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Nervous Budgie


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Hi... i am hoping you can offer me some help here. My budgie, Casper, gets really agitated whenever he sees hands. I've had him about six months and was only a baby when i got him, but right from day one, has been really timid. He's not particularly tame because of his little phobia, and he hasn't larnt to talk or anythingn(possibly because i like to let him sit outside in his cage where the other parrots etc are aound), but when i do let him out to fly, i generally have to just gently cover him with a light cloth to pick him up and get him back into his cage. If i put my face really close to the bars of his cage he rushes over adn kisses my nose through the bars, and is never afraid of loud noises, or even of the cats checking him out when he's sitting outside in his cage. He's generally very happy and chirps to us while we're watching tv etc... its just hands and fingers that bother him. Please help, because it really upsets me stressing him out when i need to catch him to trim his toenails etc!

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Hi... i am hoping you can offer me some help here. My budgie, Casper, gets really agitated whenever he sees hands. I've had him about six months and was only a baby when i got him, but right from day one, has been really timid. He's not particularly tame because of his little phobia, and he hasn't larnt to talk or anythingn(possibly because i like to let him sit outside in his cage where the other parrots etc are aound), but when i do let him out to fly, i generally have to just gently cover him with a light cloth to pick him up and get him back into his cage. If i put my face really close to the bars of his cage he rushes over adn kisses my nose through the bars, and is never afraid of loud noises, or even of the cats checking him out when he's sitting outside in his cage. He's generally very happy and chirps to us while we're watching tv etc... its just hands and fingers that bother him. Please help, because it really upsets me stressing him out when i need to catch him to trim his toenails etc!

 

 

It sounds like he is quite normal. Lets guess what happened 6 months ago. You saw him playing in the shop window with his other budgie friends and thought that he looked cute. The shop owner put his hand in and grabed him. There was a bit of chasing around the cage before he got hold of your bird.

 

To your bird that is terrifying.

 

When you tried to handle him he tried to get away. As a kind person that you are you resisted, thinking he may need some time to adjust. Well he hasn't. Every time you need to pick him up you have to capture him with a cloth. Scary isn't it.

 

Don't worry, you can train him to go to you. He knows he is safe in his cage. He does this by going to you when you are outside His Area. What you need to do is to get him used to you when he is outside his area.

 

It will take time and you must be patient. The first step is to see if he likes millet. Try a sprig in his cage and see if he likes he. He should.

The next thing is to feed him as he sits on the perch in his cage.

Then try to tempt him onto your fingure with the millet but in his cage.....don't try to take him out. These will take a few days, so be patient.

 

After a couple of days try tempting him to your fingur at the cage door but don't take him out.

 

you can see where this is leading.

 

One important advise. Always talk to him softly and gently and never make fast movements.

 

Before too many weeks he will wont to fly across the room to you. Yes for the millet. Weaning him off it is another topic. :huh:

Edited by daz
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Excellent advice Daz.

 

One thing that I did with Pretty was I took steps, where he got used to my face by the cage, then my hand in the cage but not stepping up yet, and then when comfortable worked with stepping up. Something that can help is a little bit of millet in your hand for him to nibble on in the cage, as Daz mentioned.

 

I think the worse thing people can do is let them fly around uncontrollable and then try to catch them and put them back in the cage, it is so frightening (at least it would be for me if I was a tiny bird with a big hand coming after me :)).

 

Be persistent, don't give up, he will come around. Remember they are all different, I have read and seen budgies playing on people with people in their cages, and then there is Pretty. Mr. Observation, he sits in his cage, on top of his cage or anywhere watching us all :), doesn't really play etc...(it is his personality) and we love him for it.

 

Sometimes we get a pet and expect 1 thing from it but get another behavior, and that is one of the obligations of pet ownership. So the question is can I accept who he is even if he is not what I expected?

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Thanks for you advice guys! Casper does indeed love millet, and also wild grass seeds from the garden... so will try tempting him with his favourites... hope he doesn't get fat from it, cos he'll be getting a fair bit of it!!!!!

 

Another question... mainly because i have heard so many different opinions etc. What is the go with clipping wings. Cos Casper doesn't really like being out that much anyway, i had never really entertained the thought, but i did read somewhere that a budgie like Casper who is not particularly tame should have his clipped so he is easier to get hold of when he is out, the theory i guess is that it saves the stress of a high speed chase (which i would never do to him anyway)!? What do you think about wing clipping (perhaps it is a topic of controvery and heated arguments... I don't know?) :P:D:D:D

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only give him millett for training sessions you can also other treats too that he really enjoys.

 

As for wing clipping go to this thread you will see many view points http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=7693

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Guest pixie25

Hi! welcome to the forums! :bluebudgie:

 

great advice there. i have a budgie called casper too. can you post pictures of your birds? we love pictures.

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definatly pictures pleeeasesaes

 

Hmm... can't work out this url thing for my photo, but i added him to my profile box to the left... bit small but better than nothing... I recon he's the handsomest budgie around... but we ar all a little biased aren't we?!!! :bluebudgie: :ausb:

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Oh he's gorgeous! On photobucket, under each picture is 3 lines of code. Copy the last line and post on here, and your picture will show up

 

ah... lets see if this works...casper2.jpg

 

 

 

Oh he's gorgeous! On photobucket, under each picture is 3 lines of code. Copy the last line and post on here, and your picture will show up

 

 

 

ooo...bit big...that's better[/img]

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what a sweetheart and I love his the tree in his cage ;)

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yeah, he loves the branches! Where i live backs right on to the bush, so every week or two i head down, cut him a nice new bit off one of the native shrubs and he goes berserk climbing between the leaves and twigs, and also shredding the leaves! I suppose it is alright for him to be doing that, nibbling the leaves i mean... afterall they're native birds, so native trees should be okay, yeah?

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Native trees are fine - only issue with them is wild birds will have pooped on them, and may have left an illness behind. Wash well. Also, make sure you are 100% sure they haven't been sprayed with any chemicals

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Use a perch outside the cage get him to step up onto the perch outside the cage. If happy in the cage will probably eventually go back in the cage by itself. 

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