How to train your budgie from scratch, no additional things needed.

[BudgieHelper]

Step 1 After a few days of settling in, put your hand in the cage but DON'T MOVE IT! We are not playing a game of budgie chase yet.;)
Step 2 After two or more days of doing that your baby should hop on your hand, just coo to him. Once he does hop on a few times, we can start.
Step 3 Drift your hand slowly towards your budgie when he shuffles his feet stop for a second and then drift closer and gently, GENTLY, pet it. When he notices he might coo and put one foot up or not. Keep doing this until one foot is up then praise!:) Also if he does not step up, keep stroking his tummy, thats what his brothers and sisters did in the nest. He will notice that you want to be kind and it can have it's choice of stepping up or not.
Step 4 Once one foot is up gently press on it's stomach and push up GENTLY, GENTLY, he will soon step up all the way. Praise and give your budgie his favorite snack, he deserves it.:budgie::budgie:
Step 5 Keep building this trust bond this way and if you want, accociate a command like 'up'. Please praise your budgie so it thinks that stepping up is good!

Have fun with your budgie!!!:budgie::budgie::budgie::budge::budge:
Also, take it slow for some time, don't rush and talk to them every day sit by their cage and just say '(name) is a pretty bird' and 'i love you' I got awesome results from this method! I hope you do to:budgie:

[stacey101]

Thank you for sharing , I have to disagree on a few pointers however.
Most budgies will not step up for a week or so , let alone pet them - even now my tamest budgie who will lie on his back for me wont let me 'pat' him as well as my hand raised.

You could add , to take it slow and not to rush. Seeing all budgies are different they all work at their own pace like humans.
Also when the new budgie is home , sit by his cage as much as you can ;)

Key point : dont rush

good work !

[JustJayde]

Sorry I do not like this method at all :( you are forcing your hand into his safe space and forcing him to step up... no matter how gently you do it you are taking his choice away.

It's a good and thoughtful post which is great but I personally don't like this method.

[riotfox]

i used generally this method (but more detailed). it works just fine, although with the info i have now i might choose to respect their choices a bit more if they are scared, such as not leaving my hand in the cage and taking it slower instead

[BudgieHelper]

Yeah I devised this method for my baby budgie especially because he loves when I put my hand in there cause he enjoys playing a game of 'tag' with my hand. He is a faster paced budgie and is always waiting for more. I devised this for the faster budgies, like mine.

[BudgieHelper]

i also have to say that for part of this all you can do is stroke your budgie because thats what his brothers and sisters did in the nest. He will soon see the hand will not hurt.

[Vickie]

Bear in mind some budgies will freeze up when a hand is near them, and while it looks like they might be enjoying petting, they may actually be frozen in fear. Lots of people make this mistake and wonder why their bird runs from them later on. The key is to watch the bird's body language. If his feathers are fluffing up and then thinning, so it looks like the bird is getting fat, then skinny, and fat again, that is a major sign of stress. A bird that does that should be left alone. The bird is comfortable with a hand nearby if he preens his feathers, naps, doesn't stand perfectly still but carries on eating and playing, etc.

Also, it is better not to set goals for the animal such as "by the end of the week we will be doing this", but to stick with what the animal is comfortable with and to move forward slowly. When the bird shows signs of being ready to take the next step, then it would be okay to proceed, but don't force things. That is the way to earn trust.

However, if it worked for your hand tame budgie I'm sure it's fine. Many budgies (like my own) come from pet stores and rescues and take much longer than a week or even a month to tame. Some will never tame, and while it is perfectly fine to keep working with them, it's no use to set times like "1-2 days" etc.. The bird will only tame when it is ready. :o

Your post is appreciated though. It's great you were able to tame your budgie so quickly; you are one of the lucky ones! :)

[squirt09]

wow, i was doing this one day and didn't even notice that i was kinda training him! wow. but i notice when she is mad at me she kinda runs across the perch and she ''swells'' up.

[BudgieHelper]

When I'm stroking him he doesn't swell up. He is relaxed and once fell asleep on my hand! He loves my method as where I got him he was raised from the egg, so he is naturally comfortable.

[riotfox]

^naw, so cute! id love a hand raised budgie!

[Guthwulf]

Im hand taming 3 budgies right now and I can tell you that while there are tips, there is not and never will be a 'one size fits all' approach to taming.

The reason being, EVERY budgie has a unique personality and what works with one may not work with another. There are certain... 'basic' principles of taming and handling that work with all budgies sure, but for the most part your approach, methods and results are determined primarily by the nature of the budgie and secondarily by your own knowledge/skills/attitude/patience and perseverance!

One of the 3 I am taming I knew from the nest would take to it well, so I never gave him the 'at least 3 days to get used to his new cage' rule before I got him to try stepping up. He stepped up straight away, accepted scratches (even puffing out his HEAD feathers like budgies do when they preen eachothers heads, that 'aaah so good' puff not a scared puff). His sister on the other hand, SQUAWKED like crazy whenever I went near her, so I left her for a week before trying anything. She watched her brother accept my hand every day and slowly realised it was ok. Now she will step up, but she just does not like head scratches. Period. No matter which way I approach, no matter how fast or slow or gently, its just a no for her. It may be possible later, but for her it may be best to take a step back from scratches and makes sure she is 100% ok with shoulder rides, stepping up and my hand/fingers in her space in general (she is about 70% there).

There are lots of tricks and tips, but I personally believe that it comes down to having a good knowledge based approach, and knowing your bird well enough to know which approach to take, or adapt it as necessary. As such, its very important to know what NOT to try, or to persist with. Some things will take time, others will NEVER happen for certain budgies :)

Good post though, sounds like you have a great bond with your budgie!

[SpickyDavies]

i'd rather wave millet :D

[BudgieHelper]

My budgie training is going very well now he will just jump on my hand. He is a little more faster-paced and I know this will not be a "one size fits all".

[xxx~Mizzy~xxx]

My budgie was very good, 7 weeks old and he jumped onto my hand after 2 days!
I think it all depends on the budgie and their personality! like a human really!!! :budgie: