Hi guys!

 

My friend and I bought a new baby budgie each and they were both very placid. I took care of hers while she went on holiday and it was very calm, never bit and slept a lot. Her bird was in the cage with 2 of my other baby budgies. After she took him home he has been biting extremely hard, seems really agitated whenever she holds him and hardly ever sleeps. He was never like this before and i cant explain why he has changed. He is her only bird so he gets a lot of attention. She doesnt know what to do with him!

 

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Sam

xxxx

Edited January 10, 200718 yr by Bubbles

maybe he just needs to get used to her house again? or maybe he is missing your babies?? some of the more experienced members will probably be able to help you.

maybe he just needs to get used to her house again? or maybe he is missing your babies?? some of the more experienced members will probably be able to help you.

 

 

Thank-you for your reply! Dos anybody know if it would help if she got him a friend?

Some of the members' birds have become bitey and irrational and crabby when they become hormonal, which is kind of like them going through adolecence. I don't know how old these babies are, so maybe its not time for that yet, but perhaps coincidentally your friend's bird entered the bitey hormonal stage right when he went back home. If that's the case, it sounds like (from what i've read in others' posts) they grow out of it. Hopefully others will reply with more knowledgeable advice. One thing she can do (as tough as it is) is not acknowledge the biting. Perhaps the little guy is lonely for fellow birds too. How long was he at your house?

Biting can be caused by a lot of reasons and the only way to work out how to stop it is to work out what caused it. Given the situation, I'm inclined to believe he's biting out of fear. How long was she away on vacation? The time when you first bring your budgie home is very important as he starts adjusting to the new environment. A huge change (yet again) can cause a budgie to become extremely nervous and fearful.

 

Another very important thing to consider is illness. I say this because you mentioned the budgie was quite placid and slept a lot of the time. Sick budgies are often MUCH easier to handle than healthy ones (that haven't had much time to become tame).

 

How did he act when you handled him and how old is he? Is she trying to actually hold him in her hands (like restraining him) or step him up on a finger?

Hey thanks for your suggestions!

 

He is about 9 weeks old. All the birds the breeder bought around were very placid.

 

She was only away on vacation for 4 days so he wasn't at my place for very long.

 

When he was at my house he was fine when I held him.

I held him the other day andhe is fine when he is sitting on your finger of hand or shoulder or anywhere, but only starts to bite when you try to stroke him or put you hands near him

 

Thanks

Sam

xxx

A lot of budgies don't like being pet or stroked so that may be a little too much for him and might be scaring him. I would earn his trust by lots of attention and having him on or near you (or your friend, rather) and not push him into accepting petting. Feeding him millet or other treats by hand may help as well.

 

The placidness may just be these particular birds' temperments but I would keep a close eye on them just in case and make sure to follow through with quarantine strictly.