# Is what happened unforgivable?



## Lear (Aug 28, 2021)

Hi I'm new to this forum!

I recently got my first 2 budgies its been just over a week

Blu: 1 1/2 year old male (pre owned and maybe pre tamed?)
Nemo around 4-6 month old female (from pet store) 

Blu was found at a garage sale for free (they were moving and didn't want to take him with them) I don't think he was miss treated or anything. I was told he was able to talk
and also had a friend that died recently.

Nemo is your standard pet store baby budgie.

Blu came with a cage that was too small for even 1 budgie so I bought a flight cage for both of them. 
It started looking like Blu was trying to fight with nemo by pecking at her and what seemed to be pulling on her head feathers.
I separated them, Nemo is now in the small cage that Blu came with and Blu is in the new flight cage.

The true Problem:
Blu doesn't do much but sit in the middle of the cage and chirp all day long he doesn't play or anything (yes he eats and drinks)
He will jump on my hand if I'm holding millet but the second he eats it all, he runs away.(I think i'm just impatient with this part.

Nemo on the other hand. will play with a single metal bell toy. but she wants nothing todo with me. she wont eat millet she flips out if I get anywhere close.
I have had to stop trying to feed her millet since every time she would jump out of the cage and run around the room flipping out.
Iv had to chase her with a towel about 5 times now. to get her back in. I feel so bad for the little bird. is what i did unforgiveable or is it in anyway fixable.

Currently i have started to just leave nemo alone for the next few weeks and basically try starting over from the beginning.


----------



## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

It is fixable. Both birds have been through traumatic experiences and need time to adapt to their new home. Poor Blu was basically abandoned by his former family and you don't know how he was treated, in addition to being in a new home he may also be missing his friend that died, the chirping he is doing is most likely flock calling, he is looking for his friend. Nemo, being a pet store bird has no positive human interaction history and is understandably skittish. The two birds need to be kept separate for a quarantine period of at least 30 days, this is done to make sure neither have any illness that could be passed to the other. During this time it is best not to try and touch them but talk to each one at length several times a day so they begin to see you as someone that can be trusted. If Blu was tame in his prior home he may come around faster than Nemo. I would also put a swing in each cage as budgies love swings. I cannot tell from the picture the bar spacing on Nemo's cage, in the first picture it looks like the bars on the front of the cage are more than 1/2 inch apart, if that is the case it is too wide and Nemo could get her head stuck if she tries to squeeze through them.The flight cage Blu is in is a great cage and he probably thinks he in a mansion compared to his prior cage.


----------



## Lear (Aug 28, 2021)

So what I started is the right think then ok. I do actually have 2 swings a large and a small, I have moved the small one into nemos cage. I measured the bars and there about half an inch exactly on both cages. I guess I'll start by just sitting and talking to them for the next month and see where things go. Thank you so much for the advice. I'll be sure to use this form for any more future help I may need ☺


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Welcome to Talk Budgies!

The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*

*Avian Association of Veterinarians*

*Cody has given you excellent advice.

I recommend you remove the wooden dowel perches in the cage and replace them with natural wooden perches of varying diameters to help prevent pressure sores.*
*Pressure Sores*
*The information in this link will give examples of better options for perches:*
*Essentials for a Great Cage*

*Taming and Bonding is all about helping your budgie learn to trust you and it takes a great deal of time and patience on your part.
You should never grab your budgies or force them to be touched.
To bond with your budgie, you need to build their trust in you.
They will have to learn over time that you will not hurt them, grab them and try to force them to allow you to hold them.

To bond with your birds, you need to build their trust in you.
They will have to learn over time that you will not hurt them.

To build your birds’ trust, sit by their cage and read, talk or sing quietly to them for a period of at least 10-15 minutes, 3 or 4 times day. After about a week, rest your hand on the outside of the cage when you talk to them so they will learn that your hand is safe and will not hurt them. 

After a week of resting your hand on the outside of the cage, rest your hand inside the cage when you talk.

Don’t make sudden moves, don’t try to touch them.
Let their get used to the idea that the hand is now in their safe place and not harming them.

After 2 weeks, begin moving your hand slowly toward your bird. If they become agitated, stop moving your hand and just hold very still until they calm down. When they are comfortable with your hand near them, you can offer them a bit of millet or a few seeds.

Always work at your birds’ pace.

Move slowly and talk reassuringly and calmly to their whenever you interact with them.
*
*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
*Quality Seed Mix*
*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*
*Safe Foods for Budgies*
*The Truth about GRIT*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of 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.*
*SITE GUIDELINES*
*List of Stickies*
*Posting on the Forums*
*Let's Talk Budgies!*
*FAQ*
*Articles*
*Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense*
*Avian First Aid*
*Quarantine IS Necessary!*
*A heartfelt plea to forum members new and old*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
*Dangers to Pet Birds*
*Resource Directory*


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forums! 

Cody and FaeryBee have given you excellent advice and resources 💕

Meanwhile, you’ve come to a great place to learn even more about the best of budgie care practices! Please be sure to have a look around the forums’ many budgie articles and “stickies”, included above, to ensure you’re up to date on everything. If you have questions after doing so, please be sure to ask as we’d love to help.


Best wishes and hope to see you around! 


Cheers! 👋


----------

