# Setting Boundries - Budgie ruining my blinds!



## Ilagwen

My budgie is always let out when we are around, and is free to come and go as he pleases in the lounge. For some reason he has recently began to climb up the wooden blinds over the windows (they are open and let in daylight -we have them there because when he is out because we don't want him to fly into the window in confusion. I think he thinks they are the slats to our cage). He has then started to chew and destroy the wood on our blinds. He isn't completely trained, so it would be no use putting back into his cage when he does this, because it would take too long to catch him etc...but how on earth do I let him know that I don't like this? I've tried clapping when he does it, and while at first this interested him he now doesn't care at all. 

Help! He's free to destroy his toys but not mine! :budgie:


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## Therm

Do you have a net curtain over the window? 

Initially covering a window for a new bird is a good idea but I found once they know the room, covering the windows isn't needed. If you open the blinds fully, your budgie may not pay so much attention. 
Are they horizontal blinds? If you could pull them fully up, I wonder if you could then drape a thin cloth over the top which would stop your budgie from chewing them. 

Perhaps another approach is to try and interest the budgie in a play gym or in what you are doing- maybe if you are playing with some of his toys he might investigate.


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## Riovedo

My budgie does the same thing, usually the only way I can distract her from chewing the blinds or whatever other trouble she gets into, is to give her a new toy that she can chew on her playground or on top of her cage. Sadly its only a temporary fix, the little stinker loves to get into trouble.


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## Budget baby

Firstly if you are willing to let your budgie have free reign of the lounge room you are going to get this sort of behaviour. To your budgie this is his territory and everything in it is seen as his toys.
Some budgies love to chew, try providing more chew toys, placing a sheet or other covering over the window for a while, opening the blind as suggested. If your bird is out all the time and you can not catch him this is not a good idea. I would start to work on step up training for emergency, or health related times.
Good luck,


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## Wiki

Two important questions I'd ask myself:
What's in it for the bird to chew?
What's in it for the bird *not* to chew?

The first is easy. Parrots are destructive, they love destroying stuff, especially wood - it's in their nature. Add to this when you tell your parrot off, you're giving it attention and interaction which is another win for the parrot.

The second is harder. The best advice I can give is remove/minimise the problem (blind) as has been suggested, while distracting with more accessible and interesting objects for destruction, and lots of reward for that destruction. Balsa, yucca, natural bird-safe branches with bark on - any of the soft woods these guys love. Make sure they're high up enough to provide the security bird gets from the blind as well. You could even hide favourite treat foods in with the wood to bump up the reward factor.


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## Ilagwen

Thank you everyone for your advice, we'll definitely get to work trying some of this stuff - we've been looking at budgie playgrounds so maybe putting one on the window sill and trying a net first of all would be a good bet. 

Thank you :budgie:


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