Tips on hand taming with seed

[mylittleangel]

Okay so I am taming my budgie with seed , I tried millet spray and he was afraid of it or ignored and picked it out when in chunks.
He won't try anything new so I will keep trying but hopefully when he is tame it will be easier...
Does anyone have any tips about getting a budgie to eat seed out of your hand?

Without swapping the food or holding up bowls to them(not work actually put me back) 

[OP]

Oct 9, 2016 14:21:45 GMT mylittleangel said:

 I tried millet spray and he was afraid of it or ignored and picked it out when in chunks.

Usually it is best if you can offer it in small pieces of millet rather than a big spray. As you have found out a spray can scare the living daylights out of him. Seed is not a very good training tool, he eats seed as his main food, so unless he is hungry he won't want to eat seed. Millet is better in that mostly they find it irresistible.

[mylittleangel]

I am not allowed to use millet spray as it is messy so I will not be allowed to pull it into chunks, his seed has millet in it any way

[mylittleangel]

Is there any other tasy offers that aren't extremely messy, people have trained them with seed before

[OP]

If you can find out which fruit or veg he is very fond of you could use that. Some are partial to basil and some other herbs. Try to think of it as you receiving roast beef and potatoes as a desert or beans on toast when you are not particularly hungry. In all honesty you don't need anything in your hand at all. You just need your little budgie to trust you, to bond with you. Is he afraid of you putting your hand in the cage?

[mylittleangel]

Not at all but I wouldn't go as far as step up yet.

[OP]

Getting him to step up is what you want now. The sooner the better. So if he is not afraid put your index finger in between his tummy and just above his feet. Say the command up up, or something of your choice. If he doesn't step on your finger gently push your finger against him. He will have the choice of either step on your finger, jump to another perch or fall off I dount it will be the latter. Just keep trying with your command.

[mylittleangel]

Are you saying he doesn't need to eat from my hand and will be alright with step up.

I thought that would scare him and ruin my progress?

[OP]

It shouldn't ruin your progress. There will always be times when training takes a step backwards. If he is used to your hand and doesn't try to get away when you put your finger in front of him then you don't really need anything to coax him. Treats are used in the beginning to get the budgie to come to your hand and recognise your hand as a good thing. You need to get him to step up by command so that he knows what you want. That's why I say a gentle push. If he does step up then give him lots of praise and maybe a treat so that he knows he has done what you want. Soon you won't need to say anything as he will just step up anyway.

[weelouie]

When I was taming my parrotlet Gadget, I went on YouTube and found lots of good videos on hand taming. Whether you use a treat like millet or not, you will be spending long periods of time with your hand in the cage talking to them before they start approaching your hand out of curiosity. I found millet to be very helpful, and first I'd remove the food dish from the cage for a couple of hours so he'd be more eager to take the millet. During training, the only time he got millet was when I was offering it to him. I'd lay my hand flat on his favourite perch with a small spray of millet between my fingers. Offering a flat hand is less intimidating to them than holding a bunched hand with a finger out. It also allows you to offer something like a grape or a peanut. At first they will eat and then back away from your hand, that's ok because you want them to be used to your hand in their cage. The only thing that sets back the training is if you try to move your hand towards them or if you yank it back if they nibble you. You have to let them approach you. It will take several sessions with them seemingly ignoring you, so you have to be patient and able to spend the time to wait. It took weeks before Gadget would reliably sit on my hand. Even then, sometimes they're in the mood to interact, other days they aren't. Often with Gadget I have to use a wooden spoon perch to pick him up, because parrotlets can be bratty and stubborn when they want to be!

[Hezz]

Millet is not a possibility, so there is no point in going there. I'm sure I gave you tips before on getting your bird to step up, without the need for him to eat seed out of your hand.

[mylittleangel]

I think you did as i was worried how he would react, I am not using seed anymore and waiting for him to aproach me,yesterday he leaned forward to try it even though there wasn't any seed (which is why i finalised my discision)and today he was on the cage and decided to sit on the perch directly above my hand comfortably, he had all that room on both perches but sat above my hand, it is not his favourite position either it was very close to the bars.

[mylittleangel]

Id like to thank everyone for there advice but I don't think he will be eating from my hand yet as he will probably do that once he is tame but all the previous taming was not for nothing as he is comfortable and choosing to be near me and even deciding whether or not to check it out. Even getting excited for me to do it.

[OP]

Oct 12, 2016 14:17:49 GMT mylittleangel said:

Id like to thank everyone for there advice but I don't think he will be eating from my hand yet as he will probably do that once he is tame but all the previous taming was not for nothing as he is comfortable and choosing to be near me and even deciding whether or not to check it out. Even getting excited for me to do it.

I would call that pretty tame myself. The next steps are training which you can't really do until he is tame.
Well done and good luck with your progress. Let us know how you go on.

[mylittleangel]

I tried step up today, today because previously he flapped for a while which he hadn't before.
Anyway he didn't hate it as he was acting fine and only flapped when I bent my finger into my hand.....
He did nothing when I did it.... He didn't even get on it . I thought it was a reflex. Was I doing it wrong😕