# Tame budgie introduced to new budgie- less tame?



## Skyfeather (Mar 9, 2017)

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I tried to find a similar post by searching and I couldn't find one. My bird is a much different bird and I don't know if there are things I can do to encourage him to be more social with me and my husband again, or if this is just what it's going to be like from now on.

My budgie Ozzy is a great little guy. He was so tame, the tamest budgie I've ever had. The only one who likes being pet on his head! He would sit with me for literally hours soaking up attention and tilting his head to me for head scratches. I never knew a budgie could even like head scratches because I know they aren't a touchy feely bird. But he was SO different!

Well, we recently introduced him to our new budgie, Morphy. Morphy is still pretty skittish, and progress taming him was slow going. The only thing that has really helped is him and Ozzy now being together, because he copies Ozzy so will now sit on our hand or shoulder next to his big brother.

The issue I'm having, is that Ozzy is less tame now. He will initially run from our hand or fly away from us, but will step up after that. He doesn't sit with us a long time like he used to. He seems fixated on always wanting to be at his cage, or on top of his cage. He used to be super calm and laid back and just hang out with me and my husband the entire day. He LOVED having his head scratched, and would have it scratched all day long if my fingers didn't get tired. Now he doesn't want his scratches anymore, and he acts more skittish and just wants to be on his cage. I know that a single budgie will pretty much always be more tame than budgies kept in 2+. But the change in him is so big and so sudden! I know it's because he now has a new friend.

All I want is for him to be happy, and if he's happy and won't be as tame again then I can accept that. And although it makes me sad, if he doesn't want to sit with me and have his head scratched and fall asleep on my anymore, then it is what it is. But is this basically how it's going to be now? I tried getting him out on his own this morning and taking him aside away from Morphy and although he was more calm and was content sitting on my finger for a bit, he was looking around a lot and didn't ask me for head scratches like he used to. After only about 5-10 minutes he flew away to try to go find his cage again.


----------



## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

It could be also that Ozzy is growing up. Some birds decide they want to be more independent after puberty. 

Ozzy sounds happy to have a bird friend now, and maybe he does feel closer to Morphy having met another member of his species. But if he was super tame before, he shouldn’t loose all of his tameness toward you. If anything changes, it might have more to do with his age? I’ve never had a tame bird go more wild “because of” an addition of a friend.


----------



## Skyfeather (Mar 9, 2017)

True, I guess I hadn't thought of that. He seems to have changed almost overnight when we introduced them. Maybe the timing was just right though. I'm glad he's happy to have his buddy at least. It's just so weird that he seems more skittish now. Is it possible also that it's worse because the other bird is more skittish and hyper, and Ozzy's picking up on that? I guess only time will tell.



RavensGryf said:


> It could be also that Ozzy is growing up. Some birds decide they want to be more independent after puberty.
> 
> Ozzy sounds happy to have a bird friend now, and maybe he does feel closer to Morphy having met another member of his species. But if he was super tame before, he shouldn't loose all of his tameness toward you. If anything changes, it might have more to do with his age? I've never had a tame bird go more wild "because of" an addition of a friend.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Age may well be a factor in Ozzy's behavior although it is often the case that a "tame" budgie will become much more independent and less willing to interact in the same way with his/her humans when another budgie is introduced.

Just as Morphy is taking on some of Ozzy's behaviors, the same can apply with Ozzy mimicking some of Morphy's behavior.

All you can do is take it one day at a time and see how the behaviors play out.

As Julie indicated, Ozzy will always be somewhat tame but may not want the same sort of interactions he had with you in the past.*


----------



## Skyfeather (Mar 9, 2017)

Thanks that makes sense. Well at least it's good they hit it off and are buddies.



FaeryBee said:


> *Age may well be a factor in Ozzy's behavior although it is often the case that a "tame" budgie will become much more independent and less willing to interact in the same way with his/her humans when another budgie is introduced.
> 
> Just as Morphy is taking on some of Ozzy's behaviors, the same can apply with Ozzy mimicking some of Morphy's behavior.
> 
> ...


----------

