Should I get him a friend

[AndyTDI]

Hi all

I have had Billy for about 5 months now. He is still not tame but will sit on your hand, I think only because his wings are clipped :rolleyes: .

I have two questions.

1. Since getting his wings clipped he will not come willingly out of his cage and when he is out his sole purpose in life is to get back to his cage:( . The only way I can get him out is to take the bottom off his cage then chase him round until he comes down off the side. Once out he will sit on your finger or shoulder but only because he has no choice as he can't fly. Is this normal for a budgie to refuse to come out of the cage?

2. Our local pet shop has some budgies in that have the stripes to about 2 or 3 mm from the top of their nose so I presume they are quite young. My question is what would happen if we got one of these budgies, obviously with another cage. What I mean is would it help Billy to become more relaxed or would it just cause the new Budgie to be less tame.

Thanks

Andy

[Animallover]

My answers might not be what you're looking for...

In Jan. I got 2 budgies. I never could get them to come out of the cage by themselves, but by putting treats (millet, carrots, apple), they got to the point where they sort of let me catch them to take them out of the cage, and they enjoyed it. But when I let their wings grow back, and they realized that they could fly back to their cage, instead of using my shoulder, they wouldn't let me do anything with them anymore. So, I guess it's normal. (But I don't think I spent enough time with them to tame them; they mostly bonded with each other.)

In June I got another budgie, and on the very first day she was home, when I had the other 2 out of their cage, she figured out how to open her cage door. She came right out and perched next to the others! But I still haven't gotten her used to me, yet. She's been a lot more difficult than the other 2.

Well, those might have been weird answers, but good luck with Billy!

[Donna]

Hello,

Something you might try doing is buying one of those plastic perches that you can attach to the bars of the cage.

I have placed one on the OUTSIDE of each of my cages (right next to the door opening) and then I leave the door open on the cage. When I did this it was just a matter of five minutes or less and my Budgies were jumping out of the cage on their own. They love to perch there. Once your Budgie is there, don't try to rush into anything but just let him sit there and you can sit back a little from him and talk to him. As he feels more comfortable with his surroundings, he'll probably not be so quick to run. He might even want to just climb up the sides of the cage and perch on top. Mine do that all of the time. And they get a lot of exercise when they can climb around.

If you just spend some time around Billy and talk to him and let him get used to being around you, he'll probably just hop out on the perch all by himself and you won't even have to try and chase him out. The thing is, you can quickly close the cage door once Billy is out and on the perch and that way he can't jump right back in again.

I hope this helps. Let us know what happens.

Donna

[AndyTDI]

Thanks for the reply's.

His cage door is pretty much always open and we have a perch inside his cage at door level and also a landing perch on the outside. Since we had his wings clipped and he realised he could not fly he does not venture outside his cage unless I force him out.

His flight feathers are now growing back so hopefully when this happens and he can fly again he will come out again, but I doubt he will then come anywhere near us again.

At the moment if I get him out he will sit on your hand no problem but you can tell he is not happy as he stays all skinny and looks like he is panting (you know opening and closing his beak quickly ) and as I said before his whole purpose in life is to get back to his cage :rolleyes:

I am beginning to think it would be better for him if I found a breeder or some one with an aviary and let him go to them as I just can't see him enjoying his life :(
Do you think this is a good idea? Would he be better off with lots of other budgies?

It's not me being bothered about him being tame, it's more about will he ever be happy because at the moment it does not look like he will. He never really fluffs up like other budgies and as soon as you walk anywhere near his cage he goes all skinny again and just looks terrified.

Will he ever be happy because I don't think so?

[Adottybird]

There is another factor in how well your budgie does with human contact. Just as in people budgies have different personalities. Some are just more out going then others.

Donna gave some excellent ideas on trying to get your budgie out of his cage. Do take your time and go slow and easy with your budgie. Best of luck!

Dotty

[Donna]

Hello AndyTDI,

I just thought about a couple of other options for you. I understand your concern for wanting your Budgie happy and that shows that you are a great Budgie owner because you care so much about your Budgies happiness and well-being. Please don't give up on your Budgie yet.

I was thinking about someone who posted on the forum earlier. They said that their Budgie was alone (with no other Budgies in the house) and it was always very quiet and never chirped or did anything. They said it didn't even want to play inside of the cage. This person ended up buying a 2nd Budgie and put them together and the whole personality and demeanor of the Budgie changed. All of a sudden the Budgie was happy and played and began singing. Maybe that is all your Budgie needs is a companion to play and cuddle with.

Truthfully, your Budgie's fear might leave if he has someone to draw close to and feel secure with. I know you are doing what you know how to do but maybe this is one Budgie that won't do well on it's own without another Budgie friend.

The cage is the first place a Budgie will run if it's scared and feels insecure. If your Budgie was outside the cage and you had the cage door closed, it would probably just climb up the cage and perch there And if he does, just let him remain there for awhile to adjust. My Budgies can't wait to get outside the cage to play and roam. But then again, they have two other Budgie friends to play with.

You may not want 2 Budgies, and if that's the case, then I can understand your concern for wanting to place it with someone else who does have more Budgies.

I have 3 Budgies and only one of them will actually hop on my hand on it's own. The others will too, but only to eat seed from my hand. I truly believe your Budgie will calm down if you just give him some more time. Think about it though -Another Budgie might be all you need to complete this Budgie's happiness. :)

Hang in there - and let us know how things go!

Donna

[redgirl]

Donna has given you really good advice, let us all know how it goes xx

[AndyTDI]

I think I will wait until his flight feathers have grown back and see how he is out of his cage, then make the decision if I should get another budgie.

Thanks for all the advice