# A budgie named George



## Beatlefreak330 (Mar 28, 2019)

I have a young (3-4 months) budgie named George and he’s a real cutie. I’ve had him for about 3 weeks and I’ve been trying to tame him but he is very hesitant. Some days he will step up with or without a treat and be fine coming out of the cage. Other days he wants nothing to do with me. I do notice that in the morning he makes contact calls for about an hour. I’m wondering if it might be more conducive to training for him to have a budgie friend and tame them simultaneously after I give the new one a few days to get used to the new environment. So does this sound like a good idea? Would it hurt the training I have already done to basically restart with George? And no, he is far from territorial, so introducing a new friend doesn’t seem like a bad idea to me, it’s just I would’ve preferred he bond closer to me than another bird.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Three weeks isn't long at all when working with a budgie - especially since the first two weeks we recommend you don't try to touch or train your budgie at all. The bird needs time to acclimate to his new surroundings.

I would not consider getting another budgie for at least 6 months. You need to spend time on a regular and consistent basis with George each and every day to build his trust in you. Taming/training requires TRUST while Bonding is all about allowing the bird to choose to want to be with you.

There are many things to take into consideration before getting another bird.

Do you really want another pet?

1. 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

Your Harmonious Flock

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
Please do not use Emojis from Phones - use Forum Smilies Only
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?

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Guidance regarding Breeding Advice Threads

Recommended Minimum Cage Sizes
Essentials for a Great Cage
Resource Directory

When you upload pictures as attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape. Additionally, the picture appears as what we term a "thumbnail" attachment.

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:
How to Post Full Size Pictures from a Photo Sharing Site
You can practice uploading pictures in the site's "Test Forum:
Test Forum

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:*


----------



## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Hi :welcome: 

Good points to read above from FaeryBee. We also have lots of useful information and answers to some questions in the Stickies located at the upper area of each section. 

Remember, budgies are wild prey animals. It usually takes much more time to gain their trust compared to some other pets. It’s a good idea to stick with one for a while first, to really get to know the individual personality. That way you can work on taming, and determine if this is a budgie who is interested in bonding to you (humans) or not. 

If later down the road, you decide to add a second budgie, keep in mind that it can complicate matters. They might get along well or they might not. If not, it will lead to getting a separate cage. 

Enjoy the forum . Looking forward to hearing more.


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

I agree with the above advice :yes: 

Three weeks is not long at all! 

To give you an idea, my girl only really started bonding with me after a year of having her  

It's different for all budgies, so I'm not saying it's going to take a year, but it's definitely not three weeks 

Meanwhile, you've come to a great place to learn even more about the best of budgie care practices! 

If you have any questions after reading through the links provided above, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help. 

Hope to see you around! :wave:


----------

