Billy's progress

[beth]

Well we have had billy for 3 months. Progress has been slow, especially since he seems to be an older budgie when we got him. He happiest when hes in is cage, not a fan of playing out. He turned out to be a budgie that likes to sit and watch the 'world' go by or listen to you talking to him. He's not a fan of being in the room by himself especially if he seen you. Thinks you have left him.

In terms of training:

He feels comfortable to let me put my hand in his cage and give him a tickle and is making 'baby steps' to getting on my hand. Very very occasionally he will allow me to get hold of him to get him out of the cage to have a 'walk' around the room.

Billy is vocal, he like to 'shout' to get your attention sometimes that carries on a little too much, so mum ends up shouting back at him. Poor thing no wonder hes not taking to mum much. He has learn't how to blow kisses, whistle and do a 'chuachuachu' sound. He is trying to learn words, we almost had mummy this afternoon other words hes trying is billy, baby, oi, daddy, where's gone. Still very much prelingual/words.

Billy's not done too bad to say that he could have been in the cage with other budgies for around 4-5 months. Maybe he needs another budgie for company but that would require a bigger cage, that both can fly round. Oh yeah he has learnt to fly around the cage, clever boy.

[Hezz]

Yelling at Billy is really not the way to go, Beth. If you can get your mum to stop that, he will not as much either. Most budgies will try to "out-noise" any other noise around them - they will try to be louder than whatever is making a racket and that goes for people yelling too. So her yelling at him is only making him worse.

Teach him to sit on your shoulder while you walk around and do things, that way you don't have to put him in his cage and leave him. It sounds though as if Billy has bonded with you, if he is trying to talk. He is mimicing the sounds that you repeat to him, and that's why he isn't happy to be left - he wants to be with you.

Does he have a place in the room that is his? Like a play-gym, tree, or perching area? If he has a place to perch that he is comfortable with and knows is safe, he may be more willing to come out and fly about knowing there is somewhere he can safely land.

[MattJ]

My first budgie was old when we got him - if I left the door open he would not come out, however if I lifted his cage off the base he would fly out the bottom straight away, maybe worth a try? But like Hezz said having their own areas is a big thing for them - maybe a perch setup outside with a toy on it from his cage so it seems familiar to start with?

[beth]

Well the little monkey (having a cage reset up) decided to escape and flew through the kitchen door from the lounge then to the other kitchen door and half way up the stairs. got him eventually who decided to give me a right good bite for it.

[Marianne Marlow]

Well of course he bit you, he was having fun!

[Thomas (Banned)]

Remember if you get another budgie you will struggle to tame it. It will be more interested in its new friend than you.

As for your mum shouting at him, big NO NO.

[Marianne Marlow]

Feb 4, 2012 10:28:41 GMT Thomas (Banned) said:

Remember if you get another budgie you will struggle to tame it. It will be more interested in its new friend than you.

It might be slightly harder but it's still possible. I have nine and I can get 8 of them to step up onto my finger in the mornings.

At least 5 of them will perch on my arm and 3 of them randomly land on me.

[Thomas (Banned)]

Feb 4, 2012 10:34:46 GMT Marianne Marlow said:

Feb 4, 2012 10:28:41 GMT Thomas (Banned) said:

Remember if you get another budgie you will struggle to tame it. It will be more interested in its new friend than you.

It might be slightly harder but it's still possible. I have nine and I can get 8 of them to step up onto my finger in the mornings.

At least 5 of them will perch on my arm and 3 of them randomly land on me.

I'm not disagreeing.

[beth]

I am starting to think billy is a hen, I got a new cotton rope perch, which billy is never off but likes to pick at one end. The cere is also turning whiter, my camera is broken too. billy is sat on it watching the telly and mum.

We went away for a couple of nights, cleaned the cage the little monkey decided to escape and fly into the front room. Then loved the fact that dad and I was chasing around the room to get billy back in. Cheeky devil, not been out since going to try one of the 'seed doors' to see if Billy will play out that way. The main door is huge compared to the little one. We also came home to a billy trying to say words like no, mummy, oi, hello.

Best of all we have bonded nicely, he/she will allow me to stroke/tickle when in a good mood (no now because muggings wants more millet which I wont allow), plus on occasions will allow me to gently get hold in my hand and have a walk round the room in said hand. But then will run back into the cage if put on the huge door that opens up.

Billy looks forward to the cleaning out of the cage follows the brush around the bottom of the cage when I am trying to clean it out. We have a pull out draw type one which is good but it the mess around the top of the plastic part that gets mucky. One day I will get a new one but not for now, since I don't like any of the ones available at the moment.

[Hezz]

Good work, Beth. If you wish to try getting him to step up, have a read through moogie's thread in this section, "Elfie's progress". We have gone through things with the pair of them step by step and while Elfie is a young bird, you can see the progression that they are making. It may help you, if you wish to follow the same steps.