Posted October 24, 200816 yr Hello, Im new to all of this and was hoping that i may be able to gain some useful advice. We picked up our new baby boy just under two weeks ago from a breeder, at that stage he had been one day out of his breeding box. We brought him home and let him get adjusted to his new cage. Within one day he was stepping up on to my finger and letting me take him out of the cage and within the first few days was happy to sit on our shoulder for a short time. From the very beginning he had a habit of flying to the very top of our wooden venetian blinds each time he came out of his cage - we tried everything to get him to come down but he seems to be a stubborn little thing! My fiance eventually clipped his wing as we did not seem to be getting anywhere with him - even now that his wing has been clipped he still has a fascination with the blinds and is more interested in flying towards them than spending time with us. Any suggestions on why this might be happening?? Secondly and more concerning is that he has started to try and bite my hand when i put my hand in his cage and get him to step up. He seems happy in his cage - he whistles and squarks but does not seem to want to come out. Im trying to bribe him out with millet but he seems cranky with me and more content with sitting in his cage. He has also taken to sitting on his perch and flapping his wings quite vigorously. Im not sure what i'm doing wrong and really want to bond with him. I feel as though we have taken a step backwards - am I missing something??
October 24, 200816 yr Welcome to our forum. Others will be along who are best to advise you about behavioural issues. I just need to advise that the other wing needs clipping too, not just one wing as you have done. Look forward to pictures.
October 24, 200816 yr First you have to get both wings clipped so you can prevent him from trying to fly and flying into a wall. With only one wing cut he may still be able to fly but not straight so he can not steer. Many a budgie have broken their necks flying into walls. If you find he is still flying then his wings have not been cut short enough and if you are afraid to cut them shorter I advise having them done professionally. A bird with a wing clip should not be able to get any lift but not drop dead to the ground either. As for the biting he sounds like he could have had a bad experience with your hands? Has this been recent since the wing clip or anything else you can think of when you may have grabbed him to hold him? Usually birds regress when they have been recently grabbed and then relate the hand to bad vs good. You can change that with again patience. He may also be going through his first molt many budgies get crabby, don't feel well and don't want to come out of their cage during this time. I have written up an article in the FAQ section called Taming Your Budgie, I suggest you read over it and I know you will get a lot of good ideas on how to work with your budgie. Welcome to the forum, keep us updated, and we love pics.
October 24, 200816 yr Author Great, thanks for your help. Will be sure to tend to his other wing. I have to admit that i have noticed the change in his behaviour since we clipped his wing (and it breaks my heart!!) What can I do to get him to trust me again? Here are some pics of Frank Sinatra (we call him Frankie)
October 24, 200816 yr Can we have a clearer front on photo of the cere ? No camera flash and use macro setting. Frankie may be a girl Edited October 24, 200816 yr by KAZ
October 24, 200816 yr Author Oh really? The breeder was very confident he was a little boy - here are some more pics
October 24, 200816 yr I believe your budgie is a girl budgie and depending on age would account for sudden biting behaviour as well as the wing clip thing. Having bred thousand of budgies, it must be said that a hint of blue on a white-ish cere is a female budgie.
October 24, 200816 yr Author Oh dear - will I still be able to train her? Or is her behaviour likely to continue this way??? Im a little disappointed
October 24, 200816 yr The behaviour may be just a pre moult moody thing and both budgie sexes go through that. First things first, clip the other wing. Then give her another place to be in the room besides the cage and the top of the curtains. Make a perching tree. Large interesting branch set in a pot of concrete...as high as your height once in the pot. Make it an interesting branch with lots of perching places and hang some toys off it. Like a home made birdie play gym. That may stop the flying up and way from you. A new and fun place to be....and a fun and easy project for budgie owner. So called breeders come in all varieties. There are some that claim to have experience and knowledge and others that REALLY do The main thing is some people believe any blue on a cere means boy. It doesnt. Dont be disappointed. Frankie is adorable and even females have been known to talk. by the way Frankie is a sky violet spangle amd FRANKIE is also a unisex name. Edited October 24, 200816 yr by Elly BTW changed to by the way
October 24, 200816 yr I agree with Kaz, don't feel disheartened. Girls are just as lovely as the boys, they just tend to be a little quieter and don't (normally) mimic speech.
October 24, 200816 yr She's very pretty! The others have all offered some really good advice. In terms of developing an attachement/taming etc, I have a new-ish budgie who has proven to be a bit timid. I have found spending time with him on my shoulder in a room AWAY from his cage has been really helpful. He was always wanting to just go back to his cage when I got him out to sit on my shoulder. But I have been getting him out and doing stuff in other rooms where he can't see his cage and he's been much better. He even did the dishes with me yesterday! Since I started doing this a couple of weeks ago, he will now sit on my knee or shoulder in the living room (where his cage is) for an hour or so, just nibbling my ears and muttering sweet birdy nothings to my earings! Just be patient with her... a little bit of person/budgie interaction often is much better than a lot of interaction every now and then! Edited October 24, 200816 yr by CaspersRose
October 24, 200816 yr Author Need to adjust to the shock of not having a little boy!!! Does anyone know of anywhere in Melbourne that has decent cages?????
October 24, 200816 yr Hi & Welcome ... You have been given excellent advice on everything ... There are a few members here from Melbourne that will be able to advise you Umm Lets see if I can remembers some of them melbournebudgies AngelicVampyre JimmyBanks and okay I can't remember any more ... There is a great article in the FAQ's and under the cage thread section for the best cage type .... You are better of with WIDE rather then TALL .... http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/i...p;highlight=cag Here ---> INFO FOR BUYING is a list of links for Toys, Cages and etc for your Little Princess Frankie she is a doll ...
October 24, 200816 yr I love ebay for decent cages If you are having trouble with the wing clipping I would be happy to give you a hand depending on where in Melbourne you are
October 24, 200816 yr I agree that you have a female budgie. A very beautiful sky violet opaline spangle. I'm surprised that the breeder let you take her when she was only one day out of the nest, generally chicks should be left with their parents for at least a week after leaving the nest to be sure that they are feeding properly
October 24, 200816 yr I agree Neville, two weeks for me and only if I'm sure they're feeding themselves properly.
October 24, 200816 yr Author Thanks for all your help. One more question - Frankie is flapping her wings like crazy and making the "kakking" budgie noise - is she happy or angry. Oh I have so much to learn....
October 24, 200816 yr I think that's usually a playful thing. If she's still fixed to the branch and not actually flying about then I have noticed they tend to do that playfully and excitedly. If they are flapping and squawking but actually flying around then they could be frightened. Although - given her age, maybe it's also to do with learning how to fly?
October 24, 200816 yr I agree its often an exercise thing. They do it once or twice a day for about a minute - like cats and dogs when they have their crazy bursts of energy. If its lasts longer than a few minutes than it could be stress related.
October 24, 200816 yr Thanks for all your help. One more question - Frankie is flapping her wings like crazy and making the "kakking" budgie noise - is she happy or angry. Oh I have so much to learn.... Flapping wings is flying exercise...kind of like a BUDGIE HOVERCRAFT thing The ack ack noise is a hen noise and most means move over or get out of my way.
October 24, 200816 yr You can regain her trust with the things you did in the beginning, have you had a look at the taming article in the FAQ section yet?
October 24, 200816 yr they could also just want to make some noise, my budgie did this after about a week and it lasted about a week then stopped, its genrally when there is alot of noise going on like we me and my brother come home from school or your doing the dishes... good luck and welcome!
