Please Help!! Guidance needed

[lmhernandez0711]

Hello, everyone! I am reaching out for help here...my husband gifted me with 2 budgies for Christmas after seeing my interest in them at the pet store. I adore them!! But, I’m wayyyyyy out of my element here.

I have the cage, a couple of toys, cuttlebone, snack sticks, millet, a bridge, mineral block...but, they don’t seem to want to engage. I attempt to engage with them daily. But, I never see them at the seed dish or the water dish. They aren’t interested in using their birdbath. I only ever see them on the same perch they have been on since day one. I only ever see them eat millet.

I have 2 dogs and take my pet responsibility seriously. But, I’m afraid I’m failing at the bird owner bit!! Any VALID advice appreciated. If you just want to respond to belittle my lack of knowledge, please refrain.

Thank you in advance!!!

[Marianne Marlow]

I can assure you that people here will not belittle you about your lack of knowledge!

Can you post some photos of them and their cage set up, this will help us to help you

[tweetiepiesmom]

I can identify with what you are going through. I got a budgie at the end of Sept and have received wonderful advice here. The most important thing to remember with budgies is patience - slow and careful movements. With that, I'll let the experts help. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your budgies as they become your feathered friends.

[lmhernandez0711]

[Hezz]

Immediate thoughts: get more toys, take out the snack sticks and millet. Budgies will eat millet before almost anything else which is, obviously, not a healthy diet for anyone. The snack sticks are basically sugar (honey) or glue holding together a clump of seed. The extra sugar should be avoided, the snack sticks used only as an occasional treat.

You need plenty of toys - enough to keep two budgies entertained on a regular basis and enough to swap them around each week so that they aren't looking at and playing with the same things all day long.

If you take out the millet and sticks, the birds will start to eat their regular seed. Initially you will not see them drinking - they are in a vulnerable position when having a drink so will do so when you are not around.

Get them some natural branches for perches; those plastic perches that come with cages are very bad for birds' feet and can cause them to get sores on the bottom of their feet. Natural perches from budgie-safe trees (plenty of info on-line) make sure to cross reference a couple of different sites as they don't all agree. That way you can get perches from trees native to your area.

I would look to getting them a larger cage in the future, unless they are going to have lots of out-of-cage time. That one is too small for two budgies to live all the time. Get them toys to shred, toys with bells, swings, shiny and noisy things.

With two birds together, they are not going to be so concerned with interacting with you; they have each other, after all. Also you are a predator and they are a prey animal, so don't stand in front of the cage and stare at them with your two front-facing beady eyes. Instead, close one eye, wink, blink, turn your head sideways, anything so that you are not giving them that double-eyed stare that to them indicates they are being sized up for dinner.

[lmhernandez0711]

You have no idea how helpful that is!! Thank you sooooooo much. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong. My husband said woman at the pet store advised him to keep millet in there at all times to make sure the birds eat. He also said since she picked only 2 toys out of their vast selection that they offered that he assumed they didn’t need more. She was also pushing him to purchase a parrotlet because parakeets are “unsociable, can’t be taught to talk, and difficult to care for”. But, as I had been looking at the parakeets he stuck to that. Everything I have read so far indicates that budgies are very sociable. That’s what made me think I was doing something wrong when they wouldn’t engage. I truly appreciate the feedback and will make the changes ASAP!!

[tweetiepiesmom]

Awwww, they are so cute and lucky birds to be at home with you. Sounds like they are going to be so spoiled!

[tweetiepiesmom]

Oh, one more quick suggestion. I bought natural perches that are tree branches from Amazon. Be sure to read the reviews. In a couple of cases the reviews said the perches they received had mold on them so I didn't buy them. You can google "trees safe for budgies" and you can get a list of what to look for.

[Marianne Marlow]

You have been given great advice. Can I ask what the hexagonal thing on the floor is?

I can't work it out.

[Hezz]

Another tip ... put the newspaper down on top of the floor grate, rather than under it. Makes cleaning time a breeze. You can lift off the dirty paper each day and put clean down, or batter still put a week's worth down and take the dirty sheep off the top each day and you have an immediate clean cage.

[helenmat]

Hello and welcome to you and your new feathered friends. What are their names? I agree that the cage is a bit small but ok for now if they are going to be out of the cage and you intend to replace it. As for the millet, you have the perfect treat to help you interact with them. If they love it so much, take it out of the cage and start holding a piece for them every so often inside the cage, keep your hand still and they may just be too tempted by it not to eat from you. As Hezz says I would take all food treats out and just leave in seed, veg and water. Save treats for your interacting time. Its also not been very long since you got them so they will be still coming round to you. Just take your time and be patient. Make sure you keep the dogs well out of their vision or they could scare them too. Keep us posted.