Need a little advice.

[birdbrain1985]

I've had my birds Romeo and Juliet will be a week on Tuesday they are two months old. Last Thursday they would go on to my hand and let me pet them. Now today anytime I put my hand into the cage they fly away and move to the farthest part of the cage away from me they will not let me pet them or climb up onto my hand all they want to do is bite me. Is there anything I can do to build their trust? I have been sitting outside the cage doing the winking blinking game and they copy me but still biting me.

[tweetiepiesmom]

Most budgies do not like being pet - too bad, they're so soft and warm! Don't pet but offer them millet with your hand. Once they see you're not going to pet them, they'll come and stand on your hand.

[Hezz]

When budgies first come into a new environment quite often they are rather stunned by the move and seem very compliant, read by their new owners as very tame. With a week of living there and settling in, getting to feel a bit more secure, they are now feeling comfortable enough to not do what they don’t want to do, that being stepping onto your hand. This is when the real training starts.

Don’t try to touch them anywhere but around their faces. Almost everywhere else on a bird is an erogenous zone and can be misread by the bird. Most budgies prefer to be the one doing the touching, giving them the feeling of having control over what happens to them. Once they get to know you more and start to trust, when they start to come to you willingly to check you out, then you know that a relationship is beginning to build. They need to know they are in control, anything too pushy from you will make them back off. You have to view it from their perspective - they are a little prey animal and you are a large predator. Don’t stare at them; take time to observe them only with one eye for the time being, wink, blink slowly, turn your head so that only one eye is visible to them. Spend time around their cage talking to them but not even really looking at them while they get used to your presence and learn that you aren’t there to eat them.

[mona]

Birdie body language is very important to understand. If they are interested they will lean forward, eye it a multiple times with interest, be it your finger or any thing you have in your hand. I normally keep my hand still at a distance from them. If they look interested, I move my hand closer to them. Same goes to moving the water bowl or food bowl. If they are doing that giraffe neck thing and leaning away from your hand, it's better to back out.

They will trust you when they can have their own space. It's an equivalent of a human wanting not to be touched by another human or animal. The base of healthy relationship starts with trust and space for humans and all other creatures out there. Some might never wanna be touched. It's their life, their choice.

Mine don't let me. But I keep trying based on their body language. Recently, they have started eating out of my hand, stepping up on my finger or hand, playing with a ball, coming close to me for a spray bath, pecking at my hand for food/treats, breezie calls out for food or radio or fan and cookie calls me out to play videos (they saw Pixar's Piper recently) and so on.. It might be a long journey or a short one, whatever it might be - just give them their space.. 🧡

[birdbrain1985]

Mar 14, 2021 20:20:46 GMT tweetiepiesmom said:

Most budgies do not like being pet - too bad, they're so soft and warm! Don't pet but offer them millet with your hand. Once they see you're not going to pet them, they'll come and stand on your hand.

My old birds loved to be touch so I thought they would too. My bad. Thank you for the advice.

[birdbrain1985]

Mar 15, 2021 11:44:47 GMT mona said:

Birdie body language is very important to understand. If they are interested they will lean forward, eye it a multiple times with interest, be it your finger or any thing you have in your hand. I normally keep my hand still at a distance from them. If they look interested, I move my hand closer to them. Same goes to moving the water bowl or food bowl. If they are doing that giraffe neck thing and leaning away from your hand, it's better to back out.

They will trust you when they can have their own space. It's an equivalent of a human wanting not to be touched by another human or animal. The base of healthy relationship starts with trust and space for humans and all other creatures out there. Some might never wanna be touched. It's their life, their choice.

Mine don't let me. But I keep trying based on their body language. Recently, they have started eating out of my hand, stepping up on my finger or hand, playing with a ball, coming close to me for a spray bath, pecking at my hand for food/treats, breezie calls out for food or radio or fan and cookie calls me out to play videos (they saw Pixar's Piper recently) and so on.. It might be a long journey or a short one, whatever it might be - just give them their space.. 🧡

Thank you for the advice.

[birdbrain1985]

Mar 14, 2021 21:04:27 GMT Hezz said:

When budgies first come into a new environment quite often they are rather stunned by the move and seem very compliant, read by their new owners as very tame. With a week of living there and settling in, getting to feel a bit more secure, they are now feeling comfortable enough to not do what they don’t want to do, that being stepping onto your hand. This is when the real training starts.

Don’t try to touch them anywhere but around their faces. Almost everywhere else on a bird is an erogenous zone and can be misread by the bird. Most budgies prefer to be the one doing the touching, giving them the feeling of having control over what happens to them. Once they get to know you more and start to trust, when they start to come to you willingly to check you out, then you know that a relationship is beginning to build. They need to know they are in control, anything too pushy from you will make them back off. You have to view it from their perspective - they are a little prey animal and you are a large predator. Don’t stare at them; take time to observe them only with one eye for the time being, wink, blink slowly, turn your head so that only one eye is visible to them. Spend time around their cage talking to them but not even really looking at them while they get used to your presence and learn that you aren’t there to eat them.

Thank you for the advice.