Taming my old budgie

[Ebillan]

We got Joey when he was already a year or two old. He wasn't tamed, and he wouldn't let us hold him, and we never really worked at changing that. But now I feel pretty terrible that the poor guy is stuck in his cage 24/7. It's difficult, but not impossible, I've heard, to tame an older budgie, so I'm going to give it a try.
I started today by just putting my hand in the cage with one of his treats. After a few minutes he moved from the far corner up to the first perch, and he stopped trembling (the poor guy!). It's not much, but I think that's progress.

 

[Toristurtles]

It takes time but he will build trust.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I have been successful at training older budgies. I have that budgies are happier when living with a friend though. Unless you can give it a lot of your time, a little friend really helps to keep them happy.

 

[Ebillan]

He climbed the wall of the cage halfway from the first to the second perch, where my hand was, when I tried again just now.

Joey used to have a friend, but she passed away a couple of years ago :c
Perhaps we could get another though.

 

[Ebillan]

He snapped at me this morning when my hand got too close, but he seemed comfortable after I backed off a bit.

My mum refuses to let us get another bird. So I hope he will let me take him out of his cage, someday.

 

[african cake queen]

hi, it takes time and trust. good luck with the litte guy. lindy

 

[dmarcus]

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you and him...

 

[Amanda1]

We found a stray budgie outside once. We were only able to catch him because he was so focused on eating the seeds my neighbor was planting that he didn't notice us pick him up. We had an extra cage sitting around and no one claimed him, so we had him for 9 years after that.

He wasn't hand tame, and my mom didn't want to get another bird, so we found this toy called the Budgie Buddy (http://allpetz.co.uk/product/Hagen_Budgie_Buddy_Singing_Parakeet_Interactive_Toy_0562220). He LOVED that thing. He would follow it anywhere. So if we needed to get him out, we would just perch the Budgie Buddy on our finger and he would come out too. He wasn't afraid at all as long as he had his little buddy there too.

Hopefully something like that would help. I know you can find them cheap on ebay sometimes. Good luck!

 

[Ebillan]

We found a stray budgie outside once. We were only able to catch him because he was so focused on eating the seeds my neighbor was planting that he didn't notice us pick him up. We had an extra cage sitting around and no one claimed him, so we had him for 9 years after that.

He wasn't hand tame, and my mom didn't want to get another bird, so we found this toy called the Budgie Buddy (http://allpetz.co.uk/product/Hagen_Budgie_Buddy_Singing_Parakeet_Interactive_Toy_0562220). He LOVED that thing. He would follow it anywhere. So if we needed to get him out, we would just perch the Budgie Buddy on our finger and he would come out too. He wasn't afraid at all as long as he had his little buddy there too.

Hopefully something like that would help. I know you can find them cheap on ebay sometimes. Good luck!

That's adorable! I'm going to the pet store tonight, maybe I'll be able to find something like that for him. Thank you! :3

 

[Tom]

Adding a friend will NOT tame him. Quite the opposite. If you want him to be tame, YOU will have to be the "friend" and spend A LOT of time with him.

Back in 1986 it was my job to "tame" all the wild caught imports that came in to the pet shop where I worked, so they could be sold. I developed a great system, and I've used it 100's of times since then.

Here's the short version. It may seem abrupt, but it works really well and fast, AND it uses their natural understanding of hierarchies and social structure. This makes for happy parrots who know where they stand in the world. Throughout this whole process you should remain calm, but emphatic. You want the bird to understand that this IS going to happen, but you are never angry or hostile about it. Just calm and persistent. Relentless, but not threatening. Your demeanor matters here. This is the first time I've typed this over the internet. Usually I "show" people this. It works like a charm every time, because the bird has no other choice.

Reach in there and towel him.
Pull him out and clip his wings. Don't cover his head. Let him see whose restraining him.
Take him to a safe, open area and show him with a gentle toss that he cannot fly anymore.
Calmly, but efficiently herd him into an unobstructed corner and tell him to "step up" while offering your finger. You may get bitten, but come on, its only a little birdie. For anything other than budgies, I would start with a stick for this portion and switch to a hand later on. When he complies and gets on your hand, relax and turn your face and body away from him a little. If he doesn't comply, make him. Don't give him a choice and don't let him run. Your hand quickly becomes the "safe" zone. A sanctuary. After he gets on, wait just a second and them tell him sit here as you carefully roll your hand and put him back on the floor. Gradually wait longer and longer before telling him to "sit here" back on the floor. Then repeat the "step up". After around 10-20 times he will totally "get it", and you will be on your way. Next have him "sit here" on the back of a chair or a perch while you are standing. Repeat the same stuff. "Step up". "Sit here". This will build the foundation you need. In time he will come to accept his position and LOVE it. You can offer treats during good behavior, but he will likely not accept them for a little while. Additionally, I like to train them to accept me holding my thumb over their foot while they are on my hand. This prevents them from flapping off my hand if they get spooked or on a whim. In time you can let the feathers grow back in and train him to fly using operant conditioning techniques and food rewards. The more you train and work with him the happier he will be.

Good luck.

 

[SteveP]

Are his wings clipped?