# Baby budgie is afraid of me?



## Shashank

Hello! I've had 4 budgies for almost 6months now, and one of them have birth to 2 babies (current age: 3.5weeks and another is 3 days younger)
So I've been taking the older little budgie out of the best and I used to spend 5-10mins everyday since it was 2weeks old in order to bond better, buy now it's just scared of me, whenever I get my hands close it runs backwards or goes away... keeps running away from me etc... did I do something wrong?  
PS: their parents and all the other budgies in the cage are tamed (they step up etc)


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## FaeryBee

*Without more information, it is impossible for us to know if you did something that startled the baby to make it more fearful. :dunno:

Taming and Bonding is all about trust. 
Make sure you move slowly and calmly when approaching the budgie and talk quietly and reassuringly to it when you do so.

Do you currently have all of your budgies in one cage? :S

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html

At this point, only the Father and the 2 babies should be in the cage with the nestbox. 
The Mother and your other budgies should be in a separate cage with no nestbox.

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/104591-aggression-toward-chicks-what-do.html

Please discourage further breeding

When We Don't Want Eggs

Is this the first time you've had budgies?
Are you certain the Mother and Father are not related?
How old are the Mother and Father?
Did you have them on a conditioning diet prior to allowing them to breed?

I'll be looking forward to your responses to my questions. *


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## philw

Your baby is simply viewing you as less important than being fed
by mom/dad. Every bird is an individual and being so young could
be included in why this baby is not responding as you expected.
Once he's fully fledged and spending more time with people it's likely he'll begin to warm up. He's just more trusting of his bird friendsand less with people, for now. Give him more time.


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## Nika

I agree with what Phil wrote. 
Only wanted to add that many unweaned birds (even handfed) go thru a "hiding" stage, when they are afraid of humans and at the sight of a human, run somewhere to hide. Maybe yours is going thru such a stage now. 
I'd definitely not force close contact with your hand and you. Keep your hand at a distance which you know is acceptable by your baby budgie. Lots of patience.


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## Shashank

FaeryBee said:


> *Without more information, it is impossible for us to know if you did something that startled the baby to make it more fearful. :dunno:
> 
> Taming and Bonding is all about trust.
> Make sure you move slowly and calmly when approaching the budgie and talk quietly and reassuringly to it when you do so.
> 
> Do you currently have all of your budgies in one cage? :S
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html
> 
> At this point, only the Father and the 2 babies should be in the cage with the nestbox.
> The Mother and your other budgies should be in a separate cage with no nestbox.
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/104591-aggression-toward-chicks-what-do.html
> 
> Please discourage further breeding
> 
> When We Don't Want Eggs
> 
> Is this the first time you've had budgies?
> Are you certain the Mother and Father are not related?
> How old are the Mother and Father?
> Did you have them on a conditioning diet prior to allowing them to breed?
> 
> I'll be looking forward to your responses to my questions. *


hello! thanks for the reply, and so far, the mother is not hurting the babies in any way... infact she's the one who feeds the two babies and I handle it for 5-10 minutes everyday and when they're in my hand sometimes the father comes and plucks it's feathers like he's hurting them  plus, he never feeds them these days, he used to feed them when they were a week old and now (3.5weeks old) he never feeds them!
and the budgie's nest looks like this







So It's kind of difficult to take them out of the pot, maybe that's why they're afraid?
I'm really confused... other than that, I've done nothing that could scare them, no sudden movements etc...


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## Shashank

philw said:


> Your baby is simply viewing you as less important than being fed
> by mom/dad. Every bird is an individual and being so young could
> be included in why this baby is not responding as you expected.
> Once he's fully fledged and spending more time with people it's likely he'll begin to warm up. He's just more trusting of his bird friendsand less with people, for now. Give him more time.


hmm, makes sense... but is there anything I can do to strengthen the bond? I see videos when the owner kisses and cuddles the budgies and they enjoy it! I want a bond like that:green pied: 



Nika said:


> I agree with what Phil wrote.
> Only wanted to add that many unweaned birds (even handfed) go thru a "hiding" stage, when they are afraid of humans and at the sight of a human, run somewhere to hide. Maybe yours is going thru such a stage now.
> I'd definitely not force close contact with your hand and you. Keep your hand at a distance which you know is acceptable by your baby budgie. Lots of patience.


hope so! any tips on how to increase the bond? I see all these videos where the owners kiss and cuddle their budgies and they love it too... I want such a bond :'(


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## FaeryBee

*
The purpose of this forum is to promote the best practices for the health and well-being of budgies.

It's important you recognize and accept that not all budgies like to be kissed and cuddled. 
Budgies are individuals, just like people and they have their own personalities. 
Expecting a budgie to behave in a certain way is not realistic.

It takes time and patience to help a budgie learn to trust you.
Trying to rush it only makes the budgie frightened and less inclined to want to be with you.

Additionally, most budgies once they pass the "baby" stage, do not like to be petted or touched. 
If your budgie does like to be petted, you should only ever pet his head, neck or chest area.
Stroking a budgie's back and/or tail stimulates its breeding instinct. Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.

You did not answer all the questions I asked.

Is this the first time you've had budgies?
Are you certain the Mother and Father are not related?
How old are the Mother and Father?
Did you have them on a conditioning diet prior to allowing them to breed?

*


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## aluz

There seems to be contradicting information when comparing to your other thread where it seemed you haven't been handling your chicks and were looking for advice: http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/352506-help-budgie-babies.html

The key in bonding with chicks as well as with older pet birds is to be gentle and understanding, to be able to read the bird's body language and to act according to it.
By not *forcing *the chick/bird to do something against their will and to make a connection by showing empathy, by using our voices to communicate to them, by helping the weaning chicks to be self sufficient and by offering them food, by gently playing with them and by being consistent with training/taming, that's how one achieves success.

Are you sure the father budgie is truly plucking the chicks' feathers? 
If all of your budgies are housed together, then the stressful situation may very well be leading to unnecessary aggression towards the chicks and this can certainly impact negatively the chicks' mental state, especially when they associate being picked up by you and getting a few feathers plucked as a result. They seem to not be in the best of environments where they can develop the confidence needed for the future challenges in life. 
This can also impact their personalities and make them overall more nervous and anxious and less likely to be receptive in bonding with people.
Problems with aggression can also arise if these chicks aren't properly socialized, they can inherit the aggressiveness shown to them by their father.


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## Therm

Aluz and Deb have offered you some great advice. 

Please take the time to answer the questions that have been asked about your budgies. Without all the information, we can not help you fully, and that is why they are being asked. If you do not provide all the information, no one can give you a full answer to your problem. 

When it comes to the baby budgie, in my personal opinion, I believe you are perhaps trying too hard with this baby and it's have a negative affect. From the post you made about wanting a bird to cuddle.... it's just *not* in the majority of budgies nature to be cuddly. I would back off from this little budgie for a while. It is telling you it is afraid and I think you need to let it have some space from you right now.


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## shanebudgie

Greetings I also agree with our knowledgeable friends on this.hopefully in time your budgie will bond with you.it takes time and a lot of patients.I too had to slowly work on my Gracie and so far its going good.I wish you and your budgie many happy years together.have faith and you can do it .Blessings always :green pied: a budgie is like having a true blue friend.


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## StarlingWings

Hi Shashank, 

I'm sorry to hear your little one is fearful of you. However, I completely agree with what has been stated. 

I think you may be trying a bit to hard to gain trust.  Even if birds are young, they aren't necessarily going to instantly bond with you. Chicks, like all other birds, do require positive interactions taken slowly, at their pace. Easier taming isn't necessarily guaranteed, it still takes work regardless of age, although it may take less time the younger the chicks are 

I hope with the advice given your pair and their chicks will do fine! :fingerx: I'll be checking back to see how things are going, too


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## Shashank

FaeryBee said:


> *
> The purpose of this forum is to promote the best practices for the health and well-being of budgies.
> 
> It's important you recognize and accept that not all budgies like to be kissed and cuddled.
> Budgies are individuals, just like people and they have their own personalities.
> Expecting a budgie to behave in a certain way is not realistic.
> 
> It takes time and patience to help a budgie learn to trust you.
> Trying to rush it only makes the budgie frightened and less inclined to want to be with you.
> 
> Additionally, most budgies once they pass the "baby" stage, do not like to be petted or touched.
> If your budgie does like to be petted, you should only ever pet his head, neck or chest area.
> Stroking a budgie's back and/or tail stimulates its breeding instinct. Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.
> 
> You did not answer all the questions I asked.
> 
> Is this the first time you've had budgies?
> Are you certain the Mother and Father are not related?
> How old are the Mother and Father?
> Did you have them on a conditioning diet prior to allowing them to breed?
> 
> *


1) yes, this is the first time with budgies
2) I don't know about their relationship, when I bought them from the pet store they were in the same cage...(both of them are blue)
3)mother and father both of them are 6-7 months old
4)no, I did not have any special diet for them, I used to feed them millet seeds, coriander leaves and tomatoes

Also I understand that not all budgies like cuddling, I don't exactly want that... I just want to have a great bond with my budgies.  And since people say that you can have such bond if you start handling them when they're young... 



StarlingWings said:


> Hi Shashank,
> 
> I'm sorry to hear your little one is fearful of you. However, I completely agree with what has been stated.
> 
> I think you may be trying a bit to hard to gain trust.  Even if birds are young, they aren't necessarily going to instantly bond with you. Chicks, like all other birds, do require positive interactions taken slowly, at their pace. Easier taming isn't necessarily guaranteed, it still takes work regardless of age, although it may take less time the younger the chicks are
> 
> I hope with the advice given your pair and their chicks will do fine! :fingerx: I'll be checking back to see how things are going, too


Hello! Thanks for the reply  and yes... what you say makes complete sense, I will keep this thread updated 

Thanks for the reply 
And when I was writing my previous thread I was handling them 5-10mins everyday... so I wanted to know if that was enough or I needed more bonding time etc 
And yes all the budgies are caged together... I'll try my best to separate the kids and the parents into another cage... thank you


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## FaeryBee

*Budgies should never be bred until they reach at least 12 - 18 months old.

It is very important to have a strong basis of experience and basic knowledge about budgies and the best practices for their care before allowing them to breed.

Your budgies are much too young to have been bred, they may be related to one another and aren't receiving the type diet to ensure their health and well-being. 

Please take the time to carefully read the information in the threads linked below:

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html

Planned Co-Parenting in Raising Tame Chicks

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/106210-cage-colony-breeding-differences-dangers.html

Are You Ready to Breed Your Budgies

What is Breeding Condition

Are Your Budgie's Eggs Fertile

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/242361-fostering-budgie-chicks-eggs-safely.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/184073-splayed-leg-prevention-treatment.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/267945-how-use-hagen-vision-plastic-next-box-safely.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/104591-aggression-toward-chicks-what-do.html

Budgie Hand Feeding and Weaning Guide

Decisions About Breeding Related Birds

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/339018-budgie-breeding-diet.html

Budgie Breeding - Must Read Useful Threads

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/332578-dystocia-birds-risks-signs-treatment-prevention.html

When We Don't Want Eggs*


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## Shashank

FaeryBee said:


> *Budgies should never be bred until they reach at least 12 - 18 months old.
> 
> It is very important to have a strong basis of experience and basic knowledge about budgies and the best practices for their care before allowing them to breed.
> 
> Your budgies are much too young to have been bred, they may be related to one another and aren't receiving the type diet to ensure their health and well-being.
> 
> Please take the time to carefully read the information in the threads linked below:
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html
> 
> Planned Co-Parenting in Raising Tame Chicks
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/106210-cage-colony-breeding-differences-dangers.html
> 
> Are You Ready to Breed Your Budgies
> 
> What is Breeding Condition
> 
> Are Your Budgie's Eggs Fertile
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/242361-fostering-budgie-chicks-eggs-safely.html
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/184073-splayed-leg-prevention-treatment.html
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/267945-how-use-hagen-vision-plastic-next-box-safely.html
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/104591-aggression-toward-chicks-what-do.html
> 
> Budgie Hand Feeding and Weaning Guide
> 
> Decisions About Breeding Related Birds
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/339018-budgie-breeding-diet.html
> 
> Budgie Breeding - Must Read Useful Threads
> 
> http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/332578-dystocia-birds-risks-signs-treatment-prevention.html
> 
> When We Don't Want Eggs*


Oh  but I never had any plans for babies or breeding...


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## Budget baby

You will need to find out the sex of your baby budgies so they do not breed as well. the original budgies you bought can quite possibly be related to each other as you got them both from the same place at the same time. They must not be encouraged to breed. Remove the pot once the babies are out of the pot. The father budgie could be wanting to mate once more this can cause him to become aggressive or even kill the babies. Please try your hardest to separate them as soon as possible, keep reading the informative links provided these will help you a lot.


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## FaeryBee

*


Shashank said:



Oh  but I never had any plans for babies or breeding...

Click to expand...

If you had no plans for babies or breeding, a nest box (or in your case, nest-pot) should never have been added to the cage. This is why it is important to learn about species ahead of time before acquiring them.

When We Don't Want Eggs

Many people in India (including the budgie breeders) have little knowledge of the importance of cage size, diet or the other best practices with regard to budgies' health and well-being.

By taking the time to read the information available through the forum, and passing that information to others in your country, you can help to improve the conditions of the budgies there.

One of the things that is challenging seems to be the fact there are few Avian Vets in your country.

Because of this, you will want to do as much research as you can and learn as much about budgies and the best practices for their care so you can provide your little ones with the best possible life.  We have a member in India who has done this and has developed a great relationship with a regular vet. With the member's research and the vet's collaboration, they have found ways of providing care for her budgie that she would have not been able to manage otherwise.

We will be happy to help you learn if you are willing to follow the advice offered by our staff.

http://talkbudgies.com/news-about-forum/349145-post-all-forum-members.html*


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## RavensGryf

You've already received some excellent advice here, and I hope it helps! I hope you take everything that was said to heart. Good luck .


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