Before the budgie moves in find a good place to keep the cage and don't move it from there

Don't force it. Hand taming has to be done gently and with patience

Keep your face to the side at first so the bird isn't overwhelmed by predator eyes

Keep your distance at first and talk to the bird in soft soothing voice. If it starts blinking and looking like it's chewing, then it's relaxed and you can approach a bit closer.

Find out if it has any favourite foods. Millet normally does the trick but some birds love certain fruits, veg or herbs. Grass seeds from untreated non pullouted lawns are also liked

Background noise helps. You can get white noise videos on YouTube. There are also loads of videos of budgies chatting which helped my new bird perk up

Some people hate mirrors for birds but I think they have their place when birds are really lonely.

A second bird would really help, but it can depend. I had a budgie who became depressed when her mate died and the new budgie was way too young and, well, fecund for her. She never came out of her depression and even in her dying moments the new bird was trying to mate with her  don't forget you'd need a second cage (and another room!) for quarantining the new bird.

Make sure the bird is getting adequate nutrition. Provide a mineral block, fresh fruit, veg and herbs and clean water alongside the seeds. Don't use sand covers for perches!

There's a really good book by George radtke called a step by step book about budgerigars. It's out of print but you can find it used on Amazon etc.

Also remember don't use aerosols or perfumes around your bird. Candles too. Teflon is fatal to birds if it overheats. So avoid non stick coatings.

Also the bird's lethargy could be a sign of illness.

[Learner]

Hi jemmas .

Don't panic - budgies are hardy things if you don't rush them and simply give them the basics to begin with:

• peace & quiet & time to settle in to a new home
• a good quality budgie seed and clean water
• cuttlefish, grit and mineral/iodine block
• a draught-free environment - a little sunshine but not full baking sun - they need shade too
• patience...it takes a long time to develop trust... leave it safely in its cage

Once the bird has become used to the new cage and setting you can gradually try adding to its diet - loads of advice on here about that. A little and often - a slice of cucumber or apple (without pips!), baby leaf spinach.. Whether or not the budgie will try it depends very much on its previous experiences but don't give up. Millet spray is fattening but usually a welcome treat - you will find, I expect, that the budgie will eventually learn to trust you enough to nibble millet while you hold it but... don't rush it.

Do not expect the budgie to become instantly relaxed with you around... approach quietly, move gently and stick to the same routine as they soon become used to what to expect from you. A radio left on low will help it be less nervous as it is a background "chatter" and seems reassuring.

Most of all I would go to the local library and look under the "Pets" section for a beginners book about pet budgies. May sound daft but the children's section often has the best pet guide books. It'll give you the very basics.

Ask specific questions on here and people will do their best to share their knowledge and experience.

PS - Keep your grandma informed about how her budgie is doing - I'm sure she would have done her best for it and, although she asked you to care for it, I expect it is because she hopes you will make sure it is well cared for and safe.

Good luck - enjoy your budgie - they can make great pets once they get you trained
 

[Hezz]

Hi jemmas, some good advice already given, and so as to not repeat what is already out there .... read through the stickies in the relevant sections. There is some pretty good advice in these, particularly for those just starting out. Here are some ...
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/13493/essential-budgie
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/13365/budgie-safe-toys-equipment
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/2561/budgie-household-dangers
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/509/fresh-foods-offer-budgie

[Ichigotchi]

Hi Jemma! Has the bird moved in with you yet? How's it doing?