# Trying to tame Cotton



## faeline (Jun 16, 2021)

So on 25th I've got a new girl in the house, Cotton (named by her previous owner). I had been looking through local budgie groups to find a suitable girl who would (hopefully) be friendly with Pepe, and I settled on Cotton, a female English budgie. The previous owner had to give her up was that she already had a cockatiel and was convinced by the pet store that a budgie would make a good companion - but well no. The budgie couldn't get the social interaction she needed from the cockatiel and the cockatiel would get jealous when the owner tried to interact with the budgie. For me, that was fine, although Cotton is also untamed and that would be challenging, but a part of me felt sad for her and I didn't want her to become a breeder's tool. Currently, my job situation just requires me to return to office once a week, so that should still be manageable - and I would want to at least semi tame her before I have to go back to office full fledged.

Anyway, Cotton is now quarantined in the living room (Pepe's permanently in the study for now) with music while she adjusts to the new environment, and I would do my "read her a chapter of Harry Potter everyday" routine for now. She's a very chill budgie and she doesn't panic a lot but I can still see that she's still afraid of hands.

I've also set up a work area in the living room that allows me to work next to Cotton, so I intend to split my time between the two rooms during weekdays.

The two birds call out to each other every morning and have conversations across the house, which I think is really adorable. 

Obligatory Cotton pic (she's staying in Pepe's old cage for the moment, I intend to use this cage as a quarantine cage):









It is unfortunate that the previous owner clipped Cotton's wings, but I fully intend to let her grow them out when she goes through her molt.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

She is SO cute and I'm so glad you were able to take her in. It sounds like you have a great routine with her already and I'm sure she will settle in soon! I hope to see more of her in the days to come.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Cotton is beautiful, you did such a great job with Pepe I am sure you will do the same with Cotton and she will soon be more comfortable with hands. Keep the pictures coming.


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## faeline (Jun 16, 2021)

So far it has been a flurry of festivities because it's Chinese New Year in Singapore and we've been having multiple gatherings. Cotton is a very, very, very chill budgie. She only moves away from my hand when I clean her cage, and I don't really see her play with the toys in the cage (yet, but I expect when she gets more comfortable she will). But she has been eating and drinking as per normal and having extended conversation with Pepe across the house. 

On the other hand, Pepe has been really excited to hear another bird in the house and she has been more vocal than before. 

I get very sad looking at Cotton's clipped wings because it seems like she's quite clumsy when she tries to do a big hop and flaps her wings in futile 😢, I've set up ladders from the bottom to the top of the cage so that she could climb up and down in case she falls. 

I've noticed that Cotton's vent is actually quite dirty, like her droppings get caught on her feathers (as compared to Pepe who has a clean little butt) but I've also noticed that Cotton has significantly longer feathers than Pepe. Her droppings are the correct oreo color and not wet or runny. And she is eating well and quite active as well. I'm just wondering how I can help her clean. For now, I spray her with water to help her get clean.

Obligatory bird communication:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Cotton is a beautiful girl and I'm glad she is settling in well.
I hope that once her quarantine period is completed and she and Pepe are introduced they will become the best of budgie girlfriends.*


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

I absolutely love her mutation

Hemi start calling for her when I played the video 🤣


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I'm so glad Cotton is settling in well. She's a precious girl.


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## faeline (Jun 16, 2021)

After around 2 weeks of daily Harry Potter, Cotton now looks at me when I call her name and she's not moving away when my hands are close to the cage. She still does this left-right-left-right pacing when my hand is in the cage cleaning. The two birds are still having their extended long distance conversation every morning, and once, Pepe wanted to leave the room with me to check out the bird outside.

Cotton also joins in my meetings in chirps and squawks, but sometimes besides the chapter of Harry Potter I don't really have time to talk to her. I saw her tapping on the toys once or twice, but it doesn't seem like she's interested in them - is that normal? Because Pepe entertains herself really well with toys I'm not really sure if Cotton is alright. Cotton does get anxious and she definitely wants to come out, and I do feel bad confining her to the cage for now. I really look forward to the end of quarantine and introduction of the two birds to finally give them some bird interaction.

Today, is bird bath time and I took out Pepe's good ol' mist bottle, and Cotton does seem to appreciate the water spray since she moves into the "rain".

Obligatory wet bird:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Not all budgies like to play with toys so don’t be concerned about that. 
Cotton may enjoy them more once she sees Pepe having fun with them when her quarantine is over. 
Cute picture! 💜*


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## faeline (Jun 16, 2021)

Work got really hectic since my last update and I didn't really have time to update.

Both girls are now in the same cage now, there's the initial bickering over who gets what perch and Pepe is the dominating bird in this case. But as time goes on, it seems like the two of them have settled into a decent friendship. Because I mostly work from home, and the new setup is that I work next to time all the time, so the cage is always open and their interaction is always supervised.

Cotton hasn't been tamed yet, but she doesn't panic when my hand is in the cage. For now, she eats millet from my hand, but she is still not comfortable with eating from my palm. However, the good thing is that because Pepe has the habit of eating vegetables, it was a lot easier for Cotton to accept vegetables as food. I've tried corn (successful and she loves it) and bok choy (which she will nibble). I'm working on kale, broccoli and carrots now.

My bond with Pepe didn't really diminish much, she hops onto my hand, flies to me and allows me to rub her cheeks. But I think she does get jealous if I give Cotton special attention, I've managed this by always interacting/hand-feeding Pepe first before Cotton, which is also fine since Cotton gets interested in the food in my hand when she sees Pepe eating them.

I think as a result of clipped wings, Cotton doesn't really venture far from the cage. I think I really need some suggestions on how to do a decent setup for a budgie with clipped wings because all the while my setup is for a winged bird and I never really had to worry if Pepe could reach her cage.

Obligatory corn day budgies:


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

Sounds like good progress to me.

Both of my boys are clipped, and I’m in a. Similar situation to you with working from home. I am able to push the cage over to my work table each morning and let them out from there, this way they can crawl down the cage to the table surface and come/go as they please. 
Not sure if that’s viable, but I’ve even used perches and sisal rope to make little “walkways” from the cage to the table to help them understand how to do it.


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## faeline (Jun 16, 2021)

Another quick update on the progress with Cotton. She's now quite comfortable with me and is starting to come to the corner of the cage near me to observe me working. When I offer food to her, she is not shy from eating from my hand and would do the same shredding of vegetables after she is done with eating. I recently bought salt-less rice wafers as a shredding toy of sorts for them and she basically breaks them down all the way to my fingers.

I am able to now put my fingers on her perch next to her without her panicking, and once in a while she would be curious and tap my finger nail. She get particularly interested in my finger after I give Pepe scritches, because Pepe would beak my finger and she would tilt her head in curiosity. I have stuck my finger next to her from outside of the cage on more than one occasion and she is either undisturbed by it, or shows mild interest in it. There was even once she fell asleep with one foot up with my finger in front of her.

I sing to Cotton and Pepe as well, and today she came to the front of the cage to listen to me sing (very attentively I must say). My face was around 15 cm away from her, and she looked at me directly. All in all, I'm quite encouraged, although it is true that it's hard to tame a bird when another bird is nearby, but sometimes because she sees how much Pepe trusts me, at least on the food side, it is easier to encourage her to eat vegetables.

Obligatory finger on perch picture:


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## faeline (Jun 16, 2021)

Also, friendship (both of them are sleeping).


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Great progress and they’re adorable!! I’m so glad they’re getting along. Great job 👏🏻


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