New budgie owner - advice please :)

[lauraandcecil]

Hi, 

I've had my lovely budgie Cecil for just over two weeks now, and I love him to bits but I tend to be a bit of a worrier and I just want to check I'm doing everything right to make him happy and progress toward taming him.

I got him, aged 5 months from a pet shop and then travelled with him to my uni house. Overall he wasn't too nervous when i first brought him home and ate well, but I haven't seen him drink water ever, although there has been some evidence that maybe twice he's drunk something.

I've put toys in his cage, as well as millet and egg and grass seed treat and a cuttlefish bone at different times. He's touched his rope toy maybe once, barely, loved the millet but the rest he's never touched. 
He has four perches but he doesn't move around a huge amount - other than between his food and what we call his 'safety perch' when he gets a little 'spooked' by us moving near him. 

For the first week or so, I just read to him and spoke to him a little, which often would make him fall asleep. Occasionally he chirps and I respond and then he responds back, but not too much and it varies from day to day. Sometimes it seems as if he is mimicking me opening my mouth/making eating noises. 

I live with my boyfriend who is reasonably taller and bigger than me and he seems to find him generally terrifying and massively prefers me and a couple of times (he's not as sensitive and careful as me) he's accidentally really frightened him - so I don't know if I should maybe stop him being around him as much as possible?

After the first week i began resting my hand on different points of his cage whilst reading to him - his reaction to this varies widely from jumping around, to not really minding.

I had planned to start putting my hand in the cage this week to get him used to it as I have seen this is sort of the next part of the taming process, but he flaps around uncontrollably even when i just start to put my fingers in, and I hate to see him so distressed so I stop - does anyone have any recommendations? Does he not trust me yet? Shall i continue putting my hand on the outside of the cage first? Or shall i keep doing it?

I have done a lot of research about owning budgies but it would be great to have some tailored advice, as I really want to do the best for my little Cecil and I get so worried I'm not doing things right, but I also don't want to miss the chance and not be able to tame him (I know it's a long process, and I'm fine with that, I just need some advice as to how to tell when to progress to the next stage and what is/is not okay) 

Thank you so much to anyone who can help

Laura and Cecil

[Shirls]

Hello lauraandcecil and welcome to the forum. I will only give you a few tips here as there are loads of 'sticky's on the beginning of each subject here which will cover any problems you have in far greater detail. There are 'Budgie Feeding', Budgie Taming, and just about 'Budgie' everything, if you look at the lists with aa red pin on.

But as far as taming your budgie you have the right idea already, calmly talking to him (like when you read to him), blinking at him helps when you talk up close - you may find he will blink back and go all sleepy looking.

He will be drinking, but will do it in 'private'. When birds/animals eat or drink that is when they are most vulnerable so he will only do this when he is comfortable with you.
Hold your hand in his cage without doing anything, as many times in a day as you can, just for a few minutes. He will then get to know your hand won't harm him.

In his budgie brain everything you put near him that is new, as far as he is concerned is going to 'kill him'. So gently, gently one toy at a time til he gets used to it. He may even never play with it so be prepared for that too.

Leave a radio/t.v. on if you go out and leave him on his own.

Take out anything that will harm him: sand sheets, rough perches, tassles on toys. They are all no no's.

I will leave you there, you have enough to think about already. Don't hesitate to ask us anything, even if you think it's a dumb question, we have all been there, some of us oldies still ask questions.

Good luck and keep us posted as to how you get on.

[Hezz]

Something to try to start the bonding process is to offer him millet through the bars of the cage. Once he is comfortable eating it with you holding the millet, do the same but with your hand in the cage, and work up from there.

Never stare at him! Look at him sideways, wink and blink heaps to break up your focus, close one eye etc, takes that predator look away from you, with your two eyes at the front of your face. Your boyfriend is going to have to do the same, regardless of how stupid he might think it is. Don't keep putting in and taking out things from his cage at this stage. Later on, that is good, but now he needs things to become familiar as he has already had some huge changes to his little life.