# Bonding with old and tramatized budgie.



## smalltinybird

Hello, I'm a new user here and I've decided to adopt a budgie from my grandparents as they cannot take care of him anymore. He's seen three birds die before him and gets very stressed extremely easily, even to the point that he starts hyperventilating when two or more people are around his cage. I've had him for two months now and I've been trying to make him not stress by leaving the cage door open for him to fly around. He's just started to eat millet from my hand but he is still extremely fearful of anything. Can I still bond with a bird like him? He's at least three or four years old.


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## petites

Well done for adopting him  
There is no reason whatsover you cannot bond with him...
Just continue as you are doing, with patience and understanding. Once he knows he can trust you you are on the home run. 
It sounds like you have made great progress already. :urock:


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## FaeryBee

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Good for you for adopting the little fellow! What is his name?

You can sit next to his cage and sing, read or talk to him to help him feel more comfortable. When you aren't in the room with him, you can play music or leave the TV on to keep him company.

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## smalltinybird

Thank you for all of the kind words. This is lil Birdie(full name Bird). I usually keep him in my room right next to me when I'm on my computer but it's hard to keep the place clean with his feathers and seeds(he's a messy guy). I do have a mirror that he loves to stay near to for when I'm not there and he loves chattering to himself. I'm working on getting him to step up since he's eating millet even though he's still fearful of my hand, but I'll keep trying .


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## mollyhair

Aw he's so pretty! Love his coloring!


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## FaeryBee

*May I ask what type of diet you are feeding him?

Although he is a very handsome fellow, he looks to be rather overweight which can cause many different medical problems.

Please take the time to look through the information in these links:

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/290266-nutritional-diseases.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/315033-healthy-diet-your-budgie.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/309849-quality-seed-mix.html

I know you want what is best for Lil Birdie to ensure he has a long, healthy and happy life.

Best wishes!*


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## smalltinybird

I've been feeding him a premium seed and pellet mix, this one from Walmart.










He's always been a little bigger than the other birds ever since I got him and I've been sometimes treating him with lettuce and basil leaves from the garden.
I think he has a better time shredding them and letting them drop on the floor than eating them though.:001_rolleyes:

He fears carrots or any fruits and vegetables though.


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## FaeryBee

*It would be good if you keep encouraging him to try different vegetables. You can also look into sprouting seeds for him to see if he likes those.

Have you taken your little guy to the vet?
Do you have any idea what he weighs?
Perhaps it is simply the position he is sitting in that makes him look larger than he actually is. :dunno:*


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## smalltinybird

I haven't taken him to the vet yet as the nearest vet here is 2 hours away. One of my own birds died yesterday when I came home to her having a seizure. She died when I was only 10 minutes away but she was about 14 years old.

Here is a picture of them around the time when Birdie first arrived, it's been about a month since then.










He was a bit floofed when I took that picture as well but I'll make an appointment to see the vet. I'm worried that the vet will frighten him even more though.

Is it better to boil his veggies or should they be raw?


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## Birdigirl

Like the others hsve said : I think its wonderful that you have opened both your home and your heart to an older Budgie...I have news for you though...you are already Bonding with him and he with you. It is a very big step of trust your new Budgie took when he trusted your hand enough to come and eat seed out of it. Thats bonding and you can now grow that Bond Bigger and Bigger with each passing day. Its nice that he shreds the lettuce and Basil and the reason he is scared of carrot is because he is not used of it. If he is too scared at first to have the carrot and other veg in his food bowl try leaving them close to his cage where he can see the plate with the colourful veg on it and though he wont eat it replace it fresh every day bringing the plate of veg closer and closer to his cage with each passing day until finally he will decide maybe I d like some of that nice fresh veg and begin to eat it...(itvtook me 6 months of doing this with one bird before he finally decided to eat the veg) as he is an older Budgie he may not eat it but you are off to a good start on getting him interested in veg by offering him the leaves to shred...do you have dandelion leaves in your garden? If you have, then they are slso very good for him once they have not been treated with any weed killer or insecticide. You are doing a wonderful job with him. Does he fly ...if you can encourage him to fly then it would be really good for him...it is also possible if he didnt get out to fly for a long period before you got him that he may have lost the ability to fly. Hopefully he will be able to get some exercise flying and tone up his muscles . He is a Beautiful boy and such a lucky boy that you have adopted him. Take things slowly when introducing him to people and have them stand quietly at a comfortable (for him) distance from his cage at first making sure you are always present for you now are his flock and his security and he will be watching you to see if you get stressed or have a panicked reaction when people aproach and seeing that you dont stress (for they observe everything) he too will in time stop stressing too. Patience and encouragement and moving at his pace will in time get him over his fears. Spend as much time as you can throughout the day near his cage talking to him even if its only for a moment every now and again to say hi to him and if you sing to him thats even better because for some reason they respond very well to their person singing to them. 2 months is such a short while and in that very short space of time you have achieved so much. Well Done

So sorry for your loss and that you lost your 14 year old baby so suddenly. Fly free little one fly free


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## StarlingWings

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

I'm so glad you were able to adopt this handsome boy and give him a loving home with you! :urock: 

He looks very sweet and I'm glad you are doing all you can to ensure he lives a healthy life. 

FaeryBee and Birdigirl have given great advice. It's important to keep trying to get him on a healthier diet as well as lots of chances to exercise, because even if he is at a good weight, all budgies still benefit greatly from it. 

Be sure to read through all the links provided and if you have any questions afterwards, please do ask as we'd love to help!

We hope to see you around! :wave:


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## smalltinybird

Thank you all for your love and advice. I appreciate you so much!


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## FaeryBee

*I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your 14 year old friend. :hug: It's never easy to say goodbye.

It is because of Love we Grieve
and
Because of Love we are also comforted
in our Sorrow

In Memories, may you find Healing
In Time, may you find Peace
In the Power of Love, may you find Comfort​
Fly High and Free little one -- Rest In Peace*


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