Change In Budgie's Personality

[gen 0]

Hi everyone. I'm a long-time-viewer, first-time-posting new member!

 

I've had our baby budgie for about 7 weeks now. When we got Bluey he was only about 7 weeks old, a very placid and friendly little bird, always happy to sit on your finger or shoulder and have a nibble of your ear, or just sit beside you and nibble on a millet spray, but happy to be with us and only occasionally have a little fly around the room. (After having 2 psychotic birds, we were so pleased to get this friendly little chap! And finally a boy budgie!) His only wierd habit since we got him is to make an almost whiny soft chirp whenever he wanted to be covered for the night, or if we walked near his cage at night, or first thing in the morning. We put it down to him being a baby, and he is making sounds a baby bird makes (although our last birds never did it!?). He's been so friendly, he has even for the last couple of weeks enjoyed a lovely scratch on the top and sides of his head, closing his eyes in ecstasy (I guess!). He enjoys a diet of bird seed, the occasional millet spray, and a nice healthy treat of eucalyptus leaves or, if i can't get that, a few leaves of grevillea, all of which he loves. All in all, a very happy bird.

 

Then suddenly overnight last week he has become a vicious "rottweiller" budgie - snapping at us if we put our hand vaguely near his cage, and if your hand goes near him when he's out of his cage, he gives you a good bite. I've put it down to his first moult and that he is going through budgie-adolescence, and have read that i have to just wait for him to get through it, but is there anything else i can do? I've resorted to putting white cotton gloves on so he doesn't hurt me, because i want to keep handling him so he doesn't regress, and he's still quite happy to sit with me...once he stops biting.

 

He's just starting to talk so we can almost understand him, and he seems to be a really happy bird, chatting and playing...until we go near him.

Help...I want my beautiful Bluey back.

[**Liv** 0]

Hello and Welcome

 

I'd say you are right with the first moult and budgie adolescence hehehe.

He should get over it in a few weeks

I don't know about using a glove... it might be a bit scary for him and make him bite more. Being a boy he shouldn't really hurt when he bites (then again I have a high tolerance for pain hehhehe)

 

Have you got any pictures???

[Elly 0]

The first 7 weeks, I am going to tell you they are all pretty placid if they are young budgies (some are the expection) but he was probably scared out of his mind and didn't have the confidence to bit back. I remember when I got Merlin he would let me stroke him and do anything him until he got the confidence to let me know was too scared to move.

 

I wrote up an article in the FAQ section about Taming Your Budgie, I wrote about how I tamed my pet store budgie Pretty who was a nut to a calmer Merlin who is still with me today. I suggest reading and using some of the techinques.

 

To bond with a bird (or any animal), you have to win it trust and respect once you have that you have their heart. Right now he is viewing your hand as a predator and if you put a glove on it will now be a bigger and scarier predator. I would go back to the basics and reintroduce your hand without a glove if he bites at it do not react after he has his fit then move your hand away. Right now he is creating a boundary and his space you need create trust that your hand is not going to hurt him.

 

Start talking to him through the cage bars they love faces, treat good behavior that you want with millet and ignore the bad.

[NickNack 0]

I agree with Elly, 100 % especially about the gloves. That's only introducing a new way to scare to him. No gloves. I know biting hurts but try & take it & don't say ouch & never pull back. After a while he will see its not bothering you & he will just stop.

 

Elly's FAQ's about taming your little blue bird should help greatly. It's helped me. I am a better budgie today & can type on the computer better & have stopped biting my girlfriend when she shoves me in the cage at night & slams the door on me. (she won't even kiss me night night & say she loves me ) EVIL HUMAN GIRLFRIEND.

 

Let us know how it goes. I hope your little Bluey will get along great with you again & not be like the other rabid zombie budgies that are chewing their ways through a bunch of others like yourself.

 

There seems to be a rash of Budgie Chewing going on. What is it ? SPRING ? DANG NATURE.

[**Liv** 0]

I was laying in bed last night and i had an idea that could save your hands and not scare your Bluey.

You could dye those cotton cloves a nice non threatening skin colour.... try and get the colour as close to your skin as possible. I can by fabric die from my local Big W.... craft shops and Spotlight would have it too..

[gen 0]

I was laying in bed last night and i had an idea that could save your hands and not scare your Bluey.

You could dye those cotton cloves a nice non threatening skin colour.... try and get the colour as close to your skin as possible. I can by fabric die from my local Big W.... craft shops and Spotlight would have it too..

 

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I know it will take time and patience, and maybe a few band aids, till i have my placid bird back. You know, for the first few weeks when we got him, he only looked scared occasionally - I can usually tell if he is scared as he makes himself look smaller and his eyes seem bigger. Sometimes he'd look like this and then i'd talk to him sweetly and he'd calm down and stopped making the strange sounds (what is the "squeaking" sound all about anyway...does anyone know?? Ever since we got him he "squeaks" sometimes). But since the change in personality, he looks scared a lot more often, and that's when he lashes out and looks vicious.

 

I'll keep you posted.

[NickNack 0]

Gen ... check out the background noise you have going in the house. Where is the bird & what time is this behaviour happening ?

 

I was playing the radio a little too loudly the other night & heard some mouthing off from the birds about that. And they were in another room. But they yelled their displeasure. I was surprised as they never really complained before. BUT ... one of them is in a molt now. So ... that might be making the birdf a little more moody. They seemed to be upset by the sounds. That might be something new to your new guy. Loud tv .... radio ... stereo ? Ozzy Osbourne could cause any Budgie to want to harm itself !

 

My girlfriend was laying on the sofa with a blanket on herself last night & the birds were covered up & all was quiet & dark .... when my girlfriend flicked back the blanket to get up the cover nicked against the cage & touched it softly ... YEOWCH ! I heard some cussing & mouthy grumbling from the 2 birds I haven't heard before. Little yellow & green swearing truck drivers with attitude ... they snapped at her for her waking them. They can get in their moods when they want to be quiet & in bed.

 

Check the time your bird is ready to call it quits for the night. The rule of thumb is ... they like to go to sleep when the sun goes down. SOME DO ... NOT ALL DO. But ... If your bird is in the family room & the lights & or tv is on ... he really doesn't have the chance to rest does he ? He might not be happy about that.

 

Move him to a quieter room for bed time. Cover him with a dark blanket or light cloth ... let him rest. Molting & new feathers make them moody & sensitive to all sorts of little things like that. Every day is a learning tool with these birds.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

I'm always curious to hear what happens.

[gen 0]

Gen ... check out the background noise you have going in the house. Where is the bird & what time is this behaviour happening ?

 

I was playing the radio a little too loudly the other night & heard some mouthing off from the birds about that. And they were in another room. But they yelled their displeasure. I was surprised as they never really complained before. BUT ... one of them is in a molt now. So ... that might be making the birdf a little more moody. They seemed to be upset by the sounds. That might be something new to your new guy. Loud tv .... radio ... stereo ? Ozzy Osbourne could cause any Budgie to want to harm itself !

 

My girlfriend was laying on the sofa with a blanket on herself last night & the birds were covered up & all was quiet & dark .... when my girlfriend flicked back the blanket to get up the cover nicked against the cage & touched it softly ... YEOWCH ! I heard some cussing & mouthy grumbling from the 2 birds I haven't heard before. Little yellow & green swearing truck drivers with attitude ... they snapped at her for her waking them. They can get in their moods when they want to be quiet & in bed.

 

Check the time your bird is ready to call it quits for the night. The rule of thumb is ... they like to go to sleep when the sun goes down. SOME DO ... NOT ALL DO. But ... If your bird is in the family room & the lights & or tv is on ... he really doesn't have the chance to rest does he ? He might not be happy about that.

 

Move him to a quieter room for bed time. Cover him with a dark blanket or light cloth ... let him rest. Molting & new feathers make them moody & sensitive to all sorts of little things like that. Every day is a learning tool with these birds.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

I'm always curious to hear what happens.

 

 

The squeaking I'm referring to he has been doing since the day we brought him home. It's almost like he's scared or stressed because he'll do it when we walk past his cage, or in the middle of the night if you go to the toilet, even though he's in the next room with his cover on, you can hear him faintly start up. However, he makes a similar sound when eating sometimes, particularly when he's on his play-gym and we're not sitting anywhere near him. He seems to do it when he wants to go to bed and as you cover him it gets louder and louder till he's covered and you nicely say "shh, go to sleep" or something like that!

 

So, I don't think he's imitating because of when he does it.

 

We thought it was a baby bird thing, but maybe not as you would think he would have stopped when he's been part of our family (and it's noises of 3 kids) for 7 weeks or more. And before being with us, he spent a week in his cage in the breeder's home waiting for us to pick him up, and she also has 3 noisy kids!! And she said he never did it when she had him.

 

Go figure.

 

When I had him out of his cage last night, he had a little feed of millet, then, for the first time ever, took himself back to his cage. He's never done that - usually i have to put him back there myself and he reluctantly goes.

 

How long does a moult go for???

[Elly 0]

It may be the angry dolphin noise? Go to this website and click the link on the left hand side and listen to the budgie noises and let us know which one it is http://budgietalk.com/

[gen 0]

It may be the angry dolphin noise? Go to this website and click the link on the left hand side and listen to the budgie noises and let us know which one it is http://budgietalk.com/

 

Nope. I've listened to them all and it sounds like none of them. It's more of a squeak-squeak-squeak continuous sound, which goes on and on, getting louder if you go near the cage, but quickly calming when you talk to him. As I said he sometimes does it when he eats but very softly and calmly. Like a cat's purr, but it's very annoying!!

[Elly 0]

not sure if you could record it and put it up her that would be cool if you have that ability

[NickNack 0]

Are you sure bluey is a cock ? I know hens make that sort of repeated chirp over & over again. Maybe bluey is a Bluebelle ?

 

Where is his cage ? Is he close to where the family action is most of the time ? He's not away from everyone is he ? They are a social bird. They like being where all the action is & the people are. Until its bedtime that is.

[Feathers 0]

Hi Gen,

 

If he only started the behaviour along with his moult, I would put it down to hormones! A scared budgie may let you touch him whilst being frightened out of his skin, but they certainly wouldn't turn their head to let you get to those hard to reach places while you are scratching their head. They do close their eyes 'in ecstacy' when you hit just the right spot!

 

Keep working with him, using the tips from Elly's taming FAQ's and I am sure he will settle down again. You may have to give him a clip (if you don't know how to do this, please get a vet to show you) while he re-learns that you aren't a threat and you will get your playful Bluey back before you know it. Clipping them means that he wil have to rely on you to get up to his favourite places as his flight will be limited. In the meantime, Bluey might have to start getting 'budgie time out' when he is naughty and bites you too hard. A firm "NO" and then back into his cage to sit and think about it for a while!

 

My inside feathered friend went through the same thing at the beginning of the year, but you'd never know it now, as he loves to play with me again. Time, love and patience.

 

 

Feathers.

[gen 0]

Hi Gen,

 

If he only started the behaviour along with his moult, I would put it down to hormones! A scared budgie may let you touch him whilst being frightened out of his skin, but they certainly wouldn't turn their head to let you get to those hard to reach places while you are scratching their head. They do close their eyes 'in ecstacy' when you hit just the right spot!

 

Keep working with him, using the tips from Elly's taming FAQ's and I am sure he will settle down again. You may have to give him a clip (if you don't know how to do this, please get a vet to show you) while he re-learns that you aren't a threat and you will get your playful Bluey back before you know it. Clipping them means that he wil have to rely on you to get up to his favourite places as his flight will be limited. In the meantime, Bluey might have to start getting 'budgie time out' when he is naughty and bites you too hard. A firm "NO" and then back into his cage to sit and think about it for a while!

 

My inside feathered friend went through the same thing at the beginning of the year, but you'd never know it now, as he loves to play with me again. Time, love and patience.

 

 

Feathers.

 

Thank you everyone for all your helpful comments. Feathers, I think I agree with you about a scared bird. Before his moult, he was never showing signs of being scared. He is such a cheeky bird, eg stealing cards while my daughter & i play cards, and loving a scratch in those hard to reach places (and yes, closing his eyes in ecstasy!!)

 

As I'm a big woos when it comes to his biting (yes, I can give birth three times with no drugs, but I can't have a budgie bite me), my husband is working closely with him & letting him bite him. I've read Budgie Behaviour on Budgie Talk website, and they say to make him step up repeatedly till he stops biting - I just watched my husband do that with him, and Bluey stopped biting after the 5th step up. Amazing.

 

And late this afternoon, he paced the door to ask to get out for the first time in over a week. Yay!! So I let him out and immediately climbed out & on to my hand & up my arm, nibbled friendly-ly on my arm...then bit me hard on my finger! Oh well, baby steps.

 

And I've also re-arranged his cage & taken out his favourite toys for a couple of days, just like Budgie Talk said to. This is in case he's being territorial. If anyone else is having the same problems, this might be a good suggestion. Worth a try.

 

I'm pretty sure Bluey is a boy - I've had girls before & his cere definitely looks like a boy. There are no light rings around his nostrils. And he's starting to talk - something girls may take longer to do, i believe. He actually wolf whistled to me today (made me happy - it's been a while since anybody did that, feathered or not!!)

 

I'll keep you posted!