trouble bonding with my birds

[deanoips]

hello,



i hoping you can help, i am having dreadful problems getting my two budgies to bond with me, and it seems we are going backwards, i have had them for 5months and they were 10weeks when i got them



1 is an exhibition bird and another is not, i had them in the same cage but now have them in separate cages next to each other



i put them in separate cages so i could move one out of the room whilst working with the other



they will take millet from me as long as my hand is not to close however if i slowly move it so they need to step on hand to reach it they prefer to stop eating and move away



i am in the same room with them most of the day due to lock down and spend at least 2 x 30minutes each day just with my hand resting in the cage



am i just inpatient or is it that some birds just wont bond



10yrs ago i had 1 hen and within 1 day she was on my finger and within the week she would not stay off me once i opened the cage door



i'm trying not to compare each bird but this time i'm really struggling to get anywhere



any tips or advice you can give would me much appreciated



kind regards Dean

[elysianblight]

How long have they been in the separate cages? 

[luvmybirds]

I don't think you should worry too much, as my hen has very scared of my hand and I've had her for more than a year now. She will not get on my hand even if there is millet and that's fine with me, it's just her personality.

I have, however succeeded in getting her to mount a container that I am holding. I have these jar lids and I put food in them, stick them in the cage, and she will get on. Maybe if you held the lid in such a way that they could get on without getting on your hand, it would get them used to you. That's how I got my male budgie to step up, by using the lid until he was comfetable eating from it and then slowly transition to my hand.

Another thing you can try is having a single seed of millet in between your fingers and putting it close to your budgies beak. My hen will eat, that's how I got her to accept me petting her beak.

Those are just some ideas, I'm not an expert, maybe some of the staff can help you.

Good luck!

[deanoips]

hi, seperate cages now for about a month, i really wasnt sure if this was the right thing to do, the cages are right next to each other 

[deanoips]

thanks for the tips, i'll give them a try, they are aware there food is in a tuppleware container so they hopefully they will not be to scared of the lid

[deanoips]

Jul 19, 2020 18:14:41 GMT elysianblight said:

How long have they been in the separate cages? 

hi, separate cages now for about a month, i really wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, the cages are right next to each other

[elysianblight]

Jul 19, 2020 18:36:32 GMT deanoips said:

Jul 19, 2020 18:14:41 GMT elysianblight said:

How long have they been in the separate cages? 

hi, separate cages now for about a month, i really wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, the cages are right next to each other

I also have two males, and while they are pretty tame, I do not have the same bond with them that a lot of people have with their single birds (they dont perch on my shoulder, nap on me, preen me, or let me scritch them.. but they will come to me for treats, step up for me, show pleasure when I talk to them, and do some minor tricks). 

They live in the same cage and have since day one. I've had them for 4 months, and I've had to work *really really* hard to get this far because I never separate them.. they are definitely closer to each other than they are to me. Also part of their tameness comes from being handled by their breeder before me, so I wasn't even starting from scratch. 

My guess would be that since yours were in the same cage for four months and had each other to bond with, you're in the same situation as me. They bonded to each other and you might be considered a peripheral part of the flock, but maybe not that special.  

As I understand it, having them in adjacent but separate cages is FINE as long as they are not displaying stress from it (crying, trying to get through the bars to be together, etc). But since they've only been in separate cages for a month, you're also kind of starting over. Forging a new flock dynamic. And a month is a pretty short time for that! 
I would just keep doing what you are doing. 

But like someone said above, each bird is different too. One of mine is much more into me than the other, even though they both prefer each other overall.  
And yes, try getting them to step up on some other kind of perch before your hand. Once they have the idea mastered it may be easier to get them to try on your finger. 

[Hezz]

Two birds together are going to be much more interested in their own kind than they are going to be with you. Not only are you alien, you are also a predator (to them). I wouldn't have them separated on the whole, but have the other cage there for when you want to move one away. If the birds are getting on fine, let them have that interaction. Also your training times are too long. Instead of two half hour sessions, try doing multiple sessions a day but for only 10-15 minutes each and make sure that you end each session on a positive note, even if it is having one of them put its toe on your hand.

Use a small bobble of millet as your training tool. I do think one small seed is not going to be enough to get their attention. You might need a couple of bobbles ready, but offer up only one at a time. Too much and they have no incentive to keep coming to you, too little and you won't hold their attention.

[deanoips]

Jul 19, 2020 21:27:14 GMT Hezz said:

Two birds together are going to be much more interested in their own kind than they are going to be with you. Not only are you alien, you are also a predator (to them). I wouldn't have them separated on the whole, but have the other cage there for when you want to move one away. If the birds are getting on fine, let them have that interaction. Also your training times are too long. Instead of two half hour sessions, try doing multiple sessions a day but for only 10-15 minutes each and make sure that you end each session on a positive note, even if it is having one of them put its toe on your hand.

Use a small bobble of millet as your training tool. I do think one small seed is not going to be enough to get their attention. You might need a couple of bobbles ready, but offer up only one at a time. Too much and they have no incentive to keep coming to you, too little and you won't hold their attention.

hi many thanks for replying, i will definitely try reducing the training times to be honest more at shorter time periods will also suit me as well kind regards Dean

[deanoips]

Jul 19, 2020 19:10:12 GMT elysianblight said:

Jul 19, 2020 18:36:32 GMT deanoips said:

hi, separate cages now for about a month, i really wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do, the cages are right next to each other

I also have two males, and while they are pretty tame, I do not have the same bond with them that a lot of people have with their single birds (they dont perch on my shoulder, nap on me, preen me, or let me scritch them.. but they will come to me for treats, step up for me, show pleasure when I talk to them, and do some minor tricks). 

They live in the same cage and have since day one. I've had them for 4 months, and I've had to work *really really* hard to get this far because I never separate them.. they are definitely closer to each other than they are to me. Also part of their tameness comes from being handled by their breeder before me, so I wasn't even starting from scratch. 

My guess would be that since yours were in the same cage for four months and had each other to bond with, you're in the same situation as me. They bonded to each other and you might be considered a peripheral part of the flock, but maybe not that special.  

As I understand it, having them in adjacent but separate cages is FINE as long as they are not displaying stress from it (crying, trying to get through the bars to be together, etc). But since they've only been in separate cages for a month, you're also kind of starting over. Forging a new flock dynamic. And a month is a pretty short time for that! 
I would just keep doing what you are doing. 

But like someone said above, each bird is different too. One of mine is much more into me than the other, even though they both prefer each other overall.  
And yes, try getting them to step up on some other kind of perch before your hand. Once they have the idea mastered it may be easier to get them to try on your finger. 

hi thanks for what you have written it has made me feel a lot more confident that i'm doing mostly the right thing

[danituveyrobson]

Hi can anyone help ..I have managed to get my budgies to eat from my hand and my finger but they won't come near my hands if I don't have food in them also I let one out and he started to.fly erratically into things so I am too scared to let them out I have two male budgies and they are not clipped I don't know what to do next ?

[Hezz]

Jul 26, 2020 6:13:52 GMT danituveyrobson said:

Hi can anyone help ..I have managed to get my budgies to eat from my hand and my finger but they won't come near my hands if I don't have food in them also I let one out and he started to.fly erratically into things so I am too scared to let them out I have two male budgies and they are not clipped I don't know what to do next ?

You will get better answers from starting your own thread, preferably in the taming section. That way people can answer your particular questions, rather than tacking them onto the back of someone else's own, individual problems.