Another food question

[Marianne Marlow]

Is there a link between a budgie bonding with the owner and access to seeds?

Oct 18, 2023 20:25:57 GMT Azalea said:

Thank you again for the responses. Obviously you all have bonded with your birds, despite letting them have free access to seeds. I guess I shouldn't be so afraid of adding seeds to my birds' pellets!

[Hezz]

Oct 18, 2023 22:37:34 GMT Marianne Marlow said:

Is there a link between a budgie bonding with the owner and access to seeds?

Oct 18, 2023 20:25:57 GMT Azalea said:

Thank you again for the responses. Obviously you all have bonded with your birds, despite letting them have free access to seeds. I guess I shouldn't be so afraid of adding seeds to my birds' pellets!

Not in my opinion. Perhaps this is referring to the use of millet spray as a treat to help with training?

[Azalea]

Marianne and Ira - A few times, I've read/heard that seeds, like millet, should only be used as treats. Keeping the seeds (and millet) away will give the birds a reason to interact with you and form a bond. They learn that they can only get seeds from you.

I saw one post, on another website, from a person who was having trouble bonding with their two Cockatiels. Someone replied and said that part of the problem was the birds' food. They were eating a seed mixture. Because the birds had each other, and they could eat seeds whenever they wanted, they had no reason to be interested in their new owner. So the owner was advised to feed only pellets and vegetables, with seeds as a treat.

(My husband and I actually brought our two Cockatiels home at the same time, but they did slowly bond with us! I wonder if the owner in that situation needed to give it more time.)

[Ira]

The principle isn't wrong, per se. If you want them to interact with you there needs to be a reason for them to be interested in you. If it doesn't benefit them in some way, such as getting a particularly desired treat, playing with a toy they like, etc, then there isn't a reason to interact.

Routines can be good for that because they know when to expect certain things to happen. I remember someone, but it escapes me who, reading to her two budgies every lunchtime. They'd still be in the cage at that point. She'd let them out one day before lunch but went to sit by the cage to read out of habit, and the budgies came over to listen.

One of mine used to come running over whenever I'd walk into the room carrying a tray, because often there was some sort of food for them on it. And another would fly past my face to tell me they were running low on food and wanted more.

[Marianne Marlow]

I see the link between millet and training as yes a lot of people do use it for that.

With my birds, most of them don't come to me. The ones that do are usually those that were already used to a human before they came here.

Dearly departed Hector is the exception to this - he just decided on his own to interact with us one day, for his own reasons. He and I were inseparable to the point of me eating meals with a spoon with him on the other hand!

[Azalea]

Hector sounds adorable!

[tweetiepiesmom]

Buddy comes and sits on me because he wants to, Tweetie Pie will land on my head and fly off to tell me he wants seeds. He'll land on anyone holding seeds.

[Marianne Marlow]

He was

Oct 19, 2023 13:44:09 GMT Azalea said:

Hector sounds adorable!

[Loz]

What a strikingly handsome budgie, Marianne.

[Marianne Marlow]

Thanks loz

Here is one of Hector with a few mates from 2015. Miss them all.


Blue=Hector
Grey=Roswell
Green/yellow=Custard2
Hiding in the Dill=George (Still with us age 11)

[Azalea]

Such beautiful birds!