# Blu & Peep Training Journal (ongoing thread)



## Bluandpeep

hello!!

so for the past few days ive been starting taming my two male budgies Blu and Peep and they've been doing great so far and dont seem as scared and terrified of my hand as they were 2 months ago when they first come to their new home.

Ive been trying to get them to step onto my hand for the past 3 days and have had 9 attempts up to now. 
While doing so they didnt fly away from me and stayed standing on their perch, unless i made any movement thats startled them although they came back righr after. 
the second day of trying this Peep (who is normally super terrified of me and waits for Blu to make the first go!!) was slowly moving his head towards my hand with millet seed in it and he got down to my hand right where it was and just has he reached it he realised he was too far away to eat it , meaning he had to step down onto my hand but he didnt.

Today i repeated what i was doing and put my hand infront of them to step down and eat but they seemed even more jumpy with me today for some reason. after a first try i left them alone and came back around an hour later to try again. i decided to have the millet at the finger tips of my hand rather than at my palm as my finger tips would be closer to them.

almost immediately Peep went for the millet, while it was resting on my fingers and Blu curiously loomed over while on his little swing wanting to get on in the millet too!! 
(i find it so funny they follow each other in all they do!!)

the millet bits were too small to keep on my hand without falling off so i ended up having to hold it between my fingers but i tried to keep my hand in a flat position but becauss of the cage it was a bit awkward to so i ended up having to hold it at an angel for them both most of the time, but they still went for it! plus Blu accepted to take it from my hand flat beside him which was good!!

i have a video of them eating i wanted to upload to see if im doing the right thing and if theyre having a good responce! but im not sure if i can upload videos on here and if not ill upload some screenshots of it!!

its already been taken to my attention of the cage size for the two birdies and the new perches and more toys needed - im looking into it all although it all is quite costly here and might be a while but as soon as possible Blu and Peep whll have a lovely improved home. (this is also another reason why i want to tame them as soon and good as i can so i can allow them lots of time to roam around a room in the house for exercise and things to explore, all under my supervision of course and with lots of games with me also!!)

i really want to be the best mother for my two babies and would love all the advice and tips i could get to better my relationship with them and have them live a happy life!!

H












































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## Bluandpeep

*which taming methods?*

ive been reading through stickies of how to tame ect. and doing some research and ive notcied two main ways to tame budgies and im wondering which is best?

the two methods ive seen mainly are basicially;

1.having a treat on your hand and allowing the bird to come to you when it eventually becomes confrotable with you, stepping onto your hand to get food

2. using a perch to get the bird to step onto continuously and then eventually your finger to step on to

which of the two would be best to tame?
i have two budgies im training at the same time so which would work best? 
thank you!!

H

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## FaeryBee

*I like the first method best - especially when working with multiple budgies.

I've merged your two threads regarding Taming and Bonding into one and made it into a "Training Journal" for you.
Please post any additional updates or questions you have about Taming and Bonding in this thread. *


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## Goldenwing

Your little ones are very cute! Sounds like you have made some good progress with Blu and Peep already! I know it feels really slow, but as you look back at your journal later, you will realize how far you have come. Keep up the good work!


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## Blingy

Well done with the progress you're making with your two babies. Getting your birds to trust your hands is the most difficult part of the process in my opinion. Once your birds are comfortable with your hands (will happily eat from them, won't run off when you put your hand in their cage, will step up for you, either onto your hand or a perch), it becomes a lot easier to work with them and to teach them other things because they know that you're not going to hurt them. Of course that doesn't mean that they're not going to be stubborn at times and ignore you in favour of doing their own thing. You should be really proud of the progress you're making with your two birds. It is harder working with two birds than it is with one because the birds will generally rather stick together than listen to us. 

Keep up the great work. I look forward to reading your updates.




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## Bluandpeep

Peep is bleeding.

this morning i got up and went to feed them and get a bit of taming done and i noticed peeps bleeding from his side below his wing.
i cant tell exactly if the bleedings from his wing or his back/chest area.

hes flying around the cage okay and doesnt seem to be in pain and hes playing around with his feathers as usual.

at first i was quite worried that peep and blu got in a fight over night or early this morning because right before they went to bed last night i was with them and everything was completely fine. although when taking a look at him, theres no signs of blood from peep anywhere on blu (nothing on beak, feet, body or face) while there is a bit of blood on peeps beak and his other feathers. also peep and blus interactions with each other are just the same, theyre close to each other and dont seem to have fallen out so i dont think it was blu who injured peep.

the bleeding isnt much and there is a bit. its dried up now and seems to have stopped.

ive been thinking about it and im guessing maybe peep accedently hurt himself? but im not too sure on the theory.

not quite sure what to do now? but ill keep a close eye on them.

H





































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i took a closer look at peep and it seems like the bleeding coming from his back and not his wing

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## FaeryBee

*You need to get the bleeding stopped right away. 
Use flour or corn-starch on the area that is bleeding.
Keep Peep quiet and separate him from Blu.

http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/335937-avian-first-aid.html

It's important you determine what has caused the injury or trauma. Check all toys, perches and areas of the cage for sharp objects.

I recommend you take Peep into an Avian Vet for a full examination.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma. 
This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.
When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment. 
This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

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

Having your budgie examined by an Avian Vet allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet in case your bird needs care for an injury or illness in the future. Additionally, it is always helpful for the vet to have a baseline for your bird to refer to should it need future treatment.

http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-health/340410-avian-physical-examination.html*


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## Goldenwing

I am sorry to hear that Peep was hurt.  Best of luck to you in finding the cause. Let us know how he is doing.


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## Bluandpeep

So the past two days have been stressful in trying to figure out whats wrong with Peep, but i think we have finally cracked the case.

the bleeding began on saturday morning (or late friday night) but by the time i notcied it it had already stopped bleeding and dried up, until it started bleeding again.

it stopped again and after research we found out that flour or corn starch was good to clot up wounds, so the plan of attack was if it started bleeding again we would put flour in the wound.

after and intense day trying to squeeze research i have come to notice that the issue eith peep is simply a broken blood feather.

ive went and watched multiple videos online and blogs explaining blood feathers and what to do incase of one and that is - pulling it out.

in other places i also read that it its stopped bleeding to leave it alone to out grow? and its got me a bit confused.

as of right now Peep is not bleeding and the blood seems so have clot up again. my worry is that he starts picking at it again and it starts bleeding?

so basicially, should we go on to pull the feather out even though its not bleeding anymore? or wait it out until the feather grows out again? 
and suppose it does start bleeding again, would the go to solution be to pull the feather out?

apologies if this makes little sense, i wrote it in a hurry.

thank you!

H

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## FaeryBee

*It is best you remove the broken blood feather even though the bleeding has stopped.
If you do not do so, and Peep bumps the feather again, the bleeding will restart.
A budgie can bleed out very quickly.

Cockatiels, Blood Feathers, Broken Blood Feathers,How to Pull a Broken Blood Feather from a Bird, What is a Blood Feather

I strongly recommend you read the information in the link I provided in my previous post and ensure you have a Birdie First Aid Kit set up and on hand.

Avian First Aid

Birdie First Aid Kit

Information on Blood Feathers

Reading all of the Budgie Articles and Stickies throughout the forums will be a great help to you.*


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## Bluandpeep

Day 16!!

we successfully got Peeps blood feather removed and he is all good and well now thankfully!! It was so stressful to be honest and it just opened my mind even more to how much i care for and love them along with how much responsibility and availability needs to have when owning these beautiful birds - or any pet at all!!

in regards to taming...
i havent been successful in getting Peep or Blu to step on my hand but what i have noticed is how much more confortable they with me when im around and how encouraged they are to come to my hand to get millet lately. They also dont freak out anyone with any little movement i make and arent as jumpy when i move millet around my hand infront of them or if i accedently brush against their little feet. 
They also seem to get much more excited when i entre the room or start talking to them. they seem more relaxed and less alert when im around which makes me so so happy and such a proud mummy!!

Today Peep came out with the cutest little sneeze and Blu with so many little yawns!! it was soop adorable ahhh

my next plan is to go ahead and encourage them to actually step onto my hand :/

im a bit confused on how to hold my hand with the millet far enough for them to not be able to just reach over to get it without coming onto my hand but yet not so far that they cant easily step up? if that makes sense.

right now it seems like were getting nowhere new with stepping up which is annoying, but i deffaintly see progress which is so amazing and i know i just have to hold on, keep trying and have patience!!

H

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## FaeryBee

*I'm glad you successfully removed the blood feather and I'm sure Peep is much more comfortable now.

With regard to stepping up, I personally like using the method of holding some seeds or millet seeds in the palm of my hand.
Hold your palm out in front of the perch the bird is on. 
Generally the budgie will finally decide to place either one or both feet on your hand to get to the seeds. 
I find this much easier than using the "finger" method of stepping up.

Most of my birds prefer to step up onto my palm or onto the back of my hand when I move them around.*


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## Bluandpeep

using your palm does sound so much easier yes! 

although if theyre just leaning over to get the seeds do i keep it at that distance until they step onto it or do i move it back to where they cant lean over to get it?

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## Hunterkat

Just keep it at that distance- you're trying to show them that hands are a good thing!


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## Bluandpeep

perfect! thank you lots! 

ill start from there this weekend and see how it goes, fingers crossed🤞

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## FaeryBee

*Good luck -- I think you'll find this method to be much easier and satisfying for both you and the budgies! :fingerx:*


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## Bluandpeep

day 34!

a month and a few days later peep and blu are finally starting to put their feet on my hand and finger!

about a week ago peep placed one of his feet on my palm for about 3 seconds when i was feeding them but since then he didnt do it again which had me slightly upset because i though he wouldn't do it again

~but~

this morning i decided to give peep a go at encouraging him to step up on my finger because i have notcied that hes very confortable with my hand near him lately. 
so i had my finger at his chest and above his feet and i just kept it there and made sure he was confortable with it. he was eating away and then he started to put his feet on my finger but he hasnt done it fully. at first he would put a nail on my finger and rest it there and i let him do that to show that i wasnt going to make sudden moves if he stepped on complelty and for him to get comfortable. 
after a while i took my hand away and tried again and he tried putting his feet up again while eating away and as soon as he did blu came along too trying to get on my hand two but i found that they seemed a bit awkward about it and i did also because i wasnt quite sure how to make sure he gets on my finger fully. 
should i lift my finger up a slight bit more when he starts getting on or should i lean him lack a little bit so he has to grip on to my finger and get on it instead of his perch?

i find that peep is much easier to get close to and move around and that blu is much more jumpy around me but still confortable enough. 
on the next taming session i have with them today im going to try to get blu on my finger like peep was doing and hopefully get them both on my finger today or at least by the end of the week.

i found some incredible cages the other day and im super excited to get my two birdies a new, bigger and improved cage!!

H

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## Bluandpeep

update!!

blu got on my finger!!!

i done as i was doing before i placed my finger with millet just above his tiny feet and against his chest and he stepped up for a few seconds but soon seemed freaked and jumped right off. he seems very alert after it now and i dont think hes very determined to get back up at the moment but im very happy with how he behaved when he got on and while he did fly to the other side of the cage when he got off, he did fly right back after.

im going to take turns between the two birds in sessions so they can watch each other and learn from each other and to make sure the sessions dont run too long and they have time to relax before we try stepping up again.

im guessing that this is an obvious learning process and i just have to take this all slowly and in small sessions to build up confidence and trust between human and bird.

a very excited mummy!!

H

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## Hunterkat

Amazing progress! Just keep your finger still- you don’t want them to lose trust in the “perch”


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## Goldenwing

Yay! :jumping: I am happy for you and your little feathered friends having this breakthrough. I get why you are excited. :happy4: 

It is a good idea to take it slow and be patient, even though it can be hard. Good luck!


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## Bluandpeep

day 35

BLU AND PEEP BOTH FULLY STEPPED UP ON MY FINGER!!

im so ecstatic!

just one day after beginning this type of method to get them to step up, they did it! (of course with the help of plenty of millet seed)

Peep seems to be much more confident than Blu still, and it does get quite tricky trying to balance the attention between the two especially when one seems much more intrigued than the other, but we got there in the end.

i think i need to spend some more close bonding time with Blu as i feel like he gets quite jelous in a way when i spend more time focused on Peep and im worried this might prehaps affect theur bond as a pair or Blus bonding with me.

overall its so amazing to see how far ive come with them both after only a little bit over a month, especially after reading fourms after websites warning me that taming and bonding with two birds was going to take much much longer and would be much harder than it is to bond with only one bird.

next im going to keep implementing the verbal "step up" command and hopefully soon enough they will get on my finger without the tempt of millet and just by my command.

i would love some tips or some feedback on how im doing with this whole process if possible? i want to ensure im doing everything right and that im keeping my birdies happiest.

theres a picture attacked to this of Peep on my finger. its quite dark and hard to see as i didnt want to use flash incase it startled him off. i didnt get taking one of blu yet.

H










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## FaeryBee

*Excellent progress - Congratulations!!
:happy4: :thumbup: :urock:*


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## Hunterkat

That’s great! You’re making fantastic progress!


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## Bluandpeep

day 47.

Blu and Peep now step up on my finger on command and we are bonding more and more everyday.

all the training has taken place inside their cage because i didnt want them flying away from me and didnt want to clip their wings, but now that they are confrotable with me to even pet their chest, how do i know if i can take them out of their cage and they will be as comfortable with me outside the cage just as they are inside of it?

i think bonding with them outside the cage would enhance our relationship and i certainly want to be able to have them out of their cage to fly around daily if possible and be comfortable with flying to me and sitting on me instead of the highest spot in the room they can find?

H
























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## FaeryBee

*To allow your Blue and Peep out of cage time, you first need to ensure you have them in a small bird-safe room.

Never try to force your budgies to come out of the cage.

Place a perch on the outside of the cage next to the door.
Set up a small playground near the cage with a favorite toy and treat.
Open the cage door and stay in the room with the birds. 
Give them an hour or so to see if they are willing to come out to explore.

Recognize that it may take days or even weeks before your budgies become comfortable enough to venture out of the cage on their own.

It is natural for the budgies to head for the highest point in the room but they generally head back to their cage on their own when they become hungry.

As your budgies have learned to step-up already, moving them back into their cage shouldn't be as difficult for you as it is for those who do not have hand-tamed birds. 

I'd recommend you replace the wooden down perches in your budgies' cage with natural wood perches of varying diameters to help prevent pressure sores. 
http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/340418-pressure-sores.html

I'd also replace what looks like a plastic swing with a natural wood swing that would be better for their feet.
How large is the cage you are housing them in at this time?

Best wishes*


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