taming older budgies

[mybirdsareevil]

ive had my two budgies for a while, and for a long time, i never did anything with them. i just started playing with them recently. i feel bad i never did before. it seems pretty hard to tame them, but is it even possible to tame them even though they are older?

[Bea]

Yep, it's very possible to tame older budgies it will just take a lot more time and patience. :) Do everything in the tiniest baby steps you can and try not to rush into things that your budgies are uncomfortable about. Do they have a special food that they LOVE? If they do you can try feeding them that from your hands.

[Budgiekin]

The good news is that it is possible to tame older budgies, but you have to be VERY patient! (Oh yes, and you need to be consistent with the routine!)

I recommend giving your budgies several short training sessions each day. You could consider setting aside three or four (or even more depending on how much time you can devote to taming) sessions of about 10 minutes or less each.

Are your budgies used to having your hand near them? If not, I would recommend starting with just placing your index finger (like a perch) as close to them as you can without them moving away. Gradually, you can move your finger closer and closer each day.

Once they have mastered that and you can get your finger really close (if not touching) their body, then you can start the "step-up" training. To do that, all you need to do is put your index finger out like a perch and then gently press (in a slightly backward and upward direction) your budgie's lower abdomen (where the legs joing the body) and say "step-up" in a nice soothing voice. If they don't actually step up on your finger and act all stubborn, that's okay. Just keep repeating the motion and the command a few times.

You could even consider holding millet near your finger (but far enough that they would have to step up in order to get it) to entice them to get closer to you. Sometimes I tease my budgies with millet; I give them a couple of bites and then pull it far enough away from them that they have to step up onto my finger to get at it. Sometimes they get clever and find an alternative route to the millet (i.e. anything but my finger!), but for the most part, it seems to work pretty well.

I hope this at least gets you off to a good start. Let us know how it goes!

[mybirdsareevil]

my birds love to jump up on my finger now. they will fly across they cage to get to it. i couldnt figure out why at first. i finally figured it out and its a little disturbing. my male bird, is jumping on my hand and trying to mate with it!:eek: he gets all poofy, puts one of his wings on the side of my hand, and shakes his tail!i was kind of surprised when he did it. how can i get him to stop:S