My budgies are now scared of me...

[ollierice]

So.. we recently purchased 2 male budgies as babies about 3 weeks ago and when we got them, they were pretty tame as they had been handled from birth by the breeder. We could put our hands in the cage, they would hop onto our hands, sit with us out of the cage, fly round the room then let us put them back in the cage. We have done this every day since we had them. Although, i am now unbelievably confused. It seems as though, over night, they have become petrified of us. We have done nothing to make them feel this way, we have never grabbed them, chased them or hurt them in any way. It seems that they just woke up one morning and decided that we are out to get them.

I used to be able to go up to the cage and put my finger through the bar and they would come closer, now if you go near the cage they just back away. And if you put your hand in, they just move the the furthest possible place in the cage from where you are.

Could it be because we have 2 together? Maybe they are bonding to each other so much that they dont need us?

So we have gone back to basics anyway and are just putting our hand in the cage and leaving it there, talking to them etc. They dont seem to be getting any better. Any ideas where this has gone so drastically wrong?

Thanks,

Oliie

[nat]

I'm not expert at taming budgies more than 12 weeks old, but it does sound like they are going through a terrible teen stage. They've found their confidence in the room, they are confident in flying and now they are all out to have a big load of fun! ;-) No budgie actually wants or feels the need to be tame unless it is a lone bird and desparate for company so these boys are just doing the normal thing :-)
I think your doing the right thing going back to basics and if you let them out to fly only do it one bird at a time.
Don't give them millet spray to eat unless you are using it as a training aid held in your hand. Even if you are short of time and concentrate more time on one more than the other I've found ones tameness does rub off on the other. Sometimes one bird will be easier than the other. If one is easier than the other then concentrate efforts on him. The other birds curiosity will get the better of him and he might well join in.
Having more than one bird might make it a bit harder job to tame them because of the bonding they have, but its not impossible at all.
I've never tamed a bird singulary but had all chicks together from 7 weeks onwards and have them flying free and easy to get back to the cage but it did take alot of persistance.
One thing I swear by is a long rope perch with wire through it to pick them up on from any part of the room and then deliver them to millet spray. They soon identify the perch with the delivery to millet spray. Then its up to you where you put the millet spray as they get more confident so place it nearer to where you are sitting in the evening etc.
But still your hand taming within the cage is vital to getting them properly tame so they actually are happy to sit with you and interact personally. Best of luck with them. they sound like healthy cheeky little chaps ;-)

[vacanteyes]

My little boy has just started doing this too, I'm guessing he is almost 6 months old now and I was just coming on here to ask the same question when I found this. So glad you've posted it, and I'm glad I'm not the only one, I thought I'd done something wrong Good luck with your two!

[vacanteyes]

*EDIT* Double posted, sorry!

Also, could you keep updating here with your progress? I'd like to hear how you're getting on.