Is my budgie ready to be let out - update

[diane143]

Hi
I've had my budgie for a little over a week. He is in my home office (ex small bedroom). This is where I spend most of my day. There are no danger spots where he could get trapped.

Progress so far:
Will stay on perch and eat millet from hand.
Will step onto hand from perch and eat millet
Removed a perch for space placed hand inside. Flies to hand to eat.
Put hand in with no food, flew to hand, stayed while I put a bit on for reward.
Will step up to pencil from perch.
While he is very sleepy before being left for night, able to stroke chest (not yet while alert).

On his second day, he did escape his cage while I had my hand in. He flew around for a while and once settled, stepped onto pencil and easily went back into cage.

When I stop paying attention to him, he is constantly chewing either the underside of his (rope) perch, or the bottom bar of the door.

Has he made enough progress to safely be let out and still be able to tame him further?

Thanks in advance for any help

[ffiscool]

hi and welcome

what is your budgie's name and any photos?

I think he sounds like he is doing really well. If you have no danger areas - then I would let him out and see what happens. Make sure that if you do not have blinds or nets at the window, to put some tape on it, so that he knows he cannot go through, and it is a barrier.

same with any mirrors on the wall etc

[Shirls]

Sounds good to me too diane143. The only thing I would say is that when I 'trained' my Pickle she was really good but then when I put her with the others all training went out the window. If your bud is a solitary bird you may have a better reaction. You've both done so well in such a short time.

[diane143]

Hi both and thanks for your replies.

His name is Barney and I've added a pic as my avatar.

He seems to be somewhat of a contortionist. He likes to sit, one foot on perch, one on door, duck his head down between his feet, turn it upside down and chew on the underside of his perch. Quite why, in that spot, I have no idea.



There is just one small window, and as I didn't have any tape handy, I pulled down the roller blind which did the trick.

Well, he came out. I put my hand in as usual with a piece of millet and let him sit and eat for a while, then slowly pulled my hand out the cage. Took him a few seconds to realise there was freedom! He had a good flap around for a bit, trying to find somewhere to land and settled on top of the door frame by the door-light. I went to him slowly with millet again but he wasn't having any of that and took another tour around the room. As I said, it is only small, being the "box" bedroom so he wasn't going far away. He decided to land on my computer screen, which is going to have to be big no no, so I approached him again and he flew over to the top of his cage.

I let him settle for a while, talking quietly to him and giving him praise, and eventually put my hand flat on the cage with food, slowly, gradually getting closer. After watching it for a while, he decided he couldn't resist and hopped on. Left my hand still for a while so he could have a feed, then slowly raised it up towards my shoulder. He stayed put, munching all the time. When I finally moved my hand again, he flew back into his cage. I offered him his millet once more once he was back in his "safe place", again talking and giving him plenty of praise. Then left him his millet to finish while I got back on with my work.

I think for a first tour that was quite a success.

I've just been out and bought him a second rope perch. The one in his cage seems to be his favourite. I am going to screw that in a nice arc on top of his cage to give him a comfy, familiar landing spot and am also going to order a table top perch.

[ffiscool]

Sounds really good. He will gave favourite places to land. Also, you need now a bed routine, or you could have many a fun time, trying to get him in

I used to say the same things over and over and do the same things. It helps.

[Shirls]

He seems to be somewhat of a contortionist. He likes to sit, one foot on perch, one on door, duck his head down between his feet, turn it upside down and chew on the underside of his perch. Quite why, in that spot, I have no idea.


By HIS actions, sounds to me like Barney is a hen!!!!

[diane143]

Apr 4, 2016 20:37:30 GMT ffiscool said:

Sounds really good. He will gave favourite places to land. Also, you need now a bed routine, or you could have many a fun time, trying to get him in

I used to say the same things over and over and do the same things. It helps.

I've got into that habit straight away. Well, almost, we bought him on Good Friday, so he spent the day times over easter downstairs with people about.

But we have a routine now during the week. I start work at 8.30, take a two hour break at 1.00 and then work til about 6.30/7.00ish.

If I leave the room for short times, to fetch drinks, get post etc, I say "back in a minute Barney". When I leave at lunch time, it's "time for a nap Barney, see you later". Then when I leave for the night (he's already fluffed up and ready for sleep), I say "night night" a couple of times and shut the door. I don't hear a peep from him til 7.10 in the morning.

Posted by Shirls

By HIS actions, sounds to me like Barney is a hen!!!!

Really? What do those actions mean then? My daughters "cock" parrotlet does the same thing, has more or less destroyed his perch.

How can I call him Barney if he's a she? It took us long enough to choose a name! Aaand he's almost got "good boy" going. When he's chattering, it's not very clear, but I'm convinced he's trying and is close.

A few years back when my daughter was still at home, she had a male violet, lace wing budgie, blue cere, (Teddy) and she had him almost trained, but then spent less time in her room where he was kept so bought him a friend (Snowy), who at the time had a blue cere. That changed every few months, but Teddy remained constant with a blue cere.  When Snowy died suddenly over night, we kept Teddy for a little longer, but you could tell he was lonely, so we took him to a lady who had an aviary and he settled in quite nicely. She would send us pictures to see how he was getting along. Then we got a letter saying that our little boy was laying eggs!

I did a little in cage training with Barney during the morning, then in my lunch break, I set up a desk perch for him, shut the blind and went to him with a treat. When he'd eaten a little, I just sat back this time and left the door open. It took him quite a while to come out. He had a couple of laps around the room trying to find a landing spot and perched on the door frame again. I coaxed him down on to his perch, which had a piece of millet fixed to it. He soon got the lay of the land and I was happy enough with him to keep him out for the afternoon. He soon grew confident enough to fly around and return to his perch, then to jump down to the desk and crawl all over my keyboard while I was typing. He wasn't bothered at all when I had to nudge his belly to get to the keys he was sitting on! Fortunately, unlike the screens, the keyboard belongs to me. He's also started pecking at the keys, so I need to find him something else he can play with. About 5.30 he flew back into his cage. He has a "vision" cage where the doors can open in or out. The one by his perch was opened inwards and was resting on the perch. He started trying to lift that from the top rather than biting at the bottom as if trying to shut himself in! So his routine now will be let out when I start work, shut back in for nap time when i'm not in the room, out for the afternoon, and back in for bed time.

All in all, I'm very happy with this massive move forwards over two days. Sorry I've chattered on so much, but well chuffed with him, but will settle down a bit now.

[Hezz]

Get some good quality photos of Barney's head with the cere in focus, and post them up in the Gender section. I am sure we can have a crack at determining Barney's gender.

[milliej]

Hi and welcome, you seem to be progressing really well with Barney as for the name, we have a few gender confused humans who have named their budgies too young it seems, don't suppose the budgies mind! So I wouldn't worry too much.

[ffiscool]

Great progress!!

He is becoming very trusting - if he is a he... Lol

[diane143]

Apr 5, 2016 21:26:52 GMT Hezz said:

Get some good quality photos of Barney's head with the cere in focus, and post them up in the Gender section. I am sure we can have a crack at determining Barney's gender.

Hi Hezz

Thanks. I've done that. If clearer pictures are required i'll get some more tomorrow.

[Shirls]

Because your Barney looks so much like my Pickle diane143, the actions you describe about legs apart, upside down, head through between feet - that is exactly what Pickle used to do and she is a real acrobat, that's why I thought Barney may be a hen. It is difficult sometimes to tell what gender a white bird is. Looking forward to seeing close up pictures. Love the rope perches and how they are being used already. Barney is obviously a quick learner!

[diane143]

Apr 6, 2016 6:58:52 GMT Shirls said:

Because your Barney looks so much like my Pickle diane143 , the actions you describe about legs apart, upside down, head through between feet - that is exactly what Pickle used to do and she is a real acrobat, that's why I thought Barney may be a hen. It is difficult sometimes to tell what gender a white bird is. Looking forward to seeing close up pictures. Love the rope perches and how they are being used already. Barney is obviously a quick learner!

Ah right. Well, I've been doing my best to say good girl today instead of good boy. Confusing the heck out of poor bud as "it" almost has good boy out. I've been kind to it with a name though, by using Bonnie.

I bought the second rope perch intending to bolt it to the top of the cage, but I wanted a desk perch so it could sit by me and we could chatter to each other. I've seen the slate and wood perches but they are too long for the spare area on the corner of the desk. I found that little box and the rope fit perfectly and the box perfectly on the corner of the desk (added a rubber mat underneath, kept nearly sliding off the desk when she/he landed on it).

Cheeky little thing, having finished the portion of millet I put out for it this morning decided the edge my bowl of cereal was a good spot, then tried to get a nibble, kept waggling finger at him/her, but when I lifted my spoon he/she decided to jump both feet into my breakfast!

Are rice krispies and cornflakes birdie safe?

Just about to post a better picture in the bird sexing thread to see if we can finally decide.

[ffiscool]

Cheeky girl lol.

Years back when I had a budgie, one night I had something and custard, can't remember what. Dusty flew over, as normal, but he always just sat on my plate or bowl edge. This time, he lost his balance and went face first into the custard. Luckily it wasn't hot.

Still makes me chuckle, was like a cartoon story

[diane143]

Aww poor Dusty! Did you have to sponge him down?