laska and niebos training journal [Archive]

xxloverxx

12-06-2009, 02:46 PM

Wednesday 2nd December

I intended to begin simply by putting my hand into the cage and letting them get used to it.

Instead, when I was putting a seed topper into the cage, first Laska, then Niebo decided that they really wanted it, so had a nice little munch from my hand which was lovely :)

Thursday 3rd December

After the success the day before, I decided to put some seed in my hand and see if they would eat from my hand.
This was a great success!!!

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_0928.jpg

Friday 4th December

I began the day by letting them eat some seeds out of my hand again.
I also let them eat some of a seed topper.

The most part of the day however, was leaving them to their own devices and leaving the cage door open to see if they would come out.
(I am aware that the "best" way to teach is to have them step up before you ever let them out of the cage, but I like them to have their freedom, so even if it takes longer, I want them to have free range of the living room)

This was a success and after only 10 minutes or so, they were out.
They spent the best part of the day on top of the cage and didnt fly about very much, but they did extremely well to even come out!!!

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_0930.jpg

xxloverxx

12-06-2009, 03:00 PM

Saturday 5th December

Well, training took a bit of a step backwards today. My son (he's only a baby so doesnt know better) got the spare perch from the shelf under their cage and banged it on the bars whilst I was making dinner. It didnt take long for me to come in and stop him, but they both seemed really stunned.
They were in shock and breathing quite quickly too.
I decided (the wrong decision I feel) to catch them and check them over.
Even more stupid I didnt use a towel or anything, so it was REALLY silly on my part - i dont know what I was thinking really.
Thankfully they were both fine.

They spent a lot of time out of the cage and were flying around the living room too.

Niebo has a favourite spot on top of the curtains :)

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_0943.jpg

I needed to go and buy milk so that my son could go to bed. I waited for an hour for them to go back into their cage by themselves, but it didn't happen so I ended up having to catch them and put them back into the cage.

When I came back, I caught them and brought them out of the cage (again, dont know what I was thinking)
All in all a really bad day. I made silly mistakes and ruined whatever trust I had built up already - I can see that now. Hopefully this doesn't affect our relationship forever and I will still manage to tame them.

Sunday 6th December

After yesterday they are a bit wary of my hand again still. Me and my idiotic mistakes.
I had to catch Laska and check his claws as well which has made it worse.

Since they will sit still if I keep my hand still though, I decided to start "perch" training.

I got a spare perch and showed them a seed topper. They only got to eat any of the seed topper if they were stood on the perch.

This has been quite tricky with the 2 of them.
Laska has grasped the concept very quickly - he's very intelligent. He knows that he has to stand on the perch to get the treat, so he will put one foot on there because he knows he will get what he wants. Once he is a bit more secure, I will train him not to do that any more!!!!

Niebo is taking a bit longer to grasp the concept though. It is, however, my fault. Niebo jumps on the perch when Laska is on there, but he jumps to the back sometimes. If I try to move my hand to give him a treat, they both fly away. So he doesnt end up with a treat every time he steps onto the perch.

I am waiting for the clicker I have ordered to arrive. Once this gets here, the problem will be solved and I will begin clicker training, I don't think they will have any problems then.

All in all, they are learning very quickly and are a lot calmer in my presence than I thought they would be.

I feel a tad guilty because since they are learning so quickly, I feel like I might be rushing them. But I figure that as long as they are happy it should be ok.
Can't wait to do more training tomorrow :D

lotus15

12-06-2009, 03:20 PM

xxloverxx

12-06-2009, 03:29 PM

I think it sounds really really great!! And we all have set backs so don't be so hard on yourself. It's taken me two months with my budgie so I think you're doing pretty great! :) He rode on my shoulder for the first time today!

Keep us posted-- and I love the photos too!

Aw thank you :)
Im just very lucky to have 2 that are so willing to learn :)

Really? :eek: wow! i bet that was so cool. well done to you and charles! :) :p
he is so cute, i love your picture of him on the net you made him, its mega sweet :)

lotus15

12-06-2009, 03:36 PM

Aw thank you :)
Im just very lucky to have 2 that are so willing to learn :)

Really? :eek: wow! i bet that was so cool. well done to you and charles! :) :p
he is so cute, i love your picture of him on the net you made him, its mega sweet :)

Yes, you ARE very lucky!! I remember the first week I got Charles... he was sooo timid, just really afraid of everything. It's great that your two seem to be willing to learn together, rather than ignore you and only pay attention to each other. Sounds like the start of a very good relationship :) Are these two your only two budgies? For some reason I thought you had another one or two before you had them, or am I mistaken?

And thank you very much about Charles and the net!! I do my best.

xxloverxx

12-06-2009, 03:46 PM

Yes, you ARE very lucky!! I remember the first week I got Charles... he was sooo timid, just really afraid of everything. It's great that your two seem to be willing to learn together, rather than ignore you and only pay attention to each other. Sounds like the start of a very good relationship :) Are these two your only two budgies? For some reason I thought you had another one or two before you had them, or am I mistaken?

And thank you very much about Charles and the net!! I do my best.

aww bless him, poor little guy - how old was he when you got him?
i really hope so :D
yeah these are my only 2, i dont think i could handle more :rolleyes:
i had a picture of a teeny tiny baby budgie as my avatar before though, i think lots of people thought he was mine hehe.

lotus15

12-06-2009, 04:05 PM

aww bless him, poor little guy - how old was he when you got him?
i really hope so :D
yeah these are my only 2, i dont think i could handle more :rolleyes:
i had a picture of a teeny tiny baby budgie as my avatar before though, i think lots of people thought he was mine hehe.

He was only 10 weeks old and he was hand fed, but not really socialized with humans at all, so I think the shock of leaving his flock got him really down. He's doing so much better now, so I'm glad. Although he did get very scared when he saw much bigger birds flying around right outside the window-- he flew all the way to the furthest corner of the room and hid behind my dresser!! Then I closed the blinds :)

So are Laska and Niebo your first two budgies? Sounds like you are doing a really fantastic job with them. I was told that getting a baby would make it easier for me since Charles is my first, but maybe I should've done what you did and went for slightly older ones that were already quite tame... either way though, I'm glad both of us are getting along with our little budgies :) Have you posted pictures of their cage anywhere? I'd love to see their living set-up!

xxloverxx

12-06-2009, 04:21 PM

He was only 10 weeks old and he was hand fed, but not really socialized with humans at all, so I think the shock of leaving his flock got him really down. He's doing so much better now, so I'm glad. Although he did get very scared when he saw much bigger birds flying around right outside the window-- he flew all the way to the furthest corner of the room and hid behind my dresser!! Then I closed the blinds :)

So are Laska and Niebo your first two budgies? Sounds like you are doing a really fantastic job with them. I was told that getting a baby would make it easier for me since Charles is my first, but maybe I should've done what you did and went for slightly older ones that were already quite tame... either way though, I'm glad both of us are getting along with our little budgies :) Have you posted pictures of their cage anywhere? I'd love to see their living set-up!

aw poor lil man, must have been scary, glad to hear that he is doing better!
aw, at least he found a safe place to hide :p
yeah they are my first. took me a lot of time to decide on getting budgies because its a big commitment, but im so glad that i did :)
the thing is though, usually people are getting rid of them for a reason, so you run the risk of them having been neglected and they can be worse than baby budgies. plus, babies are so cute :)
im glad we are too, its nice to see. have you got a training journal for charles?
i cant remember where i posted them lol.
here you go :)

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/niebo%20and%20laska/IMG_0917.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/niebo%20and%20laska/IMG_0918.jpg

heres one to show size

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_0930.jpg

have you got pictures of charles's cage?

lotus15

12-06-2009, 04:33 PM

:) Wow, it's very nice!! I love the toys and the different perches, especially that wiggly one at the bottom. I've never seen one like it before!

I only have photos of Charles's cage back at my parents' house... my mom definitely likes him more than she likes me and bought him this gorgeous Italian cage when I brought him home for Thanksgiving so that I didn't have to drag his cage back and forth. It's a bit bigger than the one he's usually in too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/courtx15/IMG_0830.jpg

Kind of busy because of all the stuff on my desk behind it but that's what it looks like! And don't worry... I read about those bird protector things and took it off his cage immediately (the round thing at the top/back). This forum is really helpful. I'll try to take some photos of his normal cage soon :)

Charles doesn't have a training journal... mainly because until this week there was no progress to report, haha. But maybe I'll start one!

xxloverxx

12-06-2009, 04:42 PM

lotus15

12-06-2009, 04:50 PM

thank you :) the wiggly one was from pets at home. you might have them in, is it petco that you have there?

likes him more than she likes you rofl :D

its really lovely and well set up. look how many of the bendy rope perches he has! and they are so expensive too. looks like charles is a very spoilt little guy :p

ooh what about the cage protector thing? i havent seen anything about that.

i think you should :) it will be nice in a year or so to look back and see all of that progress!

Ah actually those bendy rope perches I got from this crazy wholesaler guy my mom knows and he sells everything for really, really cheap... he's a really nutty guy but he has unbeatable prices. So we stock up whenever we go to his warehouse :) But yes Charles is quite spoiled-- I've probably spent all of my last 4 paychecks on him!!

The cage protector thing is supposed to be a mite/insect protector for bird cages... but I did a little bit of searching on the forum and found out they're actually pesticides that can harm them because of their delicate respiratory systems. I was so worried when I found out and immediately removed it. I hope it wasn't too late though.

Alright I've spent my whole morning on this forum :D have to pretend to do some work now!! Talk to you later :)

Schnapperxx

12-06-2009, 07:04 PM

From the sounds of it, your training journal is going great!
Your budgies have been real open and carefree with you since the first day.
You are a great budgie owner and you should be proud of yourself.
Laska and Niebo have bonded with you quite a bit.
I'm sure when you start clicker conditioning and then clicker training them ,
they'll be perfect little budgies. :]

xxloverxx

12-07-2009, 12:34 PM

Thank you :)
Im defo a very lucky lady :D
Aw thanks :)
I cant wait to start with the clicker training!!!
Scrabble and bingo are lovely!

xxloverxx

12-07-2009, 02:26 PM

Monday 7th December

Instead of waiting for them to come out of the cage by themselves, or catch them to bring them out I decided to try something new.
I like them to be out of the cage when I clean it you see and I am also a fussy person who likes to have all my housework etc done before I settle down for the evening :D

We have started the perch training and they have been doing extrememly well.
Equally they have been out of the cage a lot - they fly around everywhere now as well, so are very confident outside the cage.

I decided to hold the perch in a sort of "ramp" to the perch they were sat on. I held the seed topper at the door of the cage. They stepped on and got the treat, as they have already learned.

This time though (first it was niebo) i slowly brought the perch out of the cage and up to the top while they were eating. With niebo i got him out of the cage first time. With laska it took a few more tries - he's a bit more timid.

All in all I think a pretty successful 5 minutes :)
I'm not going to push them any more today because they are learning so very well that I dont want to ruin everything by pushing too much.

Can't believe I almost forgot!!! When I was trying to get Laska out of the cage, Niebo went for a fly then landed on my arm. As soon as I moved my other hand to give him a treat he flew away again. Darn it.
When will that clicker get here! I am buying a cheap jar of jam on friday (first time i will have available to go to the shop since i have such a busy schedule hehe) to use the lid as a makeshift one until the clicker gets here :) - thanks for the idea spicky

lotus15

12-07-2009, 09:48 PM

Ahh, sounds like they're continuing along very well :) How nice that Niebo landed on your arm!! Let us know how clicker training goes as well. I've never done it and don't know much about it but would love to hear if it works well for you.

xxloverxx

12-08-2009, 05:41 AM

Im really pleased with how well they are doing :)
Count on it!
I've encountered a small problem in figuring out how to condition both of them to the clicker at once. I'm working on it though! :)
Can't wait for you to start a training journal for Charles :D

riotfox

12-08-2009, 06:39 AM

good luck with your littlr birdies! i think you are taking a similar approach as i did to taming- two at once both with freedom over a whole room. but you are doing a much better job than i did. i look forward to hearing how you go!

xxloverxx

12-08-2009, 07:22 AM

Thank you :) Yeah, i didnt want them to be stuck in the cage for weeks while i tamed them. Its lovely seeing them flying and stretching their wings :)
I bet im not at all! Do cookie and sodapop have a training journal?
Would love to see the sort of things you do!

xxloverxx

12-08-2009, 09:48 AM

Tuesday 8th October

Last night there was a small incident. I was sat on the sofa feeding laska and niebo came over and attacked me. The whole of one of my hands is ripped to shreds. Upon some different advice though, I am trying a different method to prevent biting - wish me luck :fingerx:

This is just my thumb :ugh2: - the rest of my hand is bandaged up, so i couldnt get pictures.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_0989.jpg

(we are moving house, which is why there is no laminate or carpet down - i swept up right after this picture too :D)
Since they were doing so well with the perch training, I decided to move it forward a little today.

I shortened the perch using my hand, like this.

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_0985.jpg

This meant that to get the treat, they had to be a lot closer to my hand than before, rather than having a whole perch to stand on. I am surprised that they took to it straight away - niebo even had one foot on my finger.

I am going to leave the perch at that length when I train today and tomorrow. I'll let them get more secure before I move on to finger perch training.

They are still terrified of my hand if it moves or gets too close though, so I dont know how well it will go.

Looking forward to it!
Will get some more pictures of them up soon! Don't want to stress them out too much. I musnt forget they've only been here a week!!!!!!

riotfox

12-09-2009, 12:13 AM

no they have no journal. it took me months and months to finish taming. so i dont think you want to know what i did lol.

xxloverxx

12-09-2009, 01:18 PM

hehe! you should start one, would love to watch their progress :)

riotfox

12-09-2009, 03:12 PM

haha a bit late for that, i finished taming months ago. i would love to watch your progress though.

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 03:26 AM

Wednesday 9th December

Just on quickly this morning - am already late for college hehe.

They seem to be very comfortable getting on the perch now as soon as they see me with the millet. Laska gets it a bit more than Niebo and is quicker off the mark - Niebo misses out sometimes :p poor guy hehe.

Anyhow, I decided that they were ready for finger perch training (they were doing so well with the shortened perch I just decided to go for it - especially since they had been going on my hand from the shortened perch anyway)

I put my finger completely covering the perch apart from the white bit at the end (the white bit is the bit that would attach it to the bars - i left it out so that they would be able to see that the perch was still there)

After a bit of initial reluctance, Niebo was the first budgie to suck it up and clamber on! He did really well!

When he was gone, Laska took a little longer to try, but eventually he did!
Very pleased with them!

Will write about todays training later - when I have actually done some hehehehe :p

lotus15

12-10-2009, 07:52 AM

Congrats!!! :) They're really learning to trust you quite quickly, that's so exciting!

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 11:06 AM

Thank you - they are doing really well. how are things with charles training going?

Thursday 10th December

Laska and Niebo have been doing extremely well with their training - I am a very lucky lady :)

today we moved on to finger training. i've been going at a fast pace up to now, but i will slow down and take it easy now!

anyhow, i put my finger out and put the seed topper next to it.
i use 2 super treats so that they don't get bored - half the time millet, half the time seed topper. as the seed topper is filled with calcium and iodine, it isnt as fattening as the millet. i feel better about doing this as i know that they won't end up obese budgies :D

anyhow, time to stop rambling :xD

straight away Laska got onto my finger and started to have a munch. i was really pleased - i couldn't believe it!!!!

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1002.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1003.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1006.jpg

When I have been perch training and finger perch training, I have been moving my hand around a lot while they are on it. Purely to get them used to it, since I get them out of the cage each morning by getting them onto the perch and then bringing them out. This is also the way I have got them back in.

So the first time I moved my hand when he was on my finger, Laska flew off.
I put my hand down and Niebo was the one to climb on and have a munch - he took a bit longer, because they both kept trying to trick me!!! They double teamed me and every time I moved the topper so that niebo couldnt get it without being on my hand laska tried to eat it from the other side and vice versa - very confusing hehehe.

I didn't manage to get a picture of Niebo - he kept flying away. I will try for pictures tomorrow though :)

Niebo did really well as well and after a few tries, they both let me move my hand while they were sat on my finger.

While I have been sat typing this, Laska has flown over as if he is going to land on me, then got scared and flown away again haha. bless.

Can't wait til a few more days have passed and they get a bit more confident :)

lotus15

12-10-2009, 11:36 AM

Laska is so cute!!!! :) I love the photos. If you don't mind my asking what is a seed topper?

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 12:11 PM

Aw thanks :)
I just managed to get photos of niebo - as soon as they upload on photobucket I'll post them!

Course I don't mind!
In the picture, the thing in my hand is a seed topper. They are meant to go in the cage instead of seeds. They have all the nutrients that the budgie needs all into one with calcium and iodine as well.

I don't give them instead of seeds for 2 reasons. The first is because when they try to eat it themselves, it ends up on the floor of the cage (yuk lol)

and the second, while it doesnt say, the fact that its all stuck together like that, there must be honey or something else to stick it together, and that can't be healthy.
so i give it as a treat and they have seeds and fruit for their diet. (cant get pellets here)

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 12:16 PM

pictures of laska and niebo together :)
niebo is on my finger
laska is on my hand

i was actually sat with niebo on my finger and laska flew over and landed on my arm so he could eat too!!!

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1029.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1030.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1032.jpg

riotfox

12-10-2009, 04:27 PM

aww those are gorgeous photos! its great that youre making such quick progress. if you dont mind me saying they remind me of my two, one blue and one green both trying to eat the same treat. i used to do thst too, get them out of the cage on my finger and i still get them back in like that. i found it to be a pretty effective way of practicing.

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 04:28 PM

Wow look how many posts I have made in one day!
Well what can I say, they have learned a lot today.
It's like they have suddenly decided that im not scary :)

Where can I start?

Well, they were flying round more than normal and laska kept flying past like he wanted to land on my shoulder, then changing his mind.

I was changing my little boy's nappy and I was bent over and they both landed on my back, had a little fight, flew away, then landed on my back again. in the end i had to wriggle a bit and stand up to get them off (i had a car crash while i was pregnant and injured my neck and back so its agony if i bend for too long)

Next thing, first laska, then niebo, landed on my laptop while i was typing!

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1040.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1041.jpg
you cant really tell, but if you look closely at the screen of the laptop, its on a page with a picture of them!!!

after this, laska landed on my knee and sat there, looking at me with his head tilted to one side (wish i could have got a picture!!) so i got the seed topper and niebo appeared for a munch!

when they were done they went back to the cage and had another fight (they fight a lot :S)

later, laska landed on my arm, so i grabbed the millet and let him go wild, so niebo joined in :D

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1037.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1038.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1039.jpg
(this was all well and good until laska fell off :p)

he decided to punish me....

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae185/lovemyboy_lovemylife/IMG_1042.jpg
thats my head babe, not a perch :p

they landed on my hand later on randomly (no food or anything) so i got a topper and gave it to them. i slipped my hand under and managed to stroke each of their belly's for a few seconds without them flying away!!!!

i am a lucky lucky lucky lucky girl and am very happy. as i write this they are sat on my knee :)

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 04:31 PM

aww thank you.
i think thats what i'll keep doing, they seem to enjoy it.
do cookie and sodapop enjoy being on your hand?
sorry, we posted at almost the same time haha.
cookie and sodapop are lovely!!! have you taught them any tricks? i don't know if im gonna teach laska and niebo tricks or not, i cant decide hehe.

scuse the million qus hehe

riotfox

12-10-2009, 04:37 PM

well they seem to enjoy being on my hand enough. they have short attention spans lol so thry dont stay there long!:). i havent taught them any tricks so far. dont think im going to. after taming took so long im not sure if i want to do anything difficult again. im very impatient. i have sort of taught them, not really on purpose, to come when i whistle. it doesnt always work but if cookie is looking at me then he knows that he can come over if i whistle and thrn sodapop usually joins. and then i give a bit of millet lol

lotus15

12-10-2009, 04:58 PM

Wow, I can't believe how fast they're progressing!!! Sounds like they flew over to you so many time today, on your back and arm and knee and laptop... you're so lucky :)

xxloverxx

12-10-2009, 05:12 PM

scuse the upside down picture as well - it was on its side and photobucket must have turned it the wrong way. lol

Thats really cool. cookie and sodapop sound like they are doing well!

neither can I coco!!! they came over loads and loads, was so sweet to find them just appearing. i am lucky that they are so eager to learn and so unafraid! :)

xxloverxx

12-13-2009, 06:24 AM

Friday 11th December

We didn't have time to do much training on Friday. We spent a little while doing some finger training which went well. They are really getting the hang of it!!

Saturday 12th December

We did some more finger training and Laska is really seeming to enjoy it. He has proven to be extremely clever as well. He quickly figures out what it is that I want him to do to get the millet, then tries to do as little as possible and still get the millet!!

I have to be really strict with him now. He tries to get away with putting just one foot on. Or hopping on then jumping off and getting millet that way! scheming lil guy. Its hard to be strict when hes so cute :P he looks at me with his head on one side and I almost cant resist :rolleyes:

I ended up having to catch Niebo and put him back in the cage myself when it was bedtime. I was so so tired and really had to get up early and I had been trying off and on for an hour to get him into the cage the regular way - by having him step onto the perch and then moving him in. They usually like going into the cage that way because they get to eat millet the entire time that the perch is moving then a few more bites when they are in the cage.

I'm rambling :rolleyes: I tried for so long to get him in the cage and in the end I realised that he wasnt going to do it. I got the towel and kept on trying to towel him but he kept flying away. Then he went down the side between the cage and the wall. I couldn't get the towel down there so I just got him with my hand.
I shouldn't have done it, but it felt like it was my last opportunity and I really wanted to go to bed!

So this morning
Sunday 13th December

I put my hand into the cage to get them to step up so I could get them both out and Niebo started flapping around like crazy.
I have decided to give him a bit of space. After all, he has only just started to trust my hand, then yesterday, the hand grabs him again - he's entitled to be a bit upset!!!!
I will try again later :)

riotfox

12-13-2009, 06:31 AM

aww thats too bad. im sure he will trust you again soon

hey im doing a picture on paint and trying to include as many budgies from thd site as possible. do you mind if i put laska and neibo in there?

xxloverxx

12-18-2009, 05:12 PM

didnt see this post for some reason :S lol course you can use laska and niebo, that would be cool - would love to see it when you are done :)

Friday 18th December

Well I haven't posted in a while. There hasn't really been much to report. I have just been leaving them alone for the most part really. Giving tehm a chance to trust me again since they lost all faith in me!

Well there has been what I feel is major progress. Up until now, they have only really come out of the cage when I brought them out - not because they didnt want to, as we saw from the first time I opened the cage. Purely because as soon as I opened the cage, I would bring them out, then as soon as I put them back I would close the cage.

But for the last couple of days I have left the cage open constantly and let them do what they want. Yesterday a tad, but most notably today, they have been out and flying around everywhere.

Surprisingly the one out the most is laska. odd!

Had a small hairy moment when niebo flew at my electric fire and I thought he was going to hit it - i nearly had heart failure, i tell ya!
needless to say the heater has been moved now!!!

I also have a small ring that I want to teach them to fly through, so today I showed it to laska and began training to show him what I want him to do.
Bless him it was so funny! He is so used to having to stand on things (perch, finger) to get his millet, that he climbed on top of it. Little cutie.

:)

riotfox

12-18-2009, 06:52 PM

hats so cute! good luk teaching them the trick! i will include them in th picture.

lotus15

12-19-2009, 01:00 PM

:) That is so cute! I love that idea of training him to fly through things. I might try that with Charles... but he is very adamantly against doing what I'd like him to do :p

Sounds great that they're getting comfortable with coming out of the cage on their own!!

xxloverxx

12-19-2009, 01:09 PM

cool thank you :)

haha bless him - typical man ;) he'll get there in the end - bet hes gonna be a budgie that takes aaages then will do anything for you!!!

saturday 19th December

I was sat with my son on the sofa and niebo and laska were flying round. they like to fly past my head then go and land on the cage again - they play chicken, who can get closest to my head without getting scared. of course, i dont know for sure that this is what they are doing, but i like to think it is, hehe ;)

i decided to try something. i had the millet close by (i always keep it close, just in case!!!) so i picked it up and held it out.
first niebo and then laska flew over from the cage (about 5 feet) and landed on my hand for the millet. i was very pleased!!!

then niebo sat on my sons head and had some millet. my son thought it was hilarious and kept trying to twist up to see him. needless to say, niebo very quickly flew away ;)

i tried to get them to sit on my shoulder individually, but they were having none of it :rolleyes:

on the plus side, they have started to let me split them up when they fight. when they are on my hand, they are so close that they get into little fights over the millet. so now i put my hand (slowly and carefully) between them, usually they realise that they hate me more than each other and stop fighting hehe.

lotus15

12-19-2009, 01:11 PM

!!! You MUST get a photo of Neibo on your son's head!!! That must be too cute to be true!!! :)

I'm just hoping he doesn't react like this poor little girl hehe!!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/SJno-Pq2scI/AAAAAAAABog/be6L4Vga9e8/s400/kid+with+budgie+on+head.jpg

xxloverxx

12-19-2009, 01:14 PM

hehe next time i defo will - i didnt have the camera close enough :(

awww thats the cutest, poor kid lol

xxloverxx

12-21-2009, 09:43 AM

monday 21st December

laska and niebo are really coming into their own - they chirp and sing all day, i love it!

they have started to fight more which is a bit of a worry. as in really fight - they are ripping feathers out and everything.
the cage is big enough though and it is open from 8am to 8pm for them to come out and fly, so it isnt a space issue.
not too sure whats going on there.

they have been more open to flying towards me across the room which is nice! i had a rude awakening this morning il tell you! i got up with my son and made him breakfast etc. then i fed and watered the fids and opened the cage for them. after this, i lay back on the sofa and ended up dozing (my son had been up from 2am til 6am refusing to sleep determined to play wasnt a happy bunny hehe)
anyhow, i didnt intend to but i dozed on the sofa and fell asleep. imagine my surprise when i was woken up by laska landing on my head and pulling all my hair with his claws! i nearly had a heart attack haha

lotus15

12-21-2009, 12:48 PM

Haha what a wake up call!!

Have you spoken to the previous owners at all about whether or not they had been fighting before, or is this a new thing?

xxloverxx

12-21-2009, 03:57 PM

when i got them, she said that they got along really well and never fought or anything.

even when i first had them they got along great!

its only been in the last couple of days or so. i dont understand what it could be - nothing has changed.
except that i am home from college now, so im here all day. but im here all day 4 days a week so its not really anything new.

i dont know. gonna keep an eye on it and see what happens. if it continues, i might have to get another cage and separate them. that would mean getting 2 more though, since im not home enough and it might just happen all over again.
plus id have to shell out for a third cage if i did that for quarantine.

hmmmmmmm
lol