# How do you deal with a scared baby budgie



## ChefBoiRD

I recently brought home my first budgie after visiting him in the pet store where he was hand fed for about two weeks. He seemed scared from my hand after coming home but will stand on my finger without freaking out. Today I brought him outside for maybe two minutes before he flew from my hand and hid in a large bush. I had to grab him from inside the bush which freaked him out. Now when I go near him he puffs up his feathers and runs away from me.
Did I ruin my chances of having a good relationship with my bird?


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## FaeryBee

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

The purpose of Talk Budgies is to promote the best practices in the care of budgies for their optimum health and well-being.

Your budgie should NEVER be taken outdoors unless it is safely secured in a cage and under constant supervision the entire time it is outdoors.
You were extremely fortunate that you were able to catch the poor terrified little bird before it got away totally.

You don't indicate how long you've had the budgie. You should not be handling the budgie now for a minimum of two weeks time. 
It needs time to settle into its new home and environment without being stressed that you may try to touch it or try to make it sit on your finger.

Budgies are often submissive for the first few days simply because they are terrified. 

You can cover the top and three sides of the cage to help the budgie feel more secure. Playing music for him when you aren't around will be helpful as well. Budgies perceive no noise as meaning there may be danger.

Taming and Bonding is all about helping your budgie learn to trust you and it takes a great deal of time and patience on your part. 
You should never grab your budgie or force him to be touched. 
To bond with your budgie, you need to build his trust in you.
He will have to learn over time that you will not hurt him, grab him and try to force him to allow you to hold him.

To build your budgie's trust, sit by his cage and read, talk or sing quietly to him for a period of at least 10-15 minutes, 3 or 4 times day. After the 2nd or 3rd day, rest your hand on the outside of the cage when you talk to him so he'll learn that your hand is safe and will not hurt him .

After a week, rest your hand inside the cage when you talk. 
Don't make sudden moves, don't try to touch him . 
Let his get used to the idea that the hand is now in his safe place and not harming him .

After 2 weeks, begin moving your hand slowly toward your budgie. If he becomes agitated, stop moving your hand and just hold very still until he calms down. When he's comfortable with your hand near him , you can offer him a bit of millet or a few seeds. In a few more days, you can begin your taming and bonding sessions.

Always work at your budgie's pace. 
Move slowly and talk reassuringly and calmly whenever you interact with him .

Most budgies once they pass the "baby" stage, do not like to be petted or touched. 
If your budgie does like to be petted, you should only ever pet his head, neck or chest area.
Stroking a budgie's back and/or tail stimulates its breeding instinct. Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

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When We Don't Want Eggs

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/24411-cage-sizes.html
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html
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## StarlingWings

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

You've been given great advice above. It's extremely fortunate your budgie was okay, the outdoors are very dangerous to indoor birds, especially ones so fragile and small as budgies. Please never take him outside unless he is safely in his cage!

FaeryBee has also given great advice on how to proceed with taming. If you follow this method, your budgie will learn to trust you and form a good relationship with you over time  

It is really great to have you here and you couldn't have come to a better place to learn even more about budgies!

Be sure to read through the forum's many Budgie Articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subform for easy reference) to ensure you're up to date on all the best practices for budgie care! 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, be sure to ask as we'd love to help 

We look forward to seeing you and your budgie around the forums. :yo:

Cheers! :wave:


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