# New Budgie Too Scared



## BudgieBudgie9568 (4 mo ago)

Hey, I've been given a 5 month-old budgie 9 days ago and ever since he came to me, he's been scared out of his mind about everything. Night-light, full-light, dark or half dark don't matter; he can't sleep because he keeps getting scared every 20 minutes. I can barely change his food and water without giving him a heart attack and even then he keeps throwing himself left and right in cage. Tried opening the cage to let him out but he practically doesn't move at all. When he's calm he just sits at one spot on perch and stays there for hours.

Will this pass? Has anyone had a similar experience?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Do you know what type of environment he came from and what are his surroundings like now. How many people in the house, where is the cage kept, do you have other pets?


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## BudgieBudgie9568 (4 mo ago)

He was bought from a petshop and was with a bunch of other budgies i presume. I keep his cage on a table in the corner of the room so he's away from traffic. One side faces the wall and one the window while the other two is facing the room. 2 people in the house and at least one is always with him. No other pets.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

He most likely has never had any human contact and was never socialized, it may help to cover the cage with a light cloth on 3 sides leaving just the front open to the room. Sometimes things outside a window can be frightening to them so I would cover the window side for now. Do not attempt to touch him, it would be best to spend time talking softly to him and when you are not in the room play some soft music for him. It is normal for them to be scared for a time, he needs to learn to trust you, do not let him out of the cage at this point, it will be very difficult to get him back in and if you have to chase him around in an attempt to get him back in the cage that will not be a positive experience for him. You said he is getting scared every 20 minutes, what is happening at those times?


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## BudgieBudgie9568 (4 mo ago)

I tried covering the cage but even after slowly putting it only on top of it he goes ballistic. He gets scared at night at every half an hour or so. Tried closing the lights but that just made him even more scared since he kept jumping around in the cage hitting the bars. Tried with night light and he's okay with it for a while and then he goes crazy again for some reason. There is no animal or human around at night or noise to scare him so I don't know why he keeps getting frightened. I've decided to keep the lights open at night as this is the only way he doesn't get scared but then I don't think he gets enough sleep like this. I don't know what to do at this point.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Can you post a picture of him?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!

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The poor little bird! Being as terrified as you are describing is not normal. 
Did you get the budgie directly from the pet shop or did someone else?
I would contact the store (if you got the bird there yourself) or the person who purchased the budgie and inquire if its behavior was the same when it was at the shop.
If you got it from someone else, how was the budgie treated before it came to you?*

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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

Instead of a night light, can you use a shaded lamp? It'll give the room a warm glow and also give him enough light to be comfortable with, but still allow him to sleep since the brightness of it is comforting and soothing. I used to have to use a lamp when mine got night frights. Leave the lamp by him in the day so he's able to get used to it. Also, cover him during the day like Cody suggested on 3 sides with a light, bland coloured fabric (not something very vibrant and with tonnes of colours, cause that can be scary too)

More than likely what's happening is when you dim the lights, he's quiet at first because he's terrified and listening out for predators. Then something will spook him, whether it's a moving shadow or a slight sound that is imperceptible to us but audible to him because of how high alert he is. I'd 100% recommend the lamp for a night light as it'll be more soothing than something weak. 

I've got dimmable lights and my two really are blind as bats, the light has to be surprisingly bright for them to properly see. I'll dim the lights to something that seems bright to me, but for them, they'll go still and really peer around because of how hard they find it to see. It's also instinct for them to become super quiet when the lights are down, as they don't want to alert predators.

It's really important to get him acclimated in the day to things he'll see at night. So get the lamp somewhat near to him during the day (I used to place mine on the floor to let light shine up and into the cage), along with the fabric covering. Spend time talking to him gently and soothing him, play some calming classical. Unfortunately, he might just be terrified for the first week or so, but over time, he'll become adjusted. But definitely *do not *let him out of the cage right now. Changing his food and water bowls will sadly scare him but over time he'll realise you're not interested in him and just want to change his food and water, so don't try and pet or stroke him when you change the bowls, just do your job and remove your hand so he can realise you won't interfere with him.

Right now, your goal is just to settle him in and make him as comfortable as possible. Once he's comfortable, you can start working on bonding with him.


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