Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Feb 15, 2021 16:33:23 GMT
Hi everyone, we have had our new budgies for five days and they are doing well with hand taming inside the cage. Lily happily sits on my hand when I hold millet, and Snowy will eat the millet from my hand but stay on the perch. Lily is much more brave and relaxed around me than Snowy. At what point do I let them out the cage for exercise? Should I only take Lily out, and wait until Snowy is more tame before letting him out? Any advice welcome, thank you in advance.
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Post by Hezz on Feb 15, 2021 19:24:58 GMT
Whether you let both out together or do so individually depends on how confident you feel in getting them back into the cage. In the past I’ve taken them out individually, done a little training in going back into the cage individually, and then worked with them both together doing the same thing. Use a small room initially, somewhere you can safely shut the door and leave them alone to find their cage themselves if they don’t cooperate in going back in themselves. Take their cage into the room, make sure the room is safe - cover windows and mirrors, not ceiling fans turning etc, and have a spare perch at hand to entice them to step onto when they land on the curtain rail or anything higher.
Teaching them step up in the cage before letting them out for free flight is the first step, and may keep your stress levels down when it is time for them to return to their cage. Once they have had a little taste of freedom, quite often they aren’t keen to return to their cage, so make sure you have plenty of time on your hands those first few times until they learn the routine.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Feb 15, 2021 19:38:21 GMT
Whether you let both out together or do so individually depends on how confident you feel in getting them back into the cage. In the past I’ve taken them out individually, done a little training in going back into the cage individually, and then worked with them both together doing the same thing. Use a small room initially, somewhere you can safely shut the door and leave them alone to find their cage themselves if they don’t cooperate in going back in themselves. Take their cage into the room, make sure the room is safe - cover windows and mirrors, not ceiling fans turning etc, and have a spare perch at hand to entice them to step onto when they land on the curtain rail or anything higher. Teaching them step up in the cage before letting them out for free flight is the first step, and may keep your stress levels down when it is time for them to return to their cage. Once they have had a little taste of freedom, quite often they aren’t keen to return to their cage, so make sure you have plenty of time on your hands those first few times until they learn the routine. Thanks, that's really helpful. I'll try to teach them step up first. Should I say 'step up' as I offer the millet? I just popped my hand in the cage and gently pushed my finger against Lily's tummy and said 'step up' but she scuttled back along the perch away from me. Probably wondered where her millet treat was! :-D
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Post by Hezz on Feb 15, 2021 19:45:04 GMT
Using the words to start with is helpful, I think. Once they have it, they will step up when you present them with your hand or finger - they would rather sit on your finger than have you touch them, so it works both ways. Getting them to stay put for a short time can be the difficult part, but the enticement of millet does help there.
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Mar 29, 2024 1:40:46 GMT
Deleted
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2021 21:48:36 GMT
Once they get 'step up' I tend to reward them for stepping up, then hide the millet and tell them to 'wait', then give them another nibble, etc. You can gradually increase the time between nibbles.
I have found it handy because they know it means a reward is coming eventually, even if they can't see it, and have been able to take one of my less tame budgies up two flights of stairs by telling him to wait (repeatedly). He's unsure about the stairs but the familiarity of the command seems to get through, the way it does when he has a night fright and I present a spare perch and say 'up', he automatically does as told and then calms enough to put on a perch.
Might not work. Sometimes other things are just far more interesting, but might help if you need to move a few steps across the room to the cage.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Feb 15, 2021 22:50:47 GMT
Thanks all for the advice, really appreciated. I will continue to try to teach them to step up. I was suprised Lily was the most receptive of the pair because I read that males were better for taming.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Feb 22, 2021 17:14:00 GMT
Well I got a little impatient and decided to let Lily out the cage today. I got her to step up, and took her out, and as soon as she realised she was out the cage she instantly flapped about in panic, and Snowy also flapped about inside the cage. I had made sure to draw the curtains, but Lily went onto the curtain pole and then behind the curtain and flapped at the window a few times (lesson learned - curtains are pointless). She then flew onto the side of the cage and climbed on the outside while I repeatedly held millet out and said 'step up Lily!' I'm not sure why, but snowy bit her feet from inside the cage, any ideas why this was? Eventually she did step up onto my finger, and then after a couple of false starts I manged to pop her back into the cage. Not sure if that was all good progress or a complete disaster! I'm pleased she got onto my finger outside the cage, even if she did need millet to persuade her. I may try to tame her a little more before letting her out again, any thoughts? Or is this a good start I should build on.
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Mar 29, 2024 1:40:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2021 17:25:28 GMT
The first time out is always a bit of a 'disaster' because they don't know where the places to perch are. You managed to get her to step onto your hand and return her to the cage. She's in one piece and safely back home. Seems alright to me.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Feb 22, 2021 17:37:37 GMT
The first time out is always a bit of a 'disaster' because they don't know where the places to perch are. You managed to get her to step onto your hand and return her to the cage. She's in one piece and safely back home. Seems alright to me. Thanks Ira. Any ideas why Snowy pecked at Lily's feet through the cage?
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Feb 22, 2021 17:51:51 GMT
Here are some poor quality photos of the event!
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Mar 29, 2024 1:40:46 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2021 19:20:12 GMT
Just because they could? My youngest leapt about 10cm forwards today from one perch to another to plant both his feet in his best friend's chest and end up in a tussle on the floor so... If they're young then babies have a bit of a thing for foot biting and tail tugging. Youngest has finally grown out of leaning down to nip his friend's feet.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Mar 3, 2021 16:37:40 GMT
Well I've had some progress with Snowy now. Snowy is usually very shy and only comes near my hand if I am holding millet. But today I put my hand in the cage without millet, to see if Lily would step up, but she just sat there, and Snowy initially flew to his safe place which is their bath tray. But then after a little while, he flew to my hand and kept biting my hand (it didn't hurt) and then gradually got more firm with his bites. It never pierced the skin or particularly hurt. I'm really pleased that Snowy happily landed on my hand, but why is he biting me? Do I need to train him to stop biting somehow, or do I just put up with it and hope he stops? Thanks
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Post by Hezz on Mar 4, 2021 0:18:45 GMT
If it isn’t hurting, it isn’t really biting. At this stage, I’d just tell him “no” and move his beak away from your skin.
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Feb 11, 2021 21:33:25 GMT
snowylily
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 62
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Post by snowylily on Mar 4, 2021 17:07:00 GMT
If it isn’t hurting, it isn’t really biting. At this stage, I’d just tell him “no” and move his beak away from your skin. It wasn't hurting to start with, but then he got firmer with his bites which did hurt a little. The same happened this afternoon, and he didn't seem to care when I said no, and I also tried making that chipmunk noise. I wonder if he's angry that I wasn't holding any millet?
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Post by Hezz on Mar 4, 2021 21:11:12 GMT
Maybe; maybe thinking you were hiding it somewhere is another suggestion. If he starts to bite and hurt, give him a short sharp NO! Or better still make the same noise that they use to tell each other off, and flip your hand so that he has to stop or he will fall or have to fly off. If he immediately comes back, talk to him like you would a child, tell him he has to be a good boy or he will be put off again, tell him how good he is when he isn’t biting but immediately he bites, put him off you. If it suits to put him onto a surface or perch, that’s okay but if he tries to climb back on, tell him off, use your index finger to make your points. They are so good at reading our body language, he will get the message. From now on only give him millet when he has been good, and has not been biting. It is best to get in and nip this in the bud soonest, rather than letting him make a habit of biting and then trying to revert him to playing nice.
I don’t know what a chipmunk noise is, but I’m sure you have heard your two giving a loud short “ak, akk” kind of a noise when they want the other to leave them alone, to defend a toy or favourite food, perhaps. I’ve found their reaction is immediate when I make this sort of noise rather than telling them “no” which is not something they immediately recognise.
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