# Sad and Frustrated



## wookumus (Oct 26, 2017)

We've had our adorable budgie, Poppy since 9/17, purchased her at a pet store where she appeared to be lively, sociable and healthy. Unfortunately, did not realize what a severe and drastic change it would be to take her away from her flock. She seems unhappy and stressed most of the time, doesn't help that I have a very loud 4yo and his 8yo brother and they often fight...I imagine the bird is scared. Poppy was for my oldest and he adores her but all of our interactions are of short duration. She will allow you to pet her chest in the morning when we first get up and will put one foot on my son's finger also in the morning but if we put a hand in the cage any other time, whether to feed or clean her cage, she flies frantically. 

Also, she also flatly refuses to eat anything but seed. I have tried various pellets and fruit/veggies and she just throws things out to get at her seeds. I don't want to starve her and feel like we are stuck.

My questions, realizing that we may not give her the long sessions of attention she might need, will she ever trust us? Should we consider getting another parakeet to keep her company? I now wish we had bought 2 in the first place, we just hoped that she would bond with us instead of another budgie. As for eating, I've read so many suggestions and nothing seems to work. Any new ideas or suggestions? We are so sad and just want her to be a happy and healthy bird.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

It takes regular and consistent interactions on a daily basis to get a budgie to trust you. 
Unless you are personally willing to spend the time working with Poppy, it isn't likely that she will ever be trusting given the atmosphere in your household.

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 budgie or force her to be touched. 
To bond with your budgie, you need to build her trust in you.
She will have to learn over time that you will not hurt her, grab her and try to force her to allow you to hold her.

To build your budgie's trust, sit by her cage and read, talk or sing quietly to her for a period of at least 10-15 minutes, 3 or 4 times day. After the 2nd or 3rd day, rest your hand on the outside of the cage when you talk to her so he'll learn that your hand is safe and will not hurt her.

After a week, rest your hand inside the cage when you talk. 
Don't make sudden moves, don't try to touch her. 
Let her get used to the idea that the hand is now in her safe place and not harming her.

After 2 weeks, begin moving your hand slowly toward your budgie. If she becomes agitated, stop moving your hand and just hold very still until she calms down. When she's comfortable with your hand near her, you can offer her a bit of millet or a few seeds. In a few more days, you can begin your taming and bonding sessions.

Always work at your budgie's pace. 
Move slowly and talk reassuringly and calmly to her whenever you interact with her.

It can take several weeks (or even months) for budgies to decide to try a new food.
Fruit is high in sugar content so vegetables are actually healthier for your budgies with fruits given only occasionally (once or twice a week)

http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/315033-healthy-diet-your-budgie.html

Please take the time to read the Budgie Articles and the Stickies posted at the top of each section of the forum. 
Most basic questions have been answered there. 

You will find many different tips with regard to presenting vegetables and encouraging your budgies to try new foods in the Diet and Nutrition section of the forum.
The first vegetable which my budgies that had not been weaned to vegetables tried (and loved) was sweet corn kernels sprinkled with a teeny bit of garlic powder (NOT salt).

Budgies seem to love "spicy" tastes. 
They also adored fresh basil, cilantro, chickweed, zucchini and red pepper. 

Diet and Nutrition - Talk Budgies Forums

Using Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother)
as a natural pro-biotic is very beneficial to your budgies:

http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles-holistic-natural-remedies/103936-apple-cider-vinegar.html

When I introduced pellets to my budgie, my Avian Vet recommended using Harrison's High Potency Mash and sprinkling it on the budgie's seed mix every day. This way, when the budgie hulls the seed it tastes the pellet mash and ingests bits of it as well. This helps the budgie identify the taste as a food source.

Many members seem to find the easiest pellets to use for introducing pellets to their budgies to be the CANARY sized Zupreem fruity pellets. Most budgies like the taste and the "Canary" sized pellets are tiny enough for them to easily eat them. Once they've become accustomed to the Fruity Pellets, introducing the smallest "natural" pellets is then an easy step.

Other than when I was using the Harrison's mash, I've never mixed my birds' pellets and seed together. My birds have three separate dishes each with a different brand/flavor of pellets available to them 24/7. Their seed is rationed to approximately 2 teaspoons of seed per budgie each day. I give them seed first thing in the morning right after putting clean newspapers on the bottom grate of the cages. I sprinkle their morning ration on the paper so they can forage for the seeds. I then do the same thing in the evenings (after replacing the soiled newspaper with clean) and again allow them to forage for their seed.

All of my birds have the option to eat the available pellets whenever they like throughout the day and they all enjoy them!

__________________
With a healthy diet, you should not need any vitamins or supplements other than Vitamin D3 which is used for birds who get limited direct sunlight.

Lady Gouldian Finch .com - Soluvite D

Here is an article about Full Spectrum Lighting:

http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles...lighting-how-much-should-your-budgie-get.html

There are many things to take into consideration before getting a second budgie.

http://www.talkbudgies.com/other-pets/50806-do-you-really-want-another-pet.html

If you decide to get another budgie in the future, please be sure to observe quarantine for the new budgie.

Quarantine means housing the new bird in a different cage in a different room than the current bird (as far away from the room the current bird is in as possible) for a period of 35-45 days.

Budgies mask symptoms when they are ill. Symptoms may not show up for over two weeks. 
Often you will not even realize your bird is not well. Many budgie illnesses are airborne which is why you need to quarantine your new bird in a completely different room.

It is also a good idea to always take a new budgie in to see an Avian Vet for a "well-birdie" check-up. This allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet and the vet can establish a baseline for your bird in case of any future illnesses or injuries.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

2. Introducing the new bird to the current bird

Introducing two birds

3. Flock Dynamics

Flock Dynamics

4. Where do you plan to get the new bird?

Why buy from an reputable breeder rather than a big box pet store

5. Vet Expense and Housing

Do you have the time, finances, etc to devote to another bird?

Are you ready, willing and able to house the new budgie separately on a permanent basis if it does not get along with your current bird after quarantine?

Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and 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
Posting on the Forums
Let's Talk Budgies
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
List of Stickies
Be Prepared for Veterinary Expense
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

50 Common Budgie Dangers to Watch Out For

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
When We Don't Want Eggs

Recommended Minimum Cage Sizes
Essentials for a Great Cage
Resource Directory

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To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as Imgur and follow the steps in these instructions:
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By the way, all photos entered in any of our forum contests must be a full-size photo and not a thumbnail attachment so it's good to know how to upload them! 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:*


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

As FaeryBee said, it takes A LOT of time and patience to tame a bird and get them to trust you. Also, keep in mind that since birds have individual personalities, not all Budgies will have an interest in becoming a “tame” bonded buddy with a human. 

My current budgies were both handfed and human raised for about the same amount of time, yet my female remains more trusting and will step up when she feels like it, while my male won’t. He’s not “wild”, he just had his limits and boundaries with humans. 

Same with one of my handfed hand raised parrots.. he just has his very strict boundaries with me, unlike another parrot who is extremely cuddly (and a closely related species). The standoffish one probably even had more consistent early handling too, but still didn’t guarantee anything. 

I also had a standard budgie who eventually became “not wild” yet did not want interaction with me. Although he’d step up when he knew he was having out of cage time. 

Hopefully yours will show interest in befriending you and your family after some time :fingerx:. But if not, don’t get discouraged. Just know that not all birds have an interest in the human bond . 

I’m mentioning my own Budgies and other parrots as an example how totally different they can be as individuals despite similar backgrounds as chicks.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

I really can't add to the excellent advice you've been given. Poppy will only truly bond with you if you're able to put in the necessary time and do the steps outlined above. 

Be sure to read through the links provided by FaeryBee as they contain all the necessary information you need to stay updated on the very best of budgie care practices! 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, be sure to ask as we'd love to help! 

We'd also love to meet Poppy when you get a chance! hoto: 

Cheers! :wave:


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