How To Train your Budge. *Video inside*

[Stipe]

Hi My name is Stipe, I am new to this forum but not new to keeping all kinds of birds. This is one of the best forums i have been two but i noticed it didnt have much training information. At the moment i own one blue budgie called Chipie. I have owned alot in the past but non which i have bothered to train. Trainign for me is somthing i do as a prefesion as i work at a local pet shop. Ok lets begin...

Firstly training a budgerigar is not at all difficult, it just required alot of patience and trust. The first thing that be achieved is trust between the budgie and its owner. So this is why training must be limited to one person for the first month or so until the budgie gains enought trust between that person and ofcourse other humans. The person incharge of the training should be alone with the budgie to avoid stressing the bird and each training session should last from 10 to 20 minutes and be done at least twice a day. Training should be done in a room with no other people and with no other distractions such as mirrors, Televisions, radios and other animals/birds. Just you and the budgie.

Ok now lets get into the basic steps.

STEP ONE: BUILDING TRUST
When you begin your training sessions, your budgie will probably not trust you at first, especially if he/she hasn't been handled very much by people. So your first steps are to build a trusting relationship.

These sessons should last between 10-20 minutes and done at least 2-3 times per day.

Stage 1 : By now you may have noticed that your budgie is afraid of your hands and runs away from you. This is basicly due to him or her having limited human interaction and its your duty to now get him or her used to you. The first thing you should try is to put your hand near the cage in your budgie's view. Stay as still as you can and speak in a gentle soothing voice leting your budgie know that all is well and not to be afraid. After about 5-8 days of these sessions you should be able to move on to the next stage.

Stage 2 : Now we move the the next stage. Slowly open the cage door and slowley move your hand into the cage. Leave your hand in the cage in a non-threatening state. Your budgie may be frightened at first, but should start calming down as time passes. I personly recommend doing about 6-8 days of these sessions or until your budgie beginds to relise that you are not a threat.

Stage 3 : Now me move on the one of the last staging in building basic trust between you and your budgie. Now for the net couple of days during your taming sessions, bring some treats into the cage with you. Treats could include millet spray or dark leafy or somthing else your budgie is farmiliar with and loves to nibble on. Hold the treat in your hand in a non-threatening position. Place your hand near a perch or other area where your budgie likes to stay or its favorite spot and try give the budgie the the treat in your hand. It may take a while for your budgie to come over to get the treat, so be patient. At first it may help to hold the treat so that its farthest end from your hand. Now Slowley with each lesson bring the food closer and closer to your hand until it is near the tips of your fingers. It may take around 5 sessions until your budgie will eat a treat from your hand. This is important in the trust building exercise so please make sure he or she is confortable with you until you move on.

Ok this is the first lessons i will post, the others and soem videos will folow very soon.

[Stipe]

STEP TWO: HAND TRAINING
This basic hand training lesson is to try and get your bird onto your hand and out of the cage which is a relitivley simple process. Basicly your budgie has learned by now that his or her cage is a safe place, so it may take some practice to get him/her out.

Stage 1 : Now that your bird trusts your hand near it, it is time to try and get it onto your finger. Basicly we will start by slowley moving your nad towards the bird and if it is not frightened we can move on. Ok now Hold your hand that one of your fingers, preferably the inde finger is in a perch position. Now there are a coulpe of methods to get him or her onto your finger. One would be to try and lure it with a treat and the other basic of is to put your finger near its breast jsut above its feet. Ok if your budgie wont go on, please dont chade it aroudn the cadge but go slowley and build some trust and soon it will go on. Now lets try with a treat. Hold the reat over your hand so that your budge has to get onto your finger to get it. If your budgie gets onto your finger, reward it and say how good it is doing. If it jumps of try again until it stays on, rewarding it each time. Now its time to move on to the next stage.

Stage 2 : Now with your budgie in your hand slowly take it out of its cage whilst talking to it gently and in a calm voice. Try not to frighten it. Now ther is no doubt that he or she will try and jump of back to the cage. If it does that, do not threat but go back and slowley retrieve it. This may tgake a while but every little step is worth while in the end. If all esle fails, take him out while holding a treat and this will hopefuly distract him or her while they are taken otu of the cage.

Stage 3 : Now with your budgie saftly out of the cage it is time to show him how much freedom he can have out of the cage. let him or her roam around and explore, leaving treats here and there for it to find. If it trusts you a far bit, put it on your finger or shoulder and carry it around, showing it that you are a ticket to fast travel. After a week or two its tiem for the next stage.

[Stipe]

STEP THREE: ADVANCED HAND TRAINING

Now this step is basicly the end point of building trust between your bird and you. The goal is to finish taming oyur bird and giet him or her used to your hand. This training must take place away from its cage, preferably in a nother room that is safe for yoru bird and stress free. Prepare the room by getting rid of or coverign all the distractions and noises and clsoe the blinds. Finaly make sure that all danger like, cups, candles, fires, hot objects , fans and water are removed. These sessions shoudl last around 20 minutes and 2-3 times a day.

Now remove your budgie from the cage and walk to the bird safe room keeping your b ack the the cage and your bird infront of you so it cant see the cage and atempt to fly back. In the room, sit on the floor or a couch with your budgie on your hand. Give him a treat. If he flies away from you, retrieve him. Talk to him gently and calmy. All i recomend for the first session is to hold him or her and talk to it. Keep the bird ar eye level and makesure it is paying atention to your and its surroundigns not going to sleep.
After the session is over, take him back to his cage and put him inside. Do thsi for a few days then we will begin the step up and other lessons.

Again take your budgie into the training room. THe only thing nwo is that you will not give him a treat until later. Now we begin the step up. With it on your finger use your other index figner and gently press at its breast, encouraging it to get onto your finger. When it does, say the words "step up" or "up" as it does and give it a treat at the end. Now repeat the process a nober of times a reward him each tim adn talk to him or her while you are doing it.

After a few times have a rest, then start again. After a couple of sucessful times he should be getting up onto your finger with out the command, even thought the comand should be used. Once It gets used to it, hold of the treat until it makes the step up a coupld of times.

Here is the video of the procedure (vido comming up in like 10 minutes, still editing it, jsut hold up)

Now that your budgie knows how to step-up, it is tiem to introduce him your other parts of your body, like your head, shoulder or even your beer belly :).

Now that your budgie is well tamed, slowly introduce him to the rest of the areas of the house that he will be allowed to enter and let him or her roam freely. Leave treats out for it to find and start to introduce it to your daily activities, like watching tv, doing study or homwork, playing games with the family.

How that a coupld of months has pased it time to introduce it to your other family members and even teach it to speek if it has not already learned to.

SOON TO COME, HOW TO TEACH YOUR BUDGIE TO TALK OR MIMIC SOUNDS. WONT BE LONG, I PROMISE :)

[Stipe]

Video will not be up intill late tonight or tommorow, im jsut so busy. All comments will be accepted as well a squestions

[Dave]

Thanks for helping us with our training information. :) It's very appreciated. I added your article too, by the way.

[abel]

Thanks for sharing!

[Stipe]

THankyou, video is commign soon, by the end of the night....i hope :P :)

[Adottybird]

Can't wait for the video!! I so excited!!

Dotty :)

[jamesam16]

How do you train a budgie when your scared? I get scared when it flies everywhere and goes to my hand?(I know this is a stupid question, but how can I train my 2 budgies?)