# Tricking a budgie?



## Sandyshores (Sep 28, 2021)

Hello all! So I have a situation and I need some tips. One of my budgies (Lulu) has been sneezing alot lately, and keeps clearing her throat making me think shes sick again. They have an appointment tomorrow with an avian vet. Now I have taken them to a vet before and was required to give them medication orally for 10 days, twice a day. This was so unpleasant for them as they are not fully tamed. Both lost my trust, and unfortunately Lulu still hasn't forgiven even though its been over a month. This time I was thinking maybe I should wear like a ski mask and gloves to hide the fact that its me having to grab and give medication...Could this work? Has anyone attempted this? I definitely don't want to scare them to death, but I don't want to lose Bluey's trust again and make things even WORSE with Lulu. Any tricks and tips for this situation would be appreciated, thanks!


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

I'm pretty sure that she will know that it's you... Her sense of smell is _quite_ good.

Not to mention that being handled by a hooded figure that she is unfamiliar with will likely scare the you-know-what out of her.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

I do not recommend wearing a mask and gloves, this would really upset them even more. The method I use is as follows: I give the meds in the morning while it is still fairly dark and the birds have not yet begun to be active because the room is still dark and they are still covered. You have to have a nightlight or something so you can see a bit what you are doing, let your eyes adjust to the darkness of the room before beginning. Make sure you know where she is sitting in the cage , if there are other birds in the cage this may be a bit more difficult. Very slowly and quietly open the cage door reach in and gently cup your hands around her and remove her from the cage, do not grab with one hand if at all possible, this may be more difficult if the cage has only a small door, sit down and place her on a table or your knee, during all this time I find that it is best to use only the amount of restraint with your hands necessary to keep her from flying off, the more gentle you are the less she will fight and squirm around. Once you are sitting administer the meds into the mouth and return her immediately to the cage and keep the lights off and let her relax. This may work out better if she is comfortable sleeping in a cage by herself because when you put your hand in the cage to remove her you will not be spooking the other birds, once that happens you need to back off and try again later, the last thing you want is to try to catch her when all the birds are in a frenzy. My birds are not hand tame and I have used this method hundreds of times, make sure you have the meds ready in the syringe before you begin and stay calm. When I need to do this twice a day I do the same thing at night about 30 minutes after I have put the birds to bed.


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## vrabec (Oct 8, 2021)

Cody, I am not original poster, but thank you for that advice - I was really wondering how to go about it with an untamed bird!


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## Sandyshores (Sep 28, 2021)

srirachaseahawk said:


> I'm pretty sure that she will know that it's you... Her sense of smell is _quite_ good.
> 
> Not to mention that being handled by a hooded figure that she is unfamiliar with will likely scare the you-know-what out of her.


I definitely don't want to traumatize her so I won't be using this method afterall but I had to ask. I read that they didn't have a good sense of smell and rely mostly on their sight and hearing, so I thought my idea would work, guess not! lol


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## Sandyshores (Sep 28, 2021)

Cody said:


> I do not recommend wearing a mask and gloves, this would really upset them even more. The method I use is as follows: I give the meds in the morning while it is still fairly dark and the birds have not yet begun to be active because the room is still dark and they are still covered. You have to have a nightlight or something so you can see a bit what you are doing, let your eyes adjust to the darkness of the room before beginning. Make sure you know where she is sitting in the cage , if there are other birds in the cage this may be a bit more difficult. Very slowly and quietly open the cage door reach in and gently cup your hands around her and remove her from the cage, do not grab with one hand if at all possible, this may be more difficult if the cage has only a small door, sit down and place her on a table or your knee, during all this time I find that it is best to use only the amount of restraint with your hands necessary to keep her from flying off, the more gentle you are the less she will fight and squirm around. Once you are sitting administer the meds into the mouth and return her immediately to the cage and keep the lights off and let her relax. This may work out better if she is comfortable sleeping in a cage by herself because when you put your hand in the cage to remove her you will not be spooking the other birds, once that happens you need to back off and try again later, the last thing you want is to try to catch her when all the birds are in a frenzy. My birds are not hand tame and I have used this method hundreds of times, make sure you have the meds ready in the syringe before you begin and stay calm. When I need to do this twice a day I do the same thing at night about 30 minutes after I have put the birds to bed.


This is a great idea! Thank you for this. She is quite groggy in the morning so I think this could work. The cage I have is big enough for me to put my whole upper body inside lol so cupping her shouldn't be a problem. I will give an update soon. Thanks again!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

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## ChickWas (May 6, 2021)

As someone who went through what you went through, it's an awful feeling! But the health of the budgie always comes first, even if it is unpleasantness all round. The ski mask and gloves would absolutely terrify them, so big no no. I once tried using plastic gloves to get a better grip on my budgie as he would always wiggle free, but the first time I tried, he lost the plot and was petrified. But over time, you just get good at holding them firmly without needing gloves. It's also much easier getting hold of them whilst they're in the cage, it's best not to be hesitant as the more hesitation you have, the longer you're making the ordeal. With practice, you'll be reaching in, cornering the bird, and grabbing them efficiently. Giving the meds after is easy peasy, and then bam, all that stress over and done with in under a minute.

As for losing their trust, that was the worst! My Wasabi went from always wanting nose rubs and cheek scratches to hating me for months. He'd still sit on my shoulder or hands, but he'd bite me more often and would scurry away if my hand went anywhere near him. 6 months on and he's back to how he used to be (sort of). He's no longer scared of my hands, and will _sometimes _let me give him cheek scratches. We're pretty much back at our old trust level minus a few cute little things he'd let me do, but that's A-okay.

Back to the whole medicine thing, always make it a routine: give it at the same times each day. It makes grabbing the bird harder as they'll anticipate it, but at least they know what to expect. I'd give the meds quickly but gently, and then immediately follow it up with some millet / treats and letting him spend some alone time with me on my hand for 5-10 minutes before letting my other budgies out. He'd still hate the medicine routine, but he became a lot more used to it and less stressed. He'd just fight like the devil because he's a little angry bean.


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## vrabec (Oct 8, 2021)

The vet made it look so much easier. Mine slipped out of my grasp just before I could give him a drop. He got a good flight out of my mistake, made at least two laps upstairs. Next time, I'll take the cage to the small room where we are to begin training. This is going to setback taming and training though, ah, bummer.


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## Sandyshores (Sep 28, 2021)

vrabec said:


> The vet made it look so much easier. Mine slipped out of my grasp just before I could give him a drop. He got a good flight out of my mistake, made at least two laps upstairs. Next time, I'll take the cage to the small room where we are to begin training. This is going to setback taming and training though, ah, bummer.


They sure do make it look easy! They showed me what to do using my difficult budgie, and she cooperated with no problem even drank the medicine...then when I tried it at home, she did not want to drink it and kept turning her head away. Its such a teeny amount you have to administer too, so it isn’t fun when it misses and goes into the feathers around her beak rather than her mouth. They gave me a teeny syringe, but I think they need something even smaller and thinner that would fit more easily into the crack of their beak. Good luck to you and your feathered friend!


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## Sandyshores (Sep 28, 2021)

ChickWas said:


> As someone who went through what you went through, it's an awful feeling! But the health of the budgie always comes first, even if it is unpleasantness all round. The ski mask and gloves would absolutely terrify them, so big no no. I once tried using plastic gloves to get a better grip on my budgie as he would always wiggle free, but the first time I tried, he lost the plot and was petrified. But over time, you just get good at holding them firmly without needing gloves. It's also much easier getting hold of them whilst they're in the cage, it's best not to be hesitant as the more hesitation you have, the longer you're making the ordeal. With practice, you'll be reaching in, cornering the bird, and grabbing them efficiently. Giving the meds after is easy peasy, and then bam, all that stress over and done with in under a minute.
> 
> As for losing their trust, that was the worst! My Wasabi went from always wanting nose rubs and cheek scratches to hating me for months. He'd still sit on my shoulder or hands, but he'd bite me more often and would scurry away if my hand went anywhere near him. 6 months on and he's back to how he used to be (sort of). He's no longer scared of my hands, and will _sometimes _let me give him cheek scratches. We're pretty much back at our old trust level minus a few cute little things he'd let me do, but that's A-okay.
> 
> Back to the whole medicine thing, always make it a routine: give it at the same times each day. It makes grabbing the bird harder as they'll anticipate it, but at least they know what to expect. I'd give the meds quickly but gently, and then immediately follow it up with some millet / treats and letting him spend some alone time with me on my hand for 5-10 minutes before letting my other budgies out. He'd still hate the medicine routine, but he became a lot more used to it and less stressed. He'd just fight like the devil because he's a little angry bean.


This gives me hope! I'm glad they won't distrust me forever, I'll be happy to get their trust back even if it takes 6 months or longer!


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## vrabec (Oct 8, 2021)

Sandyshores said:


> They gave me a teeny syringe, but I think they need something even smaller and thinner that would fit more easily into the crack of their beak. Good luck to you and your feathered friend!


My vet gave me the solution in a dropper bottle, and it seems to work well for a single drop. The vet also suggested using a towel to hold him, helps to keep his wings and feet in place, the bird will reduce the struggling by a lot. 

He's already much more active today possibly thanks to the new food, but, holy cow is he terrified of me. He's no longer greeting me with wing-lifts and leg stretches to say hello when I walk by for the time being  I might try using the thin white cotton gloves photographers and movers use for delicates and such - can't find my pair, I know I've got some somewhere.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forums! 

FaeryBee and Cody have given great advice and I agree completely. 

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” 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. 

Please keep us posted! 

Cheers! 👋


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