New budgie jumps out of the cage....

[finiteguy]

Our new Budgie jumps out of the cage when we open the door. We are trying to finger tame him by putting our hand in the cage, but the little devil likes to escape. He can't fly so he runs on the floor. Not sure what to do here because I'm afraid he might get injured. It is dificult to put him back in the cage. Any sugestions? We have had him for 2 weeks and maybe we are pushing the taming to fast?

[Nani]

Try taming him with millet spray. He won't try escaping if he's busy eating.

[Hezz]

Can he not fly, or hasn't he been trying? I would have thought he would have been at least making an attempt to fly, even if he wasn't very good at it. And he is starting a moult - you can see his pinnies on the other thread you posted. So I was presuming he is about 3,4 months old.

AS for the Houdini-act, I think you will just have to persevere trying to keep the door as closed as possible. I have respectfully asked my birds to stay put until I invite them out. They get there in the end. My little "feral" Sparky, who isn't so feral any more, used to zip past me when I opened the door - even just wide enough for my hand sideways, he was off. But as time has gone on, I think it can only be down to the fact that he now trusts me, he waits until I offer my finger to hop onto. I don't have any magic solutions, I am afraid, but time should sort him out. Makes training hard I imagine, but if you try it in a small room where he can't escape, it shouldn't be such a big deal.

[Deleted]

Would it be possible to peg a small cloth at the top of the door so that it hangs over the opening? Or is that bad for the bird in some way?

[finiteguy]

Good idea. Lots of good suggestions here, thanks.When he ends up on the floor, I feel like it's a dangerous situation, not to mention the mayhem that occurs trying to get him back to the cage. We'll get there eventually. Thanks everyone.

[stace]

Well, the good news is that he seems to be feeling less afraid and more comfortable with you.

Getting a budgie trained and tamed is a process. Rather than thinking of it as taking days, or weeks, it's more a matter of gradually working with over a few months.

Has he started chirping? Does he seem more happy?

[Hezz]

Jul 4, 2012 7:03:46 GMT Ira said:

Would it be possible to peg a small cloth at the top of the door so that it hangs over the opening? Or is that bad for the bird in some way?

I don't think it would be harmful, Ira, as long as it isn't something he will get his claws stuck in, but it may put him off the doorway in a big way. I think you had trouble with Munchy not wanting to come out of the cage, true? You wouldn't want to make him scared of the doorway, or finiteguy may go from one extreme to the other. That is the potential problem I see with a cloth.

[Deleted]

He didn't want to come out because it was low down, Hezz. Now as soon as I put my hand in the cage he wants to come out ^^ I've only used a cloth once or twice when I had to make sure that he wouldn't come out and it didn't bother him once it was gone.

[Bird Junky]

Jul 4, 2012 1:04:27 GMT finiteguy said:

Our new Budgie jumps out of the cage when we open the door. We are trying to finger tame him by putting our hand in the cage, but the little devil likes to escape. He can't fly so he runs on the floor. Not sure what to do here because I'm afraid he might get injured. It is dificult to put him back in the cage. Any sugestions? We have had him for 2 weeks and maybe we are pushing the taming to fast?

Hello Could I suggest you click on & read through the
post bellow. I'm sure you will find the answer to most
if not al of your problems. Yours B.J.
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=budgietaming&action=display&thread=2867
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