hay i have had skittle since 24/11/04. and was told by the breeder he was hand tame. i left him a few days just talkin to him throught the cage etc. and he let me stroke him. but now he wont let me any where near him even with millet seed in my hand. he also hates being in his cage, i open the door and rest my hand there so he has to fly past me to get out in a hope he will realise i am no threat. he then goes inside after 3 or 4 hours to eat or drink etc. but as soon as i go to close the door or even step towards it he zoomes straight out again.

 

was he in shock of being moved the 1st few times i stroked him and now he is frightened of me? he tweets to his hearts content and if i have been out for the day and come back in he startes shouting his little lungs off untill i come and say hello.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Thanks

 

ATD

Have you done any finger taming with him since you got him, the breeder might of said his finger tame but the shock of moving could of made him a bit more nervous to other things Have you done anything that could of put him off you?? Like usual im not really sure but it's worth a try isn't it?

I wouldn't despair.What you could do is use the fact he doesn't like being in his cage to your advantage.

My blue one Birdy is a bit like yours so I won't let him come out of his cage unless he comes out on my finger. I block the door with my body.

You should really try and start from scratch though using some of the tips in the archives.I would be reluctant to let him out until he remembers the basics,

 

Good Luck

Julie

thanks 4 ya replys, i will start from scratch i think, thanks god for millets seed though he got to get tempted at some point.

Thanks

ATD

improvement today. i sroked his chest and back the he climed up my arm to get out of the cage. so we are heading in the right direction it. but someone said today because i got him from a breeder who had bout 15 other birds and he had a bigger space he might not adapt to being in a cage on his own. i though about getting him a friend but i want him to be hand tame. when he is in his cage he chrips away and plays in his cage doing his acrabats etc.

and ideas

thanks

ATD

He won't be quite as tame with two of them but I would get him REALLY tame before you even think about another that way you have a better chance of him remaining tame.

I have to be honest here and say that when I only had one bird I felt really sorry for him and thought that many of his actions were because he was pining for a budgie friend. So we got him one ......and he still behaves exactly the same way! e.g. chatting to himself in reflections and sitting on his own sometimes,I even suspects he sometimes thinks to himself"Why did you get this other one-he won't leave me alone" I'm sure that it's better for him to have one of his own kind but I have a sneaky feeling he would have been just as happy on his own with the higfh level of attention we give them anyway.

 

Julie

i think it also depends on the mood of your bird day to day. yesterday my budgie was quite happy to sit on my shoulder and for me to walk around and talk to him and stuff, but today he keeps running away from my hand like it's the most terrible thing in the world.

 

i suppose it's persistance and millet that will see you through

Hi,

 

My old budgie max lost his partner missy about a year before he died. I had them both since they were taken away from the nest and they were both very loving but when missy died max seemed to turn against me just as you are describing. This might sound daft but as a last resort i put an extra mirror and a plastic budgie in for him, i dont know which one worked but he seemed to be a lot happier after that and he went back to being his lovable self again. Might be worth trying an extra mirror to give him the illusion he's not alone????

 

Sal

We did that after my aunts bird went home. The whole time my aunts bird was here Merlin was biting and snapping at as (well as much as a budgie can) as he wanted to be left near jack. We got him a bell toy so he'd have something to play with, but he fell in love with himself. Took the toy out yesterday and our polite bird is nearly back. Persistance is the key. I wouldn't put a mirror in as he could become obsessed and you wouldnt be able to tame him properly. Especially if he's been by himself for a while.