# Am I Engaging with my Budgie Enough?



## l_ship96 (Apr 11, 2021)

Hello again,

I am always worrying at the moment that I'm not spending enough time fully "engaging" with my budgie. On work days I spend on average 3 hours in the evening with him, sometimes I can push it to 4. Then on my days off I spend most of the day with him. At the moment he seems to prefer staying around his cage, although he used to always come out to his favourite hangout spot which is a rope spiral perch in the corner of my room hanging from my curtain rail. But since I freaked him out trying desensitisation training a little while ago he doesn't go over there so much now. I do have perches and such around the outside of his cage so he does still come out and play but sticks near his cage. I have just bought him a new playstand but naturally for now he is terrified of it.

When he's out I do target train him, step up, recall, and other tricks. And usually I will adjust what I'm doing so I am near his hangout spot or he can hang out near me while I do my stuff. He comes to me if I call him or have treats, or if I talk to him enough he will come over but he doesn't like to hang out on me for too long. I do talk to him and all while I'm doing my activities. But I feel like I could be doing more to engage him. He is so terrified I just can't give him things like foraging trays or give things to him like everyone else seems to with their birds. He does use foraging toys but I can't keep feeding him millet of course. And when I desensitise him to objects with target training he gets all freaked out about target training or whatever I do to desensitise him. He will touch the objects but more bashing them rather than just touching them. He's very anxious and can be "difficult" to work with at times although there has been a fair bit of improvement where I have trained him.

Is what I'm doing enough? I know 4 hours feels like not enough but even if I could have him out for more than his regular 3-5 hours I'd not know how to keep up entertaining him that long. I do give him plenty of foraging toys and his bells and all keep him occupied when I'm not directly entertaining him.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You are doing just fine with Peeko and are giving him a lot of love, time and attention.
Nothing to be worried about.

When you want to introduce new items to Peeko, Keep them near the cage, in his line of sight, (but outside of it) for a few days before introducing him to them.*


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## l_ship96 (Apr 11, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *You are doing just fine with Peeko and are giving him a lot of love, time and attention.
> Nothing to be worried about.
> 
> When you want to introduce new items to Peeko, Keep them near the cage, in his line of sight, (but outside of it) for a few days before introducing him to them.*


Thank you FaeryBee, I think I just feel awful leaving him when I go to work most of the day but most days someone else is here most of the morning to say hello and check on him etc. While I'm gone. And I noticed I have actually been leaving a cardboard foraging tray on my dresser near his cage and I quite often use that to contain mess from millet and seeds when filling his foraging toys so he has probably seen that it is somewhat associated with treats. He used to freak out if I brought that near him but he didn't when I slowly put it on the bottom of his cage today filled with treats and toy parts. He didn't go for it of course. But I will maybe try that with his playstand and keep treats around it even if he doesn't go there yet. Thank you for the reassurance 😊


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You are doing great!! 💙💙 Super budgie parent. *


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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

I know solo budgies can have fulfilling lives and be super content and happy, but keeping a bird solo always gives me an uncomfortable feeling. I guess it's just personal preference. Unless it's for medical reasons, I'd always try and get a friend for my bird. It just makes my conscience feel less guilty, as I know if I'm out or not able to interact with them, they're not sat in a quiet room all by their lonesome. They're flock creatures, and I just picture myself being in a cage all day with no one, after a certain amount of time I'd start to feel pretty down. But maybe I anthropomorphize them too much.

I can say that when I got my little one a friend, it made a huuuuuuge difference. They had someone they could preen and be preened by. They had someone to sing with. They had someone that made them feel safe and secure when they sit on the highest perch together at night to sleep. When they were alone, their quality of life was great as I showered them with attention and toys and all that good stuff, but ultimately, there's always things we can't provide them, and it's something only another budgie can do. I definitely noticed my budgie became happier once I introduced a friend.









Just look at them 😭 The light blue one is still very much heavily imprinted on me, but having a friend just makes her that much happier.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*While having multiple budgies can be beneficial, it is not necessary for a budgie to be healthy and happy. Peeko is getting a great amount of love and attention at this point in time. 

Not everyone is in a position to have multiple budgies. 
If they are and that is what they choose that's fine. If not, the person should not feel guilty if they are engaging with their budgie at the level Peeko is enjoying.

One must always remember that there is no guarantee when you bring a second budgie into the mix that the two birds will get along.
The person must be ready, wiling and able to house the second budgie separately on a permanent basis if necessary.
When getting another budgie, I hope members will always consider taking in a rescue from a bird rescue organization or a shelter as these budgies need safe and loving forever homes.
Buying from big box pet stores (or less than reputable breeders promotes) bad practices and birdie mills.*


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## l_ship96 (Apr 11, 2021)

ChickWas said:


> I know solo budgies can have fulfilling lives and be super content and happy, but keeping a bird solo always gives me an uncomfortable feeling. I guess it's just personal preference. Unless it's for medical reasons, I'd always try and get a friend for my bird. It just makes my conscience feel less guilty, as I know if I'm out or not able to interact with them, they're not sat in a quiet room all by their lonesome. They're flock creatures, and I just picture myself being in a cage all day with no one, after a certain amount of time I'd start to feel pretty down. But maybe I anthropomorphize them too much.
> 
> I can say that when I got my little one a friend, it made a huuuuuuge difference. They had someone they could preen and be preened by. They had someone to sing with. They had someone that made them feel safe and secure when they sit on the highest perch together at night to sleep. When they were alone, their quality of life was great as I showered them with attention and toys and all that good stuff, but ultimately, there's always things we can't provide them, and it's something only another budgie can do. I definitely noticed my budgie became happier once I introduced a friend.
> 
> ...


Hi ChickWas,

I understand and I do feel guilty having Peeko on his own but I did get him a friend a month after I got Peeko. This was before I started working. But the other budgie seemed to get progressively ill but when I took him to an avian vet the vet highlighted a lot of risks for treatment and that the budgie was very underweight (he hid it very well and I couldn't bring myself to "force" him onto a scale as I'd barely got to tame him properly yet) he might not even survive the treatment but it was a risk I had to decide. He was given probiotics to see if he got any better while I decided what to do but he died 2 days after the vet visit. Peeko is and has been totally fone and has been checked by the vet since.

I had to separate them because Peeko became very territorial as it was his home first and I didn't really give a proper introduction as I didn't know better being my first birds. Peeko bullied Loki, the other bird and when Loki became unwell Peeko stopped even allowing him on any perches and chased him around even though I had a fairly big cage, plenty of perches, two food bowls etc. Peeko was relentless. So I am very doubtful if I even did get him a friend now if he would accept one because of how he was with Loki. Peeko is also starting to somewhat bond with me and is very happy. My Mum is there most mornings to check on him and say hello so he is only really totally on his own for a small part of the afternoon.

I do hate leaving him and share your concerns but it is only temporary until me and my partner have our own place, hoping it will be very soon, then I may consider getting him a friend then given it will be new and neutral territory and much easier. I am constantly battling with whether or not to get him a friend and try again properly but I don't think I would realistically have the time at the moment to separate between two budgies and clean two big cages and all as they would have to be separate as I don't think Peeko would accept sharing a cage.


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