When Should I Let My Budgies Out?

[Charlotte 0]

I was wondering when it would be appropriate to let my two 6-7 week old budgies (I have only had them for 3 days) out of the cage. The room that I will put them in is a medium sized room, there are no small parts in there that they would get stuck in and I will be sure to close the doors and windows. When should I let them out?

[Elly 0]

I would start with a very small room like a bathroom personally also I wouldn't let them out until they are trusting you, are their wings clipped? If not I personally suggest a 1 time wing clip, budgies that are not clipped tend to fly everywhere, into wall and they can break their necks, and then it is a chase of getting them back in the cage and that takes your bonding process a couple steps back, if they are clipped letting them out is easier because you can have them step up and catch them easier.

 

How tamed are they right now?

[wild_spot 0]

I let my new 7-8 week old Budgie out the second day i had her, with no wing clip... Porbably not the best idea in hindsight, but it turned out okay! I let her out in my bedroom, and I persisted with getting her back in and eventually got her on my finger and into the cage without having to grab her.

[Charlotte 0]

They're still quite afraid of me- I've been putting my hand in the cage and moving toys, etc. But they always run/fly away from my hand/finger if I put it near them. No their wings are not clipped. I think I might wait until they at least climb onto my hand

[wild_spot 0]

My girl flies away if I put my hand in to change things, etc. But when I want her to step up she is fine as ong as I come up from underneath her. She's a bit weird... lol.

 

I still haven't clipped her wings and am waiting a while to decide if I should :]

[Elly 0]

even if they hop on your hand in the cage they will still fly when they are let out and go a bit nuts, I always go on the side of precaution and use a smaller room where they can't get up on curtian rods and where you don't have to chase them down to get them back in that does make their taming go backwards (I have been there before)

[daniela 0]

Leave them in the room till they get tired then you grab them :rofl:

[Charlotte 0]

Update: Snowy now goes on my finger in the cage

[LILBABYBUDGIES 0]

thats great patients will allways reward you with birds some just need more than others just like people

[Charlotte 0]

Yay! Luna now goes on my finger in the cage- now I'm going to slowly work on them 'jumping' onto my finger from a few centimetres away if thats safe?Thats true- I learnt that patience is the only way that they'll co operate with me.. I started off by saying 'up' and nudging them with a ladder that they climbed onto. Then I did the same with my finger

[Chrysocome 0]

Well done on what you have done so far, but I would advise a bit of caution on getting too excited and moving too fast. Be patient and take your time in this time of shaping and growing up. (I remember how frustrating that can be! But what's a few months now, compared to the years you will spend together?). Sometimes we find that the birds will do something because they're too scared to resist or don't know any other way of not doing it. Then when they learn they can not do it, and nothing bad happens to them because of it, they will always refuse.

 

My personal feeling is to let them choose when they are ready, not to force them. When you rush, one step can send you backwards and takes you twice as long to recover. A bond once broken is harder to regain the second time. I feel that the chasing and grabbing that might be necessary is too stressful for a bird if you're trying to win their trust. I think once they are happy with getting on your hand willingly, that would be the time I think about taking them out. Be sure to reward them every time they do something you like! That will encourage them to do it consistently (and not out of fear.) Give them a reason to, if it's food at first then attention/cuddles later. (Otherwise they'll think: why bother? And then refuse to do it.)

 

This is my personal experience, I know others (and myself in the past) have done the traditional "deep end" style of training, where we throw them into a big scary world and then ask them to adapt. But I personally think it is best to build a bond based on trust and understanding, rather than force/dominance and making them do what you want.

Edited May 27, 2009 by Chrysocome

[Charlotte 0]

Thank you very much for that, I do know what you're saying. The last thing I want is for the whole bonding thing to reverse.

 

I'm trying my hardest to not force them to do anything, I'm encouraging them- I don't have any food other than the seed in their cage as of yet, so I cant reward them with that. I often play a video of a budgie and I'm pretty sure they enjoy listening to that.

But what you said really helped, because I won't deny that I have been frustrated. The one thing I definitely won't do is grab them, and hold on. I know that some people use that technique and often it just reverses the bonding and taming process.

 

Today when I got home and used the ladder again- They both hopped on immediately. Then I graduated to my finger, and they did the same. I dont move my finger around too much, because they only stay on for about a minute, and then they want to get back on the perch I am going to wait a few months, I have decided, because I want them to be more familiar with me.

 

On another note, is it true that female budgies don't talk? I think my two budgies might be females and I would like them to learn a few words when they're older

 

Thank you!

Edited May 28, 2009 by Charlotte

[Elly 0]

Females budgies are more likely not to talk then male budgies and when you have 2 of them together is it even less likely in both male and females.

[wild_spot 0]

I've been taming my Budgie, Minx... You mentioned rewarding them. So far my Minx won't eat anything other than her seed and chewing on newspaper and gum leaves, and won't take anything from my hand... how can I reward her?

 

A big thing i'm going is teaching her new things out of the cage. That way she can fly away if the feels threatened, and she is only doing things because she chooses to.

[Angelic Vampyre 0]

Try millet spray I find that gets they every time

[sootie 0]

Try millet spray I find that gets they every time

 

I second that. Django took a while to get used to my hand feeding him millet spray in his cage at first, he'd stare at it for about twenty minutes before pecking timidly. Now he loves it and stretches as far as he can to grab it. We use it as a reward for stepping up and staying on a finger for prolonged periods without flying off.

[mysixbabies 0]

good luck!

[Elly 0]

I've been taming my Budgie, Minx... You mentioned rewarding them. So far my Minx won't eat anything other than her seed and chewing on newspaper and gum leaves, and won't take anything from my hand... how can I reward her?

 

A big thing i'm going is teaching her new things out of the cage. That way she can fly away if the feels threatened, and she is only doing things because she chooses to.

 

Personally I would introduce new things in a cage, a budgie that is frightened of something and can fly can fly into a wall and break it's neck, it does happen and has happened here on the forums, plus you are then teaching flying away out of the cage vs being curious, anything you add new to a cage may take a couple days for your budgie to warm up to but by nature they are curious and do get over it and they still have a choice they just don't go by it, use gum leaves as a reward if that is what Minx is already eating that makes it easier then trying to introduce millet with your hands as a reward since it is new.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Elly

[wild_spot 0]

I have gum leaves and millet spray in her cage to try and get her eating. I replaced the old gum leaves and she hasn't touched the new ones... She only just started eating the millet over the weekend, she hadn't touched it before that.

 

Whenever I try to feed her millet from my hand she just ignores it.

 

Elly, by new things I was meaning things like standing on my shoulder, etc. It would be kind of hard to do that in the cage, lol. I taught her step up in her cgae as she feels safe there, and I always get her to step up then bring he rout of the cage, I dont just let her fly out. When she flies away out of the cage she just flies a curcuit of the room and comes back to her speaker, even if I am standing right beside it.

[cass_MART 0]

I was wondering if its okay two let my 2 budgies that are 1 month old and ive had them for 2 days now. My next door neighbor gave them to me for FREE!! I have been playing with them for 1-2 weeks over at her place and they can step up.

[Eileen 0]

i just got my budgies 2 days ago. They seemed quite tame even from the beginning. One is sky blue and one is light green with yellow head. They stepped up the second day i got them. I think you should gain more trust then let they out.