The Taming Of Minx!

[wild_spot 0]

This is Minx:

 

 

I bought her home on Sunday, four days ago. She is a cobalt spangle hen. She was a petshop Budgie, so I don't think she had much handling. They chased her around the cage to catch her.

 

I've decided to document here how taming her goes. She is my first budgie, well my first bird... So any tips or help will be greatly appreciated!

 

Day 1: The pet shop lady chased her around the cage and put her in a teeny box for travel. I spent the whole drive home with my boyfriend telling me how much of an idiot I looked dangling the box so it didn't shake when we drove over bumps, lol! We got her home and left her in the box while we sorted out her cage. I bought it from hot dollar (cheap, I know, but i'm broke at the moment!) and it seems pretty sturdy and okay so far, if not the ideal shape. For the first day she just had the dowel perches that came with it. I gently lifted ehr out of the box, but obviously wasn't holing tight enough as she got away between the cage an the wall... I was scared I would squash her so the boy picked her up and put her in the cage. She didn't want to let go of his hand. Spent about an hour just sitting by her making sure she was okay, then left her alone for the night. Her cage is beside my head at the bed.

 

Day 2: I didn't so anything with her in the morning, just let her be. At lunch time I went to a pet store and bought her toys, millet, a calcium perch, a swing... I also grabbed some Eucalypt branches and leaves from the farm. She flew away from my hand whenever I had to do somethign in the cage. That night we decided to let her out while we watched a movie... (probably wasn't the best idea seeing as her wings weren't clipped!) I first tried getting her out by attempting to get her to sit on a dowel perch... no luck. So I tried with my hand. She would fly away unless the was on her favourite perch. I brought my hand up from underneath her slowly, and one foot at a time, she stood on my finger. As soon as i moved my hand, she hopped off. I kept trying, and eventually she let me bring her out. She sat on my finger for a few minutes on the bed, then flew around the room a few times before settling on top of my stero speaker on the highest shelf in my room. She started chirping away, and had a great time investigating the trophies and photo that were on the shelf.

 

Then time to pur her back... I really didn't want to have to grab her, I just felt it wouldn't help with teachng her 'the hand is your friend' lol. So I got up on a chair so i could reach her, and tried the same thing I did in the cage. She kept flying around the room but coming back to the speakers, so the next time she flew I spread my hands on eithwer speaker, and she labnded on my hand :] Once again, when i moved she flew off, but after about 5-10 minutes I managed to get her on my finger and back to the cage.

 

I was really happy with that, as she had the option to fly away, but she stayed on my hand!

 

Day 3: In the morning I had about 10 minutes of taming with her. I did the same as before, moving my hand slowly up underneath her. Same as before, she would only stay still if she was on her favourite perch. I got her to tnad on my finger for about a minute in the cage.

 

At lunch I bought some vegies for her... peas, corn, carrot and bean sprouts.

 

Last night I let her out again... I had more problems getting her out as I had put her favourite perch in the fron of the cage, but that meant that when she was on my finger, my hand plus her could onlyfit to the door sideways, and she kept hopping off! Eventually we got it, and while she was out I moved the perch diagonally, so there is more open space in the middle. I put a tray of vegies on her favoruite shelf, btu she didn't touch them. I then put some in her feed dish and the rest in the tray in the bottom of the cage... She put herself back in the cage.

 

Day 4: This morning I did about 5 minutes taming with her. She went so well! I got her on my fingers 3 times without her flying away, and only minimal hopping sideways. twice I got her down into the open area and sat her there for a minute or two before I put her back on the perch. The new position of the perch is so much better.

 

She hasn't touched the vegies I put in for her... I threw the peas and corn out this morning and left the carrot and bean sporuts in there for her.

 

She has been sneezing a bit, and last night when we were watching a move was pening and closing her beak a bit, liek she was eating... is this a bad thing?

[Karyn 0]

Sounds like you are doing a great job, takes a lot of time and patience but you seem to be on the right track. Can't really help with your last question but maybe someone else will have some advice.

[Elly 0]

first how gorgeous, do submit that picture for our Budgie of the Month Competition :hap:...

second, how exciting it will be for us to read your taming journal I love these because it really gives members ideas on how to get started especially with petstore budgies that have not been handled.

 

Look forward to reading and learning.

[wild_spot 0]

Thanks guys!

 

She's going really well. Last night and this morning I did some more practice. I can get her to stand on my finger first time nearly everytime now, with hardly any hopping away, and I can move her to the middle of the cage without her flying off. If I put her too close to a perch though she hops off :]

 

I can now get her on my finger from 2 perches, her favourite natural perch and her calcium perch. She is still nervous on the lower perch as I think my hand is more intimidating coming from beside or above as opposed to below her.

 

I didn't have time to let her out last night as I had a crisis with my horse :s But I will let her out for a bit tonight when I get back from dog obedience classes!

[mysixbabies 0]

doing great!!!!!!!!!!

[birdluv 0]

If you find that she is flying away from you alot when you are trying to tame her. I would suggest getting her wings clipped, it is your choice. But it sounds like you are doing an awesome job even with her wings not clipped. So you might not even have to clip them

[SundayGirl 0]

You are doing a fantastic job, you sound like a kind and patient person so this lovely looking bird is very lucky.

 

You'll have your up and downs with the bird, some days they progress other days they start to slip a little backwards but with time and love I think Minx will be a great friend. She's completely gorgeous looking too

[wild_spot 0]

Thanks guys! I had a horse riding competition on the weekend. so I wasn't able to handle her Saturday or Sunday. When i got back on Sunday though I let her out. She is really good now at standing on my finger, even lifts her foot up in anticipation! But I can still only do it from one perch. She's funny, I get her out of the cage, just, and she flies back in! But I just kept trying and eventually she went for a few laps of my room and settled down in her favourite place on my speakers.

 

She was a bit more flighty when I went to get her back in, but I think that might have been because my bf was in the room, once he left I got her almost straight away. I got her halfway to her cage and she hopped off onto my snowboard bag. I thought she would fly back to the speakers when I went to get her, but she didn't! And got her in her cage from there.

 

She was a ton better than I thought she would be after two days of not being handled!

 

I don't think i'm going to clip her wings, as she is easy enough to get without them clipped, plus I like the fact she can fly around if the feels the need. Pl;us, is they were clipped, she wouldn't be able to get to her favourite spot!

[mysixbabies 0]

your doing a wonderful job

 

envious!

[wild_spot 0]

Minx continues to get better and better :]

 

She's funny though, she is really good about stepping up onto my finger now. I make a cluck/kiss noise at her when i want her to get on my finger, and she sort of waves a leg at me to get ready, lol. But she still hates my hand in the cage... I did some practise with her on my finger, then put her back on her perch and reached to adjust one of her feed trays near her perch... And she freaked out and flew out of her cage. The curtains were open, which I never do while she is out, so she flew into the window twice before I could shut them. She didn't hurt herself though.

 

She was really good to put back after that though. Got on my finger first go, flew back to the speakers once but got her all the way the second time. I think she only flies off when I move her too fast... I have to take her really slowly between speakers and cage (I have to climb a chair to reach her up there, climbing back off with only one hand isn't easy!) and when I do she stays on my hand the whole way.

 

How can I get her used to my hand NOT there to stand on? I've been leting her out when I want to adjust her cage, clean it or change feed/water as she flies around a lot when i try to do things with her inside...

 

But overall i'm really happy with how she is going!

[SundayGirl 0]

Believe it or not but she WILL get used to your hand coming in to the cage...it just takes a little time and patience on your part...after all, to her it is a HUGE thing coming in to her home...and she has no where to take cover...

 

You're doing a fabulous job, stick with it!

[Elly 0]

The best way to teach them how to get used to you outside of the cage is to do a 1 time wing clip (or you can keep them clipped) there are debates about clipping so this is my opinion. When you do at least a one time wing clip it gains you control to keep your bird by you vs chasing it around until it is exhausted and then it stays by you which is more tramuatic. Doing a wing clip gives you the advantage of working with your bird closely without the chase and without the bird getting hurt. If you read the taming article that I typed up and added to the FAQ you will see this is how I tamed Pretty and Merlin, Pretty was a pet store budgie so it took more effort but after I did the first wing clip I didn't have to clip him again.

[wild_spot 0]

Thanks guys!

 

I have been thinking about wing clipping. I'm still on the fence. I think I will keep perservering for a while, and if she deosn't get any better I may try it. I'm hesitant to because she is so good now about getting on my finger even though she can fly away if she wants... I got her first go last night without her flying away once.

 

My thinking now is that I probably will eventually clip her wings, once. I will just wait and see how far I get without it, first :]

[daniela 0]

Thanks guys!

 

I have been thinking about wing clipping. I'm still on the fence. I think I will keep perservering for a while, and if she deosn't get any better I may try it. I'm hesitant to because she is so good now about getting on my finger even though she can fly away if she wants... I got her first go last night without her flying away once.

 

My thinking now is that I probably will eventually clip her wings, once. I will just wait and see how far I get without it, first :]

 

 

i think wing clipping is the bes way. i did it with my Polly but then i had to pull the win feathers out though , to let her grow new wings and fly.

[wild_spot 0]

Well, Minx keeps getting better :] (it's weird calling her Minx on here, at home her nickname birdy-bird has stuck!)

 

Me being away most weekends with my horses doesn't seem to affect her much. I got her to stand on my shoulder for the first time the other night, yay! Ihad let her out and she was up on the speaker, her favourite spot. So I spent a while just getting her on my finger, moving her around... She will now hop onto my finger when I hold it a centimetre or two in front of her. She lifts her leg up and down, pretends she is going to bite, then hops on. So cute!

 

So I tried bringing her close to my shoulder... She flew off the first time but straight back to the speaker, not around the room. The scond time I just left my finger near my shoulder for a few minutes and then sirt of levered her feet off my finger ontt my shoulder... she stayed for a few minutes then back to her speaker. I did it once more then put her away.

 

She still isn't eating anything but seed, but I think she is starting to settle... She has started nibbling the gum leaves and started a little shredding of the newspaper I tied to the side of her cage for that purpose.