# Help point me in the right direction?



## tweetkeet (May 13, 2016)

Hello all!  
I'm here to ask a bit about my boyfriend's budgie. I personally own a cockatiel, so I understand the patience necessary in building that trust with a bird. The thing is, I know that budgies and cockatiels may have different temperaments, so, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask a few questions.

Since day one our beautiful green and yellow Australian budgie, Sprite, has been pretty okay with being handled. He will step-up (although not always on command) and he isn't afraid of being lightly petted on the back. However he isn't too keen on being a shoulder companion. He is always trying to find ways onto my fid's cage or back to his own. I figure this has to do with him not being completely hand tamed. 

Neither I nor my boyfriend are in any rush to get him to hang out with us, though I'd like to see him handled more often so that he can get that interaction and enrichment outside of his cage. 

Today I spent a little bit of time holding him, having him sit on my laptop as I browsed Youtube, and letting him explore the bed. Though ultimately he just wanted to go back to his cage which resulted in him jumping from the bed post a lot. Is there any way I can approach this trust training in a way that will make him want to spend time with us humans? I've tried millet and seed but he doesn't seem too interested tbh.


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## shanebudgie (Feb 5, 2016)

Greetings welcome to the forum.I read your thread .its good you got your budgie to hop on your finger some.our threads here on bonding and taming will help a lot.those techniques helped me with my budgie Gracie.and our wonderful staff will be able to assist you better on this.I look forward to some budgie photos soon and thanks so much for joining us.we're here for you.blessings always.:green pied:

Also good communication helps a lot.I learned to whistle back and chirp when my budgie does.lol I don't know what I'm saying to her,but she just loves it.good luck


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

Sprite sounds like a sweetheart, even if he is a bit flighty at times 

How long have you had him?

I reckon he just needs more time. From what you're describing, he's definitely on his way to becoming more comfortable around you, but isn't quite ready for that.

There is really no set "time" when a bird becomes tame, some birds take longer than others to be fully comfortable with humans.

Simply sitting by his cage and reading out loud (or singing softly, if you're feeling adventurous ) can really help to build that bond of trust. Offering him seed from the palm of your hand and sitting like that can also be very beneficial.

Also, just letting him do things as he'd please--i.e, don't make him come out if he doesn't want to, and if he does, let him go back on his own time--this will make him less stressed in the long run.

I think you're doing great at letting him take things slow if he'd like, so keep on that route and as time goes on, he likely will enjoy spending more consistent time with you 

For more tips and plenty of relevant articles, check out the stickies in the "Taming and Bonding" section of the forums:

Taming and Bonding - Talk Budgies Forums

You should also check out some of the other subforums and articles, just in case 

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

Speaking of things we love, we also adore pictures of budgies, but also any and all other birds hoto:

In fact, we have a special forum just for our other avian friends that you can feel free to post pictures of your 'tiel :yellow pied:

Great to have you with us!

Cheers :wave:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

There are a couple of methods that may be useful as you work on taming and bonding with Sprite.

http://talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/237105-using-positive-reinforcement-training.html

http://talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/265337-basics-clicker-training.html

Additionally, I would caution you about petting Sprite on the back.
It is best to only pet his head, neck or chest. Petting a budgie's back or tail stimulates the desire to mate. 

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

You'll find most of your basic questions about budgies and caring for them will have been answered after you've read through all of them.

Site Guidelines
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295001-list-stickies.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/333106-posting-forums.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295033-prepared-veterinary-care-expense.html
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/227841-50-common-budgie-dangers-watch-out.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/24411-cage-sizes.html
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/339826-resource-directory.html

When you upload pictures as thumbnail attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape.

To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as PhotoBucket and follow the steps in these instructions:
http://talkbudgies.com/how-guides/175818-how-post-pictures-photobucket.html

Examples Of Pictures To Post And Not Post - Talk Budgies Forums
http://talkbudgies.com/mutations-ge...king-mutation-gender-identification-help.html

By the way, all photos entered in any of our forum contests must be a full-size photo and not a thumbnail attachment so it's good to know how to upload them! 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:*


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