# i need help with taming my budgie



## Blueberry and mufffin (Sep 17, 2021)

a few days ago i finally got my budgie to sit on my hand while eating millet.I was very happy about this but now i am confused because he still flies away whenever i go near him.the only way i can get close to him is by putting my hand in the cage with some millet and he flies on to my hand and eats the milet.

some help would be greatly appreciated


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

Well, that’s not a bad start!


If your bird(s) come from a breeder that worked well at socializing their animals, then the process below is the same but it may go much quicker for you. You should move at the pace that your animal is comfortable with. 
If you place your hand in their cage and they hop right onto you, then you can start building from there with treats, training and out-of-cage time 
Start by resting your hand on the outside of the cage for 5-10 minutes a few times a day. Talk to them as you do this, in a quiet and steady voice. Read something to them if you like 

After a week or two of this, you can move to just placing your hand "in" the cage. You can use their behavior as a judge on this one. If they actively retreat from your hand, even when it’s on the outside of the cage; they aren’t ready for you to go to the next step.  Once they start to essentially “ignore” your hand, then you can move on.

The next step is to put your hand in the cage. Don't touch them, go near them or even move. Just rest it there for the same 5-10 minutes a few times a day and continue with the quiet, steady speech.

Your bird(s) will eventually begin to acclimate to you and slowly move up to investigating your hand. Then you can work on treat placement in the hand to see if you can then lure them to step on it to eat from it (again without moving).

And then you go from there!








This could take weeks, or even months, of work and is entirely up to the bird. You may get lucky and have a very outgoing animal that tames in a short period of time, or you may have a more timid creature on your hand that requires a lot more from you.

Birds require far more patience with training than dogs and cats do. They all know instinctively that they are "prey items" and we are basically asking them to ignore that natural response when confronted by a larger predator (you).

You can also use their voice as a measure of their comfort. 
A whistling/chirping budgie is not a scared budgie


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## Blueberry and mufffin (Sep 17, 2021)

ok thanks i'll give it a go


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

The most important thing to remember is that you need to take everything at your budgie’s pace, not yours! Even if you’re frustrated with the pace, you have to go at his pace or you will only have setbacks. Watch your budgie’s body language and if he seems scared or afraid then step back and return to the previous step. Sriracha has given great advice and guidelines above 👍🏻


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