Becomming more scared of me..

[aaugman]

Is it normal for my ike to become more scared ? i've had him now for 3 weeks, and the past few days hes becomming increasingly more irratable with me trying to get him to come out of his cage, he used to squark alittle bit but now has realised if he squarkes enough and jumps away enough i'll let him go becasue i dont want him to get to0 mad at me. he'll peck abit too, nothing that hurts just letting me know hes not too happy. and will still sit on my finger and then jump off onto a perch, if when i start trying to get him out of the cage he'll jump off right when we get to the door, its a large cage with a large door and i make sure he's not going to hit his head on the cage. Should i try a different cage with an even larger door ? i built him a glass octagon cage at my work for when he would be ready to travel, should i take that home for him, it doesn't have a top bt has high walls so he wouldn't be able to get out.

or do u think he was just feeling alittle crabby ? and i should not change anything ?

[BirdieBabi]

If your saying it's a big cage you shouldn't have to get an even bigger one. I think since he's gettting even MORE scared than he already was, you should go back to your last step of hand training him. He must not feel comfortable with how your getting him out of the cage. Please DO NOT (not saying you are) grab him. This makes everything worse and will get him even more scared.

Other than that, just talk to him and try to not take him out, instead, get him used to your hand being in the cage. Once he doesn't do anything, put him on your finger and he shouldn't fly back to the perch (they tend to do that:) )

[Donna]

BirdieBabi is right. The cage size doesn't matter so please don't invest in another cage. I felt like you when I first got my Budgies. I would make progress and then the next thing I knew, my Budgies would run from me again. It can be very frustrating but don't give up.

My suggestion would have also been to just let your Budgie get comfortable with your hand resting in the cage and then when you get him on it (or your finger) just keep your hand still and let him stay there. You can talk softly to him and that way he will feel more reassured that everything is okay. You might even try feeding him millet as a treat while he rests there and then he'll know he is being rewarded for staying on your hand. Budgies can't resist millet and they'll come to you just to get a taste if you are patient. You can even try holding the millet out in front of your Budgie when he runs but wait till he stops running and then hold it still and talk to him. He'll soon start trusting you and come to eat it from your hand.

Having your Budgie for 3 weeks is really not that long. It takes a good 3 weeks to a month just for your Budgie to start feeling comfortable. He has to get used to the sounds and movements around him and some Budgies are more nervous than others. Give it youself a lot more time. It's worth being patient for. I don't know how often you work with your Budgie but if you try to work with him even a couple of times a day for short periods of time (10 min. or so) you may have better results. The more they are with you, the better the results.

Let us know how things go.

Donna

[redgirl]

It takes time so please dont rush him, he will come to you when hes ready so you dont need to grab him or force him out of his cage, just keep talking to him and keep putting your hand in the cage, eventually he will be fine and will become more tame with you.x

[aaugman]

he is fine with my hand in the cage and if i press my finger against his breast bone he gets on my finger and will sit there for a sec but then jumps off, he wont get on my finger because he wants to, i've worked with him everyday since i got him, and in the first week it was amazing how tame he was, holding him taking him in and out of his cage wasn't a problem at all, thats why i'm abit confused. when ever i'm in the room i leave his drawbridge door open and he has no desire to venture out. i'm going to try and put some millet on the end of the door and see what happens with that.

thanks for all your help everyone, its very welcomed and i do appretiate it.

[parakeetluverr]

I agree with Elise. (Birdiebabi.) The cage size shouldn't matter, he's probably just really timid right now with you and the surroundings. I'm not saying it's your fault, it seems to me you're doing an excellent job so far and making the right decission to not grab and pull and be patient with him. Like Birdiebabi said, talk with him gently and do not rush him. My Skye was like this, too, but when I got October, he saw her doing it and learned in about a day and half. Good luck, and the millet is a good idea.:)

[aaugman]

is it possible he is just older than i thought and already knows hes a bird and only wants to be with other birds ?hes sitting on a perch i made for him next to my computer and is chirping and is all puffed out and hes making that grinding noise, so that would suggest hes happy right ? he has no desire to fly around, would it be a bad idea to let him hang out all the time outside of a cage ? hes in a safe room, ther isn't anything that he can get hurt on. would he be more apt to being with me if he didn't have his cage ?

[budgiesmum1953]

I think a cage is needed even if your little budgie just goes in when he feels like a rest. When we had Harry he hated to go in his cage, but would sit on top of it and on the front (outside perches) all his food etc was on the outside too! But as with Harry if they aren't used to a cage it's a nightmare to get them to go in if you need to take them to the vet or anywhere else. So it's always good if they will use a cage, if only now and again.
Just an idea concerning Ike's sudden temperament change, it probably sounds silly but have you changed any article of clothing for something with a bolder design? Harry used to hate my son's stripey shirt, Harry would go thin and back away, you know how they go when they are scared. And years ago I used to have a budgie that hated my bright nail polish! He wouldn'y come anywhere near my hand if I had painted nails! I believe that they are very sensitive to changes in their visual surroundings. It was just a thought and might help to find out what's going on with Ike.
The puffed out and grinding noise all makes for a very contented budgie, Harry used to do that just before he fell asleep, so Ike must feel safe and contented with you. He's very lucky to have such a caring dad, and I'm sure that you'll be patient with him.
Jan. XXX.