Having issues with 9 month old budgie

[kelly91]

I got charlie, my 9 month old budgie, just over two weeks ago

I got him due to previous owner no longer being able to keep him as she got a puppy which kept grabbing charlies tail

I took him to vet and apart from needing a manicure is perfectly healthy

He will eat millet out of my hand but most of the time when i put my hand in the cage he will lunge for it. The only time he will willingly go onto my hand is when he is desperate to get out the cage but getting him back in is a mission as he wont go onto my hand so usually ends up in him having to be picked up

When he is out the cage he doesnt fly about he always goes onto the mantlepiece and spends the whole time biting the photoframes etc

Whenever i try to touch or stroke charlie he just bites me

Help please

[OP]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Are you sure Charlie is a he? From my time on this forum the behaviour sounds like he could be a she.

[ffiscool]

hello, and welcome

I would add that Charlie is also very new to you, and two weeks is not that long. I think he is probably just nervous still and I would just sit near the cage and keep talking to him, rather than try to do more with your hands etc. You need to build up his trust, which will come. Also blink slowly when looking at him, so that will tell him you are not a predator.

Some don't even come out when new, so that is great that he does anyway. Is he eating ordinary food ok etc and drinking?

[Hezz]

Firstly, most budgies do not like being touched, except perhaps on the beak, if they trust you enough.

Secondly, your hand is invading his cage, so he is trying to protect it. Again this can really only be remedied with trust. Once he knows that your hand is not there to grab him or hurt him, he will be happy enough for your hand to enter the cage.

Thirdly, when he is out of his cage he is probably sitting because he is still uncertain, of you, of his surroundings, and of where is safe to perch.

You need to stick and finger train him to step up. A stick is usually the easiest way to get recalcitrant budgies back into their cage when you need them there.

At nine months of age it may take a little longer to get him to trust you, depending on how much interaction he had previously, but to me his attitude is perfectly normal for a budgie moved from a home it knew to a home that is foreign, and I don't think any of his behaviour is more indicative of male or female.

Keep trying him with millet, so he has to step onto your finger to get the treat, making sure you offer a small amount only. Do this as many times a day as you can, and eventually he will realise that your hand comes bearing gifts and is not out to have him for dinner. That is the first thing you need to work on, and there is no point moving onto anything else until you have him willingly stepping onto your finger regardless of the presence or absence of millet.

[kelly91]

I have had him at the vet and he is defo a he

Thanks for the advice, im hust not sure if i can have him out the cage at the moment and i feel guilty because he is always at the door dancing and chirping to get out

The reason is, i had him out today and i could not get him back in when i had to leave for work, i tried my hand and a stick and he kept biting me and the stick and running awat so eventually i had no choice but to physically pick him up ( which i know is not good but i had been trying for 20mins to get him back into cage)

So now he probably hates me even more

[OP]

I shouldn't think he will hate you. It may work for the better, showing him whose boss is not a bad thing.

[Hezz]

Oct 16, 2014 15:44:44 GMT kelly91 said:

Thanks for the advice, im just not sure if i can have him out the cage at the moment and i feel guilty because he is always at the door dancing and chirping to get out

The reason is, i had him out today and i could not get him back in when i had to leave for work, i tried my hand and a stick and he kept biting me and the stick and running awat so eventually i had no choice but to physically pick him up ( which i know is not good but i had been trying for 20mins to get him back into cage)
So now he probably hates me even more

Kelly, one of the first things I usually emphasise to new budgie owners is to only let them out when you know you have heaps of time to get them home again. I also recommend using a small room first up, so you are not chasing them all over the place and spending most of your time walking from side to side, while they fly there in a second or two ........... so ... sorry for leaving those crucial elements out of my previous post.

But mostly, don't feel too bad for keeping him in the cage for the time being. As long as you are spending loads of time with him (if he is on his own while you are at work, leave a radio on for him - they like to have noise around them) then when you can give him time out in an ensuite/bathroom or something similar, as long as it is safe. BUT, you may have a little trust to build up again after this, so expect that he may be stand-offish, not that he isn't already. Take it easy; it is so easy to try to push things with budgies as you want so badly to get to a good point with these little guys, but budgies are not like cats or dogs; they are not domesticated; they don't immediately associate being fed with being safe. Take it slowly, slowly; patience and persistence are the key, but please, if you have questions, continue to ask.