# How to tame my 2 ‘wild’(4/5 year old) budgies that are scared of me?



## B14 (7 mo ago)

Hi everyone, first I would like to say I own two gorgeous budgies that I love very much, however they do not love me, I have made bad mistakes in the past and I own up to them but I would like to say I was younger then.
I’m 18 years old now but when my mother bought the budgies for me I was 13ish, to start off I really wanted to tame my budgies but went into it with very little knowledge and patience (my fault however I’m much more patient now) I started off with your basic perching on your finger (while in the cage) which both of them did but I let them start flying around the room before I could further tame them which made it a lot harder to tame. I then watched a video that I didn’t look in the comments section of first before I did it (I realise that it should of been common sense for a 13 year old to realise what the person in the video was doing was cruel but to me I didn’t realise until later) but in the video the person would just hold the budgie so he couldn’t fly while squirming (I couldn’t find the video that I watched a few years ago but I found a similar one that I will link) 



Anyway I did what was in the video which made my budgies scared, I deeply regret doing this. Now my budgies fly around the room everyday and don’t listen to nobody, not the slightest bit tamed. I also used to use a lightweight towel to catch them when it was bed time but now they go in their cage on their own when it starts to get dark.
They to pant/breath quick and heavy when I’m near their cage whenever they are in there. I have seen some posts on here saying about talking to them in their cage then putting hand on cage etc as a process but my budgies are ‘wild’ they fly around the room all day and sleep in their cage in the night so I can’t just go back to keeping them in their cage until they are tamed as it’s not fair on them, wing clipping is also out of the question.
I realise I should of done this sooner! 

If anyone wan help me it will be a big help! TIA


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

Welcome to TalkBudgies!

It sounds like you just need to start over with them. I can't honestly recommend that you keep letting them out unless the room in which you are doing so is completely bird safe. Please do not continue to catch them in a towel, you will have to be ok with them returning to their cage on their own if you are going to continue to let them out when they are not yet tamed. Budgies will typically come back to the cage because they know that's where the food is, but you can also try dimming the lights in the room to simulate the evening which may also encourage them to return.

To start over with the taming process, you can give the below a shot:

Start by resting your hand on the outside of the cage for 5-10 minutes a few times a day. Talk to them as you do this, in a quiet and steady voice. Read something to them if you like 

After a week or two of this, you can move to just placing your hand "in" the cage. You can use their behavior as a judge on this one. If they actively retreat from your hand, even when it’s on the outside of the cage; they aren’t ready for you to go to the next step. Once they start to essentially “ignore” your hand, then you can move on.

The next step is to put your hand in the cage. Don't touch them, go near them or even move. Just rest it there for the same 5-10 minutes a few times a day and continue with the quiet, steady speech.

Your bird(s) will eventually begin to acclimate to you and slowly move up to investigating your hand. Then you can work on treat placement in the hand to see if you can then lure them to step on it to eat from it (again without moving).

And then you go from there!








This could take weeks, or even months, of work and is entirely up to the bird.

Birds require far more patience with training than dogs and cats do. They all know instinctively that they are "prey items" and we are basically asking them to ignore that natural response when confronted by a larger predator (you).


Please take a look at the "stickies" posted in each of the topic areas for a wealth of knowledge.
Here are a few to get you started!


Breeders over Pet Stores

Is My Bird Healthy?
Yes, Your Bird Needs to See a Vet

Please Don’t Breed Your Birds
Coffee & Toast, Hold the Eggs

Clicker Training
Positive Reinforcement

Safe Foods


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## B14 (7 mo ago)

srirachaseahawk said:


> Welcome to TalkBudgies!
> 
> It sounds like you just need to start over with them. I can't honestly recommend that you keep letting them out unless the room in which you are doing so is completely bird safe. Please do not continue to catch them in a towel, you will have to be ok with them returning to their cage on their own if you are going to continue to let them out when they are not yet tamed.
> 
> ...


Thank you this really helps! But I have a few questions the first one is that I let them fly around the room daily even when I’m not there so they only go in the cage at night, would this be unfair to them to suddenly keep them in the cage when they are used to flying around such a large space? My second question is will my birds ever forgive me for my past mistakes? as they still hate me right now.
thank you for your reply!


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

B14 said:


> Thank you this really helps! But I have a few questions the first one is that I let them fly around the room daily even when I’m not there so they only go in the cage at night, would this be unfair to them to suddenly keep them in the cage when they are used to flying around such a large space? My second question is will my birds ever forgive me for my past mistakes? as they still hate me right now.
> thank you for your reply!


So the good news is, you can usually always win back a budgie's trust (unless you've been completely cruel to it, which is not the case here). 

Is the room that you let them out in bird proof? We don't typically endorse letting budgies out unattended unless the room they are in is completely bird-proofed. 

I'm going to let some of the other staff weigh-in with their thoughts on what you should do with respect to letting them come out during the taming process, since this situation is unique


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## B14 (7 mo ago)

srirachaseahawk said:


> So the good news is, you can usually always win back a budgie's trust (unless you've been completely cruel to it, which is not the case here).
> 
> Is the room that you let them out in bird proof? We don't typically endorse letting budgies out unattended unless the room they are in is completely bird-proofed.
> 
> I'm going to let some of the other staff weigh-in with their thoughts on what you should do with respect to letting them come out during the taming process, since this situation is unique


Thank you so much you have helped so much! Yes the room is bird proof 😊


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

Do you play PC games or console games? Easiest way to earn their trust is to spend a solid amount of time with them, day in day out. Trust is earned over weeks, if not months. It'll help if you have a hobby that allows you to sit for hours at a time nearby, so they can learn to become comfortable with your presence, sounds, etc. It also makes it easier to talk and chat with them. You need to let them push the boundaries, not the other way round. Let them approach you, etc. If they know what millet is, or whatever their other favourite treats are, having some near you can entice them to come over.

It just boils down to time and effort. You're basically trying to rewire their natural prey instinct. Budgies are scared of absolutely everything. It takes time for them to overcome their innate fear of things.


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## B14 (7 mo ago)

ChickWas said:


> Do you play PC games or console games? Easiest way to earn their trust is to spend a solid amount of time with them, day in day out. Trust is earned over weeks, if not months. It'll help if you have a hobby that allows you to sit for hours at a time nearby, so they can learn to become comfortable with your presence, sounds, etc. It also makes it easier to talk and chat with them. You need to let them push the boundaries, not the other way round. Let them approach you, etc. If they know what millet is, or whatever their other favourite treats are, having some near you can entice them to come over.
> 
> It just boils down to time and effort. You're basically trying to rewire their natural prey instinct. Budgies are scared of absolutely everything. It takes time for them to overcome their innate fear of things.


Thank you!! 😁


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