# Help taming 2 budgies



## Okmicek (May 13, 2018)

Hi guys! So I’ve had a female budgie (Banana) for about six months. I’ve tried EVERYTHING to tame and bond with her but everytime I even go near her cage she gets scared and moves away from me. The other day I got a male budgie to keep her company since she won’t bond with me (his name is Kiwi). I feel bad that they’re always kept in a cage (it’s a big cage) but I’m scared that if I open the door to let them out to fly around I won’t be able to get them back in since they’re not tamed. I put my hand in the cage and Kiwi let me pet his belly for a little bit so I’m hoping he will let me tame him. Is it safe to let them out if they’re not tamed? Also, if I am able to tame Kiwi would that maybe make it easier to tame Banana? (like she could see that there’s nothing to be afraid of??) sorry if this is kind of disorganized, I just want them to bond with me and be able to come out the cage sometimes. Thanks in advance!


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

When you introduce a new bird, you should quarantine it to avoid spreading any possible infection to your current bird(s). This means putting the new bird in a separate change in a separate room for a few weeks.
http://www.talkbudgies.com/new-budgie-arrivals/295153-quarantine-necessary.html

After the quarantine time, the birds should really be gradually introduced to each other.
http://www.talkbudgies.com/new-budgie-arrivals/295177-introducing-two-budgies.html

Birds can initially appear tame due to fear, so the 'let me pet his belly' MAY not be as good a sign as you hope. It's recommended that we don't try touching a new bird for a couple of weeks and instead, just sit and chat beside the cage and allow the bird to settle in to the new environment. 
Quarantine is a good time to allow the bird to settle and then begin taming.
http://www.talkbudgies.com/new-budgie-arrivals/295169-yes-your-bird-scared.html
Taming is a gradual process, only moving onto the next stage when your bird appears comfortable, and going back a step if needed.

In reply to your taming questions, if you have patiently and consistently followed the advice in the taming and bonding stickies, without much success, then it would seem that Banana's personality is such that she isn't likely to bond easily with people (though patience and consistency, with little & often are the keys to success, and there have been cases when birds have, after a long period, suddenly taken an interest in their owners.)
http://www.talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/339058-how-tame-budgie-who-afraid-people.html

Bonding and taming mean different things to different people. Birds will naturally bond with their own species rather than with us, so it's usually more difficult with multiple birds.

It sounds as though you haven't quarantined Kiwi and although the infection prevention aspect may be wasted now, I would still advise that you follow a quarantine period , for the purpose of being able to begin taming away from Banana.
It's true that birds tend to follow each other's lead and so a new tamer bird could encourage Banana to be more brave; it can also be the case though, that Banana may teach Kiwi to be skittish around you. For that reason, I suggest that you keep them apart until you feel happy with the level of tameness gained. If Kiwi does bond well with you, this may very well change when introduced to Banana (a likely more appealing friend), though there will at least be the lack of fear of you there, even if you're not the chosen companion. 
http://www.talkbudgies.com/new-budgie-arrivals/392426-your-harmonious-flock.html

Your budgie doesn't necessarily need to be tame in order to be let out of its cage, but there are precautions you should take beforehand to make the room as safe as possible - cover windows & mirrors, try to blocks gaps where they could fall behind furniture, remove unsafe plants etc. Make sure that you have a lot of free time when you initially let them out, and hopefully, they'll find their own way back home. Allow the bird to decide whether or not to come out of the cage.
http://www.talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/339050-tips-getting-your-budgie-out-their-cage.html
http://www.talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/237105-using-positive-reinforcement-training.html

As you now have a mixed sex pair, you should also be careful to avoid them mating.
http://www.talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/90584-when-we-dont-want-eggs.html

Best of luck


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Julia has provided you with excellent advice.

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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