Why is Sunny so...

[Sunny baby]

bored? I've nicknamed him, Lump on a log :rolleyes:

He has lots of toys, I purchase new ones every time I go to a store that sells pet stuff. I have change his cage around a bazillion times, thinking he didn't like where I put things. And he still doesn't play with any of his toys, he's quiet most of the day too. He doesn't want to try new foods, i'm desperately trying to get him off of his seed diet, to no avail, he's sooooo stubborn, even when he eats the avicakes he will totally eat around the pellets and would rather starve than eat them, i've also tried many fresh fruits and veggies.:(

He does get happy when I get home from work, he does the leg and wing stretchy thing.lol He's getting close to learning "step up". he is totally comfortable with my hands in his cage, he eats from my hands and I can pet him. He has not been out of his cage yet, I don't think he should be until he learns "step-up" (am I wrong?)

Let's see, is there anything else I need to let you know about? Oh, I've had him since 12/27/05.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

[Bea]

Hmm...maybe he's just one of these budgies who's not into playing. I think you're right to not let him out until he knows the step up command. Although it has been quite a while so i dunno, maybe if he doesn't learn soon you should begin to let him out in a small room with few landing spots so he has to land on you.

[Sunny baby]

Thanks Bea. Right now I don't have a a room with few landing spots, wish I did. Plus I don't think I could get him out of his cage anyway, I leave the door open most of the time when i'm in my computer room and he never leaves his perches (don't tell my cats,lol).

I did foget to add that he won't even touch a cuttle bone, he has two kinds, the plain one and one with a flavored mineral block around it

[Budgiekin]

Hi Sunny baby. My advice for the food issue is to keep offering him the foods you want him to eat. Eventually, he may decide to check them out. For things like veggies, consider eating them in front of your budgie so he can see how yummy they are.

Also, to help get him onto pellets, one thing you can try is taking out his seeds when you put him to bed at night. When you first get your sweetie budgie up in the morning, he won't have seeds, but rather just the pellets available. After an hour or two, put the seeds back in the cage for him. Your budgie should be hungriest in the morning and may start munching the pellets because there isn't anything else to eat for those first one or two hours. Just don't forget to put the seeds back in after that time since you don't want the little fellow to starve! Gradually you can delay putting the seeds in until a bit later in the day.
I certainly don't object to my budgies having seeds. In fact, they have both pellets and seeds in their cages at all times and they do eat both. They also always have fresh veggies (broccoli and carrots are a couple of the most nutrient-dense veggies) and occasionally some fresh fruit (like strawberries and a chunk of apple without the seeds or core) plus cuttle bone and mineral block. It is good to balance things so they get nutrients from a variety of sources.

It takes a lot of patience to get your budgie to vary their diet. I totally understand what you are going through. So, just be patient and as I had said, keep offering him the foods you want him to eat every day, regardless of whether he actually eats that food or not.

As far as your perch potato goes, some budgies just aren't as active as others, nor do they seem to really be into the toys you buy. I wouldn't worry. Keep offering those things and perhaps sometime soon, he will show a preference for a certain kind of toy (for example, those with bells, or those with leather to chew). Then you can purchase more of those kinds of toys, rather than the kinds he doesn't seem to like as much.

In terms of letting him out of his cage, it wouldn't be a bad idea to train him to step-up in his cage before letting him out. However, if several weeks have passed and he hasn't been out, I would go ahead and let him out.

Are his wings clipped? Just curious.

Hope this helps!

[Sunny baby]

Thanks Bungiekin! They clipped his wings when I got him, but i'm sure they are close to being grown in again. So once he has the hang of "step up" I will take him in and get his wings clipped again.

I can't really do the seed thing 1-2 hrs after he wakes up, I have to be at work in the morning. What I do is put the seed in the bottom of the cup then I break up some aviacakes and nutri-berries on the top so if he wants the seeds he has to dig for them.lol I tried just doing it without seeds and he would rather starve himself, literally. :eek:

Well thanks for the help, and I guess as long as he's happy he doesn't have to play with his toys.

[Shiney_things]

You could try and turn food into a toy... Get a strip of plain cotton sheeting and sew some veggies onto it then hand it in his cage, or sew his faveroite treat onto it so that he has to work to get at it. This is good mental stimulus for a budgie that dislikes toys!:) Hope this helps.

[parakeetluverr]

I agree with Shiney things and Sunny baby.