Taming and flight

[catcaluian]

Hello 

i have two budgies that I'm pretty sure are under 3 months old , I'm trying to tame them and realize it takes time. I wanted to let them out of the cage but they freak out. Also I'm not sure at this age that they can fly? Or if there flight feathers have been clipped . can someone tell me more about under 3 months if the should be flying

Thanks

[BudgiesBuddy]

Welcome to forum

Yes 3 months old can fly.
When did you get these budgies? They need to settle before you can start taming them.
Post some pictures, as it tells a lot about budgies.

[catcaluian]

Hello



My hubby got them from Petco...I.would have gotten hand reared myself , but he has little to none experience with birds. They are very young and have no flight feathers on there wings just a nice long tail feather , I had suspected that they had been clipped because I had budgies has a kid and remembered the long feathers on the wings. But they are very sweet and both have bands in there feet. I took they female out but she was very scared and could not fly, I felt bad and put here back and talk soothing . I feel like a big jerk , just wanted to be nice and let hem out while I washed out the cage. X

[catcaluian]

Sorry , got they Feb 14th

[stace]

If you post a picture clearly showing the wings, we can figure out if they are clipped or not.

[Hezz]

It definitely sounds as though the flight feathers have been clipped. What a shame ..... it seems that this is going to hamper your taming them as they are now frightened. Probably both from being held and clipped and also because now they cannot rely on flight to remove themselves from danger. A photo from the back is best so we can see both wings together.

As for their age, do they still have their baby bars? The bands across the top of their heads - these will come all the way down to their cere as very young birds, but after their first moult they will lose these and the bars will be further to the back of their head and the head itself will be more a solid colour. If the birds in your avatar are your budgies, they have been through their first moult, I am guessing. A closer photo of their faces will help there. And welcome, by the way. Have you given them names?

[The Bird Junky]

Hello. This will solve your problem.... 

B J's. EASY, NERVOUS FLOCK TAMING/TRAINING

First a few taming/training tips to make life easier for you. 

Training, can start as soon as your birds have settled into their new cage 

In the evening prior to training days, provide your birds with only a basic 

seed mix diet & use any or all the other food items in very small portions 

as training treats. Millet spray alone soon loses its appeal. 

Birds eat a wide variety of fruit, veg,  nuts, hard boiled eggs etc, etc. so 

don't stick with a limited selection for their dietary needs. 

I normally train eight birds in a cage at the same time so the shyest birds 

learn from their more forward cage mates. One, two or eight birds, the 

training method is the same, but let the slowest bird set the pace....

Don't let them out of their cage till they are all happy to perch on your 

hand to eat the treat. 

Any chasing & catching can ruin any bond already built-up between you 

& your birds. Keeping  birds caged for a few days will not cause them  

harm in any way, either mentally or physically.   

With nervous birds, cover half the cage to make them feel safe & secure 

& take care not to stand over them like a predator.  

THE TRAINING SYSTEM

Offer your  bird a few treat foods, through the cage bars. 

If they shows any fear, remove your hand & the treat for a count of 10. 

Re-offer the treat & do this as often as it takes. 

Offer them treats little & often, so your visits mean nice things to eat. 

Only after a day or two of successful through the bars feeding, will they 

be ready for  hand feeding inside the cage. 

Hold the treat food on your fingers, palm up close to the perch so they 

can eat. 

During the next few days, move the treat onto your palm, so they have 

to step-up onto your fingers to reach & eat the treats.

After a day or two of feeding your bird while they're perched on your hand. 

You can now take them from the cage for a fly round, knowing you can 

return them with a food treat in the cage & a small treat in your hand for 

a step-up reward..

Allow your bird to explore their environment, but don't try to push them 

into interacting with you. 

One lesson at a time & a step-up, in & out of the cage is enough for any  

bird to learn before moving on to other tricks & games. 

If your birds includes you in their exploration then ok, but take care not to 

make any sudden moves that may upset them.. 

Professional trainers & performers always give a food treat  to ensure a 

friendly, happy compliance. 

Even if it's only one peck at a millet spray or  a Sunflower heart for a large 

parrot, or half a heart for a budgie size bird...B J

[catcaluian]

They both have there bars on there heads , the blue female has lovely pale blue one still close to her cere and the male has them all the way up to his cere. I wish whoever sold/ breed them would not clip   But all the petco birds looked like they had no long feathers on there wings. Will try and get better picture. Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. 

[catcaluian]

They female is the blue , has very pale stripes. Her wings you can see have no long feathers. The male , green also the same. Do there flight feathers grow back?

[stace]

Eventually the feathers will grow back. The time that takes depends on how hard they've been clipped I believe. Even clipped, they should be able to glide or flutter down to the ground rather than tumble. You can still tame them, and some say it's easier. I've not got experience with clipped birds.

Read through BJ's tips above, plus go to the taming section and read through those tips as well. All birds can be tamed. You just need to be persistent and patient, and do a little training in short bursts many times through the day.

People have slightly different methods but they all come down to building trust bit by bit through a reward system. I sort of think of it as budgie whispering. You get a feel for it after a while.

Some people can easily tame/train two at a time. Others like to separate them and do them individually.

Hezz is really good as guiding people through as they go through the different stages. There are moments when it feels frustrating, but trust me, it all works out in the end. More in at your end, more results at the other.

[catcaluian]

Thanks for advise ....I like to sit on a little stool by the cage and read or go on iPad , they are getting use to me there so guess its a good start in budgie whispering

[Deleted]

From what I can see in your avatar picture that bird seems to have had it's wings clipped. But it's hard to tell from this angle to be sure.

[ryan1163]

I'm lucky I've got a new English. Budgie today and it only took me 1 hour to finger tame him