Another round of questions

[PhobosAndDeimos]

1.) If :budgie: Deimos does a little squeaky warble when I play music, that probably means he likes the song, right?

2.) It's been a few weeks now, that I have had them, and it seems to me they are used to me now. However, I still can't get them to sit on my finger. Does it just take a real long time to get them to do that? Is there a possibility they will never sit on my finger?

3.) Should you only let them out of their cage if they are trained to get on your finger? Obviously, that makes most sense, since you need to get them back in the cage. But, I guess what I'm wondering is if you NEED to let them out, even if they aren't trained, since I can't imagine its good for birds to be caged up all the time.

Thanks again, I appreciate your help!

[Amy]

1.) Yes. Billy loves to do that.

2.) They will just keep trying! I hope They will soon!

3.) Billy and Lily aren't really finger trained, in fact they're still starting perch training! They do go out of their cage sometimes, but... They are sooooo hard to catch!!! So they don't go out much.
So if you want to let them out, be prepared to spare an hour to catch them!
It's best if they are trained.

I hope this helps!

[Budgiekin]

1. I agree with Amy on this one. Your sweetie must really like the music to be making that sound.

2. It can take some budgies several months before they will step on your finger. However, to increase your chances of success (and to have success sooner) is to develop a kind of schedule to finger train your budgies. You can try doing 3 or 4 mini step-up training sessions a day lasting no more than about 5-10 minutes each. It may help to try to do them during the times of day that your budgie is more mellow. Because you have two budgies, you may wish to consider training them separately without the one getting training being able to see or hear the other.

3. I say that it is fine to let your budgies out, even if they are not finger tamed. I have found it helpful to let your budgies out but then hide their cage where they cannot see it. Then what I do is I make a barrier out of blankets around me and my budgies so they can't escape (they have their wings clipped so they can't fly very well) and I train them while they are inside the blanket barrier. I do this one at a time with mine and it seems to work quite well. That way, they can't just go hide out in their cage when I am trying to train them.

[Amy]

Excactly!!!

[PhobosAndDeimos]

If i do let them out of their cage, what is the best way to get them back in? If I always try to grab them with my hands, won't that make them more scared of me?

[Budgiekin]

Well, let's see. What you can do to get your sweeties back in their cages would be to either "towel" them and place them back in yourself, or you can bring their cages back into the room right near them and hope they go in on their own. To towel them, all you would need to do is take a light cloth that is about tea-towel sized and drop it over top of your budgie. Then you gently surround your budgie in the towel, pick them up and let them go in the cage.

If you use the other method and let them go in on their own, they will eventually learn to go in at certain times. For example, my budgies know it is time to go in their cages when they see me putting their toys away.

Anyone have any other ideas?:p

[Amy]

Well I'm having trouble to, so don't ask me!

Any more ideas would be a help to me as well!

[PhobosAndDeimos]

I let them out today for a little while, and I used the 'towel' method to get them back in. They are really cute when they are walking around on the carpet, not knowing what anything is.

[Amy]

At the moment the towel method is difficult as they fly around A LOT!!!!, but when they get their wings clipped it will be LOADS more easier!

(I don't think another budgie could stay in the air longer than Billy or Lily!)

[PhobosAndDeimos]

http://www.talkbudgies.com/photoplog/images/73/medium/1_phobos.jpg

http://www.talkbudgies.com/photoplog/images/73/medium/1_deimos.jpg

here are my little ones hanging out on the carpet.

[Amy]

Aww they're really sweet budgies! Great pics!

[ETAHoffman]

You could always use a net. If BOTH wings are clipped, it makes it a lot easier to control and train the bird. When he realizes you aren't going to hurt him and gets used to you're picking him up, he may also finger train a little easier.

The feathers will grow back on the next moult and, hopefully, by then, the bird will be tame enough you won't have to worry. Your only worry, then, will be open doors........... A good friend lost her trained blue Indian ringneck when a repair man opened the door unexpectedly. Bye, bye ringneck!

[Amy]

Oh dear.:eek: