Crazy budgie

[tenmouse]

:S I have an 18 month old cock budgie who has always pecks at metal objects. Despite me covering various metal objects with tape etc. he still pecks at our chrome taps, our gold plated door handles etc. etc. He has a fettish for mugs and though I have now hidden them if I take one out of the cupboard he flies straight to it and goes crazy if I try and take it away. I am wondering whether he has lead poisoning and if this can cause him to be hyperactive. I bought him a mate recently and she is very docile but he is manic ALL the time. If he is not let out of his cage he paces up and down and jumps all around it till he is let out. What can I do to calm him down and stop him attacking us all when we have something he wants?? Please help.

[Budgiekin]

It doesn't sound like your little sweetie has lead poisoning since with that illness, he would likely show signs of being very ill and deteriorate pretty quickly. A significant sign of lead poisoning is blood in the urine. This illness can progress to seizures, vomiting and extreme lethargy. From what you have said, your budgie has the opposite issues; he is hyper.

It sounds like you have a very energetic little boy budgie. What size cage is he in? If it is a small cage, then it is no surprise that he is hyper and wanting to get out; given that he seems to have an innately energetic disposition. You will need to make sure he gets enough exercise, and allow him to do that.

Also, it will be up to you to keep items out of site that cause the reaction you are getting from him. There is really no other way to stop the behaviour you are seeing from him without doing that. Cover up the objects he is becoming so aggressive about with a towel or blanket, and see how he does.

If you want to settle him down, you could consider covering his cage (at least most of it, if not all of it) with a blanket for a little while during his hyper episodes. He may settle down if you do that.

Hmmm, other than that, I am not sure what else I can tell you. It will be up to you to keep the items out of site and not have him out of his cage when you are getting your mugs from the cupboard etc. Let us know how he is doing! :p

If you are concerned at all about your budgie's health, which it doesn't sound like you need to be, I would certainly bring him to an avian vet for an exam. If you are not aware of an avian clinic near where you live, you can look them up here:

http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup/

[Amy]

Yes that is a good site, try it out.

[Rie]

I'm Not sure there really sounds like there's anything wrong with that bird. He sounds like a barrel of laughs. I love it when Gus is hyper, i just sit back and p**s myself with laughter while he has tantrums at his toys, i say embrace it.

[tenmouse]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am sure Sky is not ill but just hyperactive. I have done as suggested and removed all the things that he 'possesses' and he was amazed to find no stainless still pedal bin and no mugs around but just sat on the curtain rail talking in English, French, Arabic and Polish. I bought him and his mate Tiger a really big cage with lots of new toys in it and already Sky seems to be much calmer.
Thanks again to you all.

[Rob_B]

An old budgie i had used to sit underneath a bell he had and chew the metal dangly bit for hours! must have liked the metallic taste? Its something i have seen in varying degrees with most budgies i've ever had!

[Mistyoriline]

Maybe get him a small...small piece like bottle cap to get his frustration out on.

[Amy]

That sounds like a good idea, you could try it....