Budgie still petrified

[cheesebird]

We bought our first budgie 2 months ago, he wouldn’t interact with us , was permanently scared and we thought he was lonely and depressed. We bought him a female companion 1 month ago. The female is brilliant, lively, hand tamed, always singing and comes out of cage.

They have formed a great bond and seem to get along great but the male is still not interacting with us. He is a nightmare to get back in the cage , took 3 hours and a net the last time. On a good day he might put put one foot on my finger if I’ve got millet on offer but that’s about it. Most of the time he heads for top corner of the cage.

Were hoping the females great behavior might rub off but he’s really not much different after 2 months.

Not sure what to do now , patience is slowly eroding, any suggestions on how to tame him.

[Hezz]

You haven't had either very long. Taming and training an untamed bird of any kind is a long-term commitment, so I'd advise you to find a bit more patience, be persistent and consistent. Keep your sessions short but regular - several times a day, as many times as you can without being in their faces all day. Your job is to prove to the male especially that you are trustworthy. Trust doesn't just happen, it has to be earned.

If you don't want to go through that amount of effort, consider just enjoying having him there as companion to your more trusting hen, enjoy their interaction and their funny little ways.

[tweetiepiesmom]

I have two male budgies. I got Tweetie Pie first. He is very timid and skittish and never tamed very much. I then got Buddy to be his friend. Buddy is very tame. They have become great friends. Tweetie Pie will now come onto my hand for food. When he gets scared, he looks at Buddy. If Buddy seems OK, Tweetie Pie is OK. Like Hezz said, I continued to interact with Tweetie Pie regularly and slowly he keeps getting more tame. Keep working with them both. It may take time but you'll get there.