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Yes, keep on talking softly to him while sitting nearby. And reading to him. And offering fruits and veggies, although he may reject those things for quite a while yet. Budgies don't usually accept new foods readily. Make sure he has plenty of millet, if that's what he's eating, and lots of fresh water. It does take a lot of time and patience and love to earn a bird's trust. Right now, he views you as a predator who intends to eat him. It is a good idea to make an appointment now with the avian vet for his first well-bird check-up. You can have his nails groomed at that time, too, of course. Since you don't want him flying wildly about your house (which is the perfect opportunity for injury or death), I would suggest that you either keep that cage door closed or have his wings trimmed by the vet, too. And last, but not least, you might consider covering the back half of his cage during the day with the cover that you use over the whole cage at night. It will make him feel a bit more protected. Be sure that his cage is placed so he can see what folks are doing nearby but where he is also out of the major traffic pattern. And, hopefully, you purchased a cage that is big enough for him to fly, climb, swing, flap, and play rough with toys so he'll also have room to move to the back for quiet time. The most important things to remember are: start out right with a vet visit, to make sure that he's healthy. And, time, patience, and love. |
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Thanks birdlady. I'll continue to do the things you've suggested. I didn't think that he'd see me as a predator though that makes sense of course. Won't taking it to the vet scare it even more at this time? Though I know it's important to check it's health. I wish the pet shope did that but that's what I get for getting it from a shop and not an independent source. Do I just take it in the box that I was given? They said his wings were already clipped. The prospect of doing the wing clipping and trimming the claws (though I know I need to learn) seems intimidating for me right now due to the possible/probable bleeding. I did okay with my cat but that's different (don't have one anymore not to worry). Yes the cage is big enough for two birds let alone one, has four perchs, a swing, cuttle bone, I've covered the top and back side of the cage for comfort too, food out and accessible. I may move the cage but am afraid to at this time as not to disturb him further. He's not flying anywhere at the moment. He stays in the same corner. There I go being long winded again. Thanks for reading about my situation and for any and all support given. Caroline |
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Taking your friend to the vet will be a bit upsetting for him but it's rather like taking a child to the doctor or dentist. It has to be done. The upset is short lived and soon forgotten. There is no reason why you should even attempt to trim nails or clip wings until you have observed a professional doing it often enough that you are comfortable trying it under their tutelage. Using the box that you were given as a travel cage is probably a good idea. Good luck. |
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I have two male bugies, I bought them together. I didn't want just one, because I thought one would be lonely for the others that were left behind at the pet store. I can tell you they don't always get along, there always has to be a leader. But they have each other....... Think about getting another one. He may perk up! Bluefeather |
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Thanks for your caring responses to my budgie concerns. Yes, I'll see if the Avian vet will show me how to best trim the claws and wings or recommend someone. Too bad someone wasn't near me maybe they could help me out. I should check the newspapers maybe. He's doing a bit better today as he actually moved to the other perch located closer to the front of the cage. I read to him for a shor time today and just need to remind myself to be patient and speak softly. I'll shout out if I'm having problems. Thanks again. Caroline/KoOky |
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Originally I wanted to get two together but then I was advised that if I want the budgie to bond with me not to get two and to avoid getting a mirror as they sometimes bond to the mirror (go figure). I'm confused as I get different info from different people/sources. For example I was told the cere was blue for a boy and pink for a girl but I thought it was brown for a girl? I'll keep it to one for now and see how that goes. I was hoping one day that he'd be on my chest cupped in my hands and let me hold him but that's a long ways off if at all. Thanks, Caroline/KoOky |
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Caroline, if you have any trouble finding an avian vet close to you (they can be hard to find), I can recommend an excellent one in Abbotsford. Just let me know if you want his name. He used to groom all my guys for me when I lived there. Abby |
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| | From:  momnoah | Sent: 4/7/2006 8:43 AM |
Hi Caroline, I have 14 birds.. mostly cockatiels. I agree with the one bird if you want one very tame and to bond to you. If you just want birds to look at and listen to, another would keep it company and make it feel more secure for they are flock birds of course. I tend to avoid mirrors with most of my tiels. Some birds get defensive of their territory and attack it, not liking the "intruder". Others like their reflection so much they don't want to leave it and can become protective of it.. even attacking the owner as they clean the cages. Some birds seem to like them, draw comfort from them but treat them as any other toy. I think with that it's your choice and trial and error. JMHO though. As for sexing your budgie, most of the time baby budgies look alike. As they get older, the boys ceres get varying shades of blue, the girls turn to pinkish, then white, then tannish.. They don't get brown until they are in breeding mode. Hope this helps clear it up. Feel free to ask any questions you like.. we all had a first bird at some point in time. I wish a group like this had been available when I got my first bird! Keep trying the veggies and occasionally small amouts of fruit. It sometimes takes a while to get them warmed up to it, but they will love it once they try it and it's great for them. |
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Thanks Abby. I'll keep your offer in mind though Abbotsford is a bit of a drive from Coquitlam. Thanks Momnoah. Yes I'd like Howie to bond with me so I'll keep him on his own for now and see how things progress. Today was a breakthrough day as I got him to step up on my finger. It was a wee bit of a fuss getting him out of the cage and getting him back in but the bites weren't that bad..lol. Thanks for the info and guidance. Yes I'm glad that there is this group to go to with questions. It's a real comfort and source of information that one gets really quickly. Much appreciated. Caroline |
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I got Howie to sit on my shoulder yesterday though it's still a fuss to get him in and out of his cage. Is there an easier way to do this? I use a oven mitt cover. Seems he has trouble trusting me again the next day and I wonder if it's the catching him that's the problem. I'd still have to do this at times in future but would like to do it with less fuss. Any suggestions? He still mostly sits in a corner of the cage though he has perches above him and he's not singing either. I've been talking/reading to him and whistling. Caroline & Howie |
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Bumping this up for any responses.  |
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| | | From: momnoah | Sent: 4/18/2006 12:33 AM |
Hi Caroline, I'm glad you have made some progress with Howie. It sounds like you have a shy bird there. And yes, I think that forcing him out of the cage could be causing him to be less trusting. As a rule, I don't force mine out of their cages unless there is a problem. I open the door and let them come out on their own. I'll then transfer them to a play gym or other cage to do cleaning, etc. Their cage should be their sanctuary.. their safe place. I try not to 'invade' that premise. With Howie being shy, you might need to entice him out with a treat. If you do it slowly and gently so as not to scare him, you might get him to step up onto a perch and get him out that way. You might also want to either partially cover the cage and/or set up the toys etc so that he can 'hide'. Just to be on the safe side, if you haven't already, a trip to the vet to make sure there are no physical problems might be in order. Budgies by nauture are usually very active and love to chatter... since Howie isn't moving around much, I think a check up is in order. JMHO |
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Okay thanks for your input Momnoah. What is JMHO? Your initials? I'm not up on the on-line lingo as yet...lol. |
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JMHO = just my humble opinion, Caroline. On the left sidebar, there is a link called "Chat Abbreviations". It gives a lot of the short forms that are also used on the boards. Another one that might be helpful is "Bird Acronyms". I put that together when I first started reading posts, six years or so ago, since I didn't know what sort of bird people were talking about! lol Abby |
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Thanks Abby and everyone. It's been awhile since I posted here. Howie is doing much better now. I did cave in and got another budgie, who I thought was male at first but surprise is female, Nellie as company for him. He sure is happy to have her around and doesn't quit singing now. Thank goodness it's only sun up to sun down and then there's the nap breaks lol. I'm concerned about babies as I'd rather not have her have any. Someone told me that as long as there isn't anywhere to nest she won't have any. They both like romaine lettuce, broccoli, alphalfa and canteloupe. So doing okay on that score now. Ta Ta for now. KoOky |
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