Hello all!

 

My name is Sarah and I am new to the forums. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions about bringing home my new budgie Piccolo.

 

Firstly, I bought my bird from a pet store (I know - big no-no...) that I frequent when I buy food for my mother's dog. The birds were advertised as "hand-tamed budgies" and kept seperate from other "wild" budgies in another section of the store. The man who helped me select my bird said that he was a 6-week old boy. I have posted a picture of Piccolo below.

 

Secondly, I know there are many competing methods about how to bond with budgies. At the moment, I have tried to give my new little friend some time to get adjusted to his new cage and surroundings. However, on some occassions I have been attempting to encourage him to come out of the cage. He isn't really responding to food bribes and I will admit that I have been using my hand to try and take him out to sit on the floor or on my computer desk to have a look around. I do this for about 10-15 minutes before returning him to his cage, and roughly 4 times a day. Is this okay, or should I be trying to get Piccolo to interact with me more?

 

Lastly, I wanted to check about how often Piccolo should be eating. I haven't physically seen him eat yet - when I took him out before I left some seed and some apple in a dish - he picked at a couple of bits of seed. He is not pooping often yet and some of it is clogged around the vent, although this problem seems to be doing a bit better compared to yesterday. Do you think it could be just stress in a new environment? If so, can you suggest anything I can do to help him be a little less stressed? Music? Alone-time?

 

Thanks for your help, everyone!

 

Hello all!

 

My name is Sarah and I am new to the forums. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions about bringing home my new budgie Piccolo.

 

Firstly, I bought my bird from a pet store (I know - big no-no...) that I frequent when I buy food for my mother's dog. The birds were advertised as "hand-tamed budgies" and kept seperate from other "wild" budgies in another section of the store. The man who helped me select my bird said that he was a 6-week old boy. I have posted a picture of Piccolo below.

 

Secondly, I know there are many competing methods about how to bond with budgies. At the moment, I have tried to give my new little friend some time to get adjusted to his new cage and surroundings. However, on some occassions I have been attempting to encourage him to come out of the cage. He isn't really responding to food bribes and I will admit that I have been using my hand to try and take him out to sit on the floor or on my computer desk to have a look around. I do this for about 10-15 minutes before returning him to his cage, and roughly 4 times a day. Is this okay, or should I be trying to get Piccolo to interact with me more?

 

Lastly, I wanted to check about how often Piccolo should be eating. I haven't physically seen him eat yet - when I took him out before I left some seed and some apple in a dish - he picked at a couple of bits of seed. He is not pooping often yet and some of it is clogged around the vent, although this problem seems to be doing a bit better compared to yesterday. Do you think it could be just stress in a new environment? If so, can you suggest anything I can do to help him be a little less stressed? Music? Alone-time?

 

Thanks for your help, everyone!

 

 

 

Hi Sarah and welcome to you and Piccolo. He is just a sweetie! There are some great hints in the FAQ section at the top of the forum on taming budgies. If he lets you take him out without freaking out, keep doing that. Talk to him heaps, spend time with your hand in his cage, offer him millet (they LOVE it). When he gets used to your hand in his cage, get him to step up on your hand.

 

As to his eating, you often don't see them eat, esp if you just got him, he may be scared. Give him time. As to his pooping, he wont poop heaps if he's not eating heaps. When you say it's stuck on his bum, do you mean dry poop on his feathers, or a dirty smelling bum? A dirty smelling bum is a sign of illness. Try to clean it so you can keep a better eye on it. Give him time to settle in. Sometimes when they are new, they tend to be stressed, eat little and often have runny poop. To help him settle in I would just talk to him and make him feel welcome. Good luck and let us know how your're going.

Hello and welcome Piccolo (love the name) and Sarah. First of all, let us put on the brakes. It takes awhile for a budgie (hand tamed or otherwise) to adjust to their new enviroment. Leave Piccolo alone for a bit but DO visit/ talk to him frequently and quietly and green vegetables are preferable to fruits at this point in time but you can definately add them later. Piccolo is very pretty, you might want to put some little containers of seed/water on the floor until he gets accustomed to his "proper food and water dispensers". Give it a day or so and I am sure his poops and otherwise will work out, don't spring everything on him at once and let us know how you are doing! Oh and do read our budgie FAQS, there is a wealth of information there that will put your mind at ease.

Thanks for the advice my dears! Yes, I thought that I was going a bit too quick for my baby boy - you have no idea how much conflicting information there is in books and online etc. ... but I'm glad that I've been able to get the opinions of other bird owners. I will give him a little while and see how he goes.

 

I've been trying to teach him "hop up" a little bit, which I am aware will take more time. Just before, I told him to "hop up" onto my hand so I could put him back in his cage, and he did do it so that is a good sign. And as I am a musician (I'm a flute player - could you tell? Haha!), I'm playing some soft flute jazz through the speakers which he seems comfortable with.

 

RE: the pooping - it's dry poop on his feathers. I let him clean a bit and then cleaned a bit myself. He has pooped a couple of times on my desk without it getting caught in his feathers, so I think that's a good sign.

 

Once again, thanks for the advice and the links!

 

From

Sarah

Thanks for the advice my dears! Yes, I thought that I was going a bit too quick for my baby boy - you have no idea how much conflicting information there is in books and online etc. ... but I'm glad that I've been able to get the opinions of other bird owners. I will give him a little while and see how he goes.

 

I've been trying to teach him "hop up" a little bit, which I am aware will take more time. :budgiedance: Just before, I told him to "hop up" onto my hand so I could put him back in his cage, and he did do it so that is a good sign. And as I am a musician (I'm a flute player - could you tell? Haha!), I'm playing some soft flute jazz through the speakers which he seems comfortable with.

 

RE: the pooping - it's dry poop on his feathers. I let him clean a bit and then cleaned a bit myself. He has pooped a couple of times on my desk without it getting caught in his feathers, so I think that's a good sign.

 

Once again, thanks for the advice and the links!

 

From

Sarah

 

It can be very confusing when you read very different info. Everyone here has had quite a bit of personal experience and not just 'studied' birds, so you know you're geting real life advice :(Laughing out loud): . If he is stepping up already, that is great! He may be a quick learner. The tip is to teach him one thing at a time, and when he's mastered that, move on to the next thing. As to his poop, that's good news also. Some of my budgies get it stuck on their tails/feather etc... but there is usually no issue unless their bums looks yucky and smells (and believe me, you'll know the difference) Your flute playing is probably also relaxing him which can only be a positive thing. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

Hi and welcome to the forums Sarah and Piccolo.

Piccolo is gorgeous, a very pretty colour :fear .

The others have given great advice, so best of luck with taming/training your budgie .

Hi and welcome :fear

A beautiful little bird , I love cobalts.

Question , Did you clip his wings or was that done a the pet shop ?

Hi Sarah and welcome to the forum. Piccolo does seem to be the age they said he was, and a boy so the pet store got things right there. He is a violet too, and a very pretty violet. Watch the poopy bottom and please DO smell for signs of upset tummy. Budgies who dont eat properly, sick budgies and just plain stressed budgies will have poopy bottoms. It when they also lose body weight that you have to worry and act fast. Feel his chestbone ( keel bone ) and if it feel sharpish to you ...i.e. not much meat over his breastbone, then he is losing weight. My baby budgies start off into the vegies straight away...some of the best you can give them is some grated carrot, finesliced dark greens ( not lettuce ), corn kernels ( not tinned ) and sprinkle some seed over the top. Also some mashed boiled eggs is good too. Putting seed through it helps them think of it as food. Watch out the apple you have given him has no seeds as apple seeds arent good for budgies. Enjoy the forum. Remember there is no such thing as a silly question, so just ask away :fear

 

 

PS I LOVE the name you have given him.

Edited January 19, 200817 yr by KAZ

You received excellent advice. He looks just like my Merlin when he was a baby :rip:, I agree with Kaz on the coloring he is a gorgeous violet. Just to duplicate our FAQ section is awesome and of course always ask questions.

hi and welcome sarah. he is a lovely coloured bird.

Hi and welcome

A beautiful little bird , I love cobalts.

Question , Did you clip his wings or was that done a the pet shop ?

 

Thank you Lonebudgie. :hap:

The pet store clipped his wings - as far as I can tell, that was the difference between the "hand-tamed" and other budgies - the budgies that were kept seperately did not have clipped wings.

Hi Sarah and welcome to the forum. Piccolo does seem to be the age they said he was, and a boy so the pet store got things right there. He is a violet too, and a very pretty violet. Watch the poopy bottom and please DO smell for signs of upset tummy. Budgies who dont eat properly, sick budgies and just plain stressed budgies will have poopy bottoms. It when they also lose body weight that you have to worry and act fast. Feel his chestbone ( keel bone ) and if it feel sharpish to you ...i.e. not much meat over his breastbone, then he is losing weight. My baby budgies start off into the vegies straight away...some of the best you can give them is some grated carrot, finesliced dark greens ( not lettuce ), corn kernels ( not tinned ) and sprinkle some seed over the top. Also some mashed boiled eggs is good too. Putting seed through it helps them think of it as food. Watch out the apple you have given him has no seeds as apple seeds arent good for budgies. Enjoy the forum. Remember there is no such thing as a silly question, so just ask away

 

 

PS I LOVE the name you have given him.

 

Thanks for the tips, Kaz! Piccolo is now happily munching away on seed so I am over the moon. I eat carrot, broccoli, and corn on a regular basis, so I am more than happy to share with my new baby boy. And I will watch for the apple seeds. Being a pet owner is such a learning experience! Haha!

 

For now, I've moved his cage to my computer room - it's smaller than the lounge room and he seems a lot more comfortable in here.

 

A wonderful thing today - he went up along my arm and perched on my shoulder for a while. I'm glad that he's having a little explore around the place. I imagine I'm going to be one of those people who marvels at every little thing - I can't wait!

hi, welcome to the forums

:ygbudgie: How exciting for you that there was an adventure along your arm! Enjoy!!! You know, I foster pets for an animal rescue and now have had pets that I never had before and just get so excited about everything little thing they do!

any updates on the little guy magic lady???

any updates on the little guy magic lady???

 

Yes indeed, Andrew.

Piccolo is doing wonderfully. He is a very intelligent birdy! He sometimes gets a bit nippy (doesn't like being scratched on the head too much still) and got so fascinated with mirrors that I took them out of his cage for now. He now plays with the bells more than anything. :budgiedance:

 

I am worried that, because I now have a new 9-5 job, he might be getting a bit lonely. So there could be another budgie on the way!!

WOW HE IS CUTE AS. No BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

I read that he is a quick learner, Well done, You can still spend nights with him or you can get another one too Just remember to quarratine

WOW HE IS CUTE AS. No BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

I read that he is a quick learner, Well done, You can still spend nights with him or you can get another one too Just remember to quarratine

l agree

Thanks for the update Magic Lady, i just realised he looks exactly like merlin's baby photo!! (Elly's Budgie)

 

EDIT: I just realised Elly already mentioned that sorry

Edited July 29, 200816 yr by Andrew