# My budgie keeps knocking the perches off the cage and lifting the cage bottom tray



## Bluthebudgie

Hi everyone!

First time budgie owner, I rescued Blu on Monday afternoon. While walking home, a beautiful blue budgie landed on my shoulder. she couldn't flight too high or for too long and was terrified of the humans around her. this all happened in a pretty busy street in Queens NY. me and my Significant other decided to walk down the block to the pet store thinking maybe she belonged to them. When we got there the manager told us she wasn't one of theirs but they would gladly take her in. I freaked out thinking this man is going to profit off this poor lost bird! so I answered with " actually, I want to buy a cage for it and take it home" MY boyfriend was so mas hahaha but once he saw Blu swinging in the cage he melted. ANYWAYS! for four days now, Blu has been in a tiny cage in our room. we ordered a bigger cage and lots of toys which should be arriving tomorrow. this is our Blu we guess shes young but not a baby but again we have ZERO experience! what do you all think? 


http://imgur.com/ZCKqd


So for two days now Blu has been biting the edges of the plastic perches and knocking the perches off the cage. then she tries to lift the bottom of the cage. is this normal? My mommy instincts say shes just tired of this tiny cage but I also think maybe the set up isn't fit for her needs? maybe she cant get to her food bowl or doesn't know how to since the bottom perch is right in front the bowls. I have a video on the behavior, you can see she knocked one side of the bottom perch down and goes for the other side then the top perch and the floor. crazy Blu.:cobalt: 




Sorry for the huge post just need info on how to help my baby feel at home.

thank you!!!!


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## petites

Hi Jennyfer,
Gorgeous bud you have adopted. She is not a baby, but still young (experts here can tell you better than I!).
From her behaviour I would say she is used to a bigger cage. The lifting of the grate is because she is not used to it underfoot and personally I would take that out. The perches are not ideal as plastic can hurt tiny feet so I would think about having natural wood of varying diameters in her new cage. I would also think about moving her food and water bowls higher....birds tend to feel safer at height.
Please don't take any of this as criticism of you....I think you have done a wonderful thing giving Blu a home. I am certain she will settle down in a few days (and that bigger cage!)


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## Bluthebudgie

Thank you Julie! 

The new cage we bought is 20'' high and 19'' wide so shell have plenty of room and we bought some wooden perches as well. I cant wait for her to be in it, although i think the bowls are still at the bottom I will find some bowls we can put higher up. thank you for replying! i had a bird when i was a little girl but I don't remember much, I am in love with Blu and its definitely a learning experience. we had a mirror toy and she loved it but we had to take it out as she was obsessing with it.


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## jean20057

*Way to go rescuing her! She gorgeous, and how funny of her to pick you to land on!

When you buy perches, get them with varying diameters, because many perches with the same diameter all over can cause foot problems that can be very uncomfortable for her. Also, leave the grate in her cage. Budgie poop, while small, if eaten can be potentially harmful. Any toxins that may have been in her system, she's excreting through her poop, and you don't want her eating it and taking those toxins back in. There are all kinds of little nasties that can be harboured in their feces. So I would definitely recommend leaving the grate in. She will get used to it eventually, and it won't cause such a disturbance. Worse comes to worse, if she doesn't stop messing with it, you can always cable/zip tie it to secure it that way so it won't move. Hygiene is extremely important with these little ones. We do a massive cleaning of our 2 big cages once a week, and spot cleaning as needed.

For good perches, grapevine perches are excellent, as are rope perches. With the rope perches though, be sure to keep a good eye on them to replace if they start getting too fuzzy. If she's chewing on it, definitely keep a keen eye on her and the perch, as impaction can occur.

Good luck with her! And Karma to you for being there for her to land on, keeping her after!

-Kristen*


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## petites

You'll do great with her....you have the instincts! :clap:
Mirrors are not generally good news for budgies (why they seem to be on all their toys I'll never know :thumbdown, as you have discovered, they can become an obsession. Budgie thinks it is a friend and will bond with_ it _rather than you. This can get to the point where they regurgitate seed to feed the friend/lover/baby which is pretty yeuky to say the least! :blink:


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## Bluthebudgie

Thank you Kristen! I am praying I get the new cage tomorrow so we can get her in there and hopefully she loves it! makes sense to leave the grate in, i love this forum! everyone is so nice and helpful! thank you thank you thank you!


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## jean20057

*Here are some great products to look at:

Cage Cup with Clamp Holder

Cable Comfy Perch for Bird Cages: Booda Comfy Perch at Drs Foster and Smith

Multli-Branch Manzanita Bird Perches

Prevue Wacky Wood Perch | Natural Perches from DrsFosterSmith.com

Comfy Clam Mineral Flat Perch for Birds by Polly's Pet Products

Caged Bird Perches: Natural Dragonwood Bird Perches at Drs. Foster and Smith

Prevue Naturals Coffea Tree Perches | Perches from DrsFosterSmith.com

Drs Foster and Smith is a great site, as is this one:

My Safe Bird Store | Discounted Bird Products | BIRD FREE ENVIRONMENT| Free Shipping Available

They always include extras, like candy for you, and treats for your furry animals too! Hope this helps a bit!*


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## Bluthebudgie

We got her both a wooden perch and a rope one. thank you for the links! I am buying a pair of the clamp holders for her.


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## RavensGryf

Hi :welcome: Jenn and Keith!
Blu is beautiful! I'm glad she's getting a bigger cage, that's wonderful. I think then, with enough toys she will stop knocking perches and stuff around .

I have to ask though, and please don't take offense, as none is meant... but did you take some time to place and/or search ads in attempt to look for an owner who might be sad and missing their girl? You say she landed on your shoulder. That would likely only happen with a budgie who loved someone. Now if you have tried your best, and no one speaks up, then good on you, and you can keep her with a clear conscience  :thumbsup:


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## FaeryBee

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Blu is certainly a cute little girl.

I agree with RavensGryf regarding trying to locate her owners. 
We've had members of this forum whose budgies have escaped and they were absolutely devastated and doing all they could to locate them. Many people who lose animals start trying to find them by contacting the local animal shelter. 
Letting the shelter know you've rescued Blu would be a good step to take if you haven't yet done so. :hug:

You've received excellent advice from the other posters and it is wonderful you are doing everything possible to ensure Blu has everything she needs. :thumbsup:

Please take the time to read through all of the How To Guides, the FAQs and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

You'll find most of your basic questions about budgies and caring for them will have been answered after you've read through all of them.

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Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/227841-50-common-budgie-dangers-watch-out.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/24411-cage-sizes.html
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html
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To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as PhotoBucket and follow the steps in these instructions:
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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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## Therm

I agree with Ravensgryf. 

I can't commend you highly enough for taking in this lost little bird and doing all you can to help her. However, you should try and find the owner first, whether you contact an animal shelter or post an advert. 
It could very well be that a very loving owner has lost their budgie- accidents do happen to even the most careful owner. 

If someone were to come forward, you could always get yourself another bird. We wouldn't just keep a handbag or a dog we found in the street. 
Think of how amazing you will feel if you manage to get this little bird back to their grateful owner. And if you try and no one gets back to you- then you have done all you reasonably can to reunite bird and owner. 

With regards to Blu, you've been offered great advice. The budgie is likely used to a bigger cage and isn't used to this new 'home'. 
I'm sure she will enjoy her new cage and all the lovely toys you have got for her.


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## aluz

Hi there and welcome to the forums! 
Since you are new to budgies, the information on the several articles and sticky threads will be extremely useful as you become more acquainted with the species.

I'm glad you were able to rescue this budgie, or should I say that this budgie came to you for help, since she landed on your shoulder.
If you are unable to find her owners, then surely with time she will settle in her new home and get used to her new family.
By taking all factors in account, I'd say Blu is about 6 months old.

When assembling a cage, it's important to see if the perches are firmly attached on the cage's bars and are correctly put in place. 
From the video, the bottom perch wasn't attached on either side of the cage's bars.
If she is destroying the plastic caps holding each end of the perches, then you would have to get different types of perches that attach to the cage differently, so that she is unable to make the perches fall. This in itself can cause an accident if a loose perch she is standing on happens to fall when she is sleeping for the night, causing a bad fright.

For practical reasons, you may also need to rearrange the position on the top perch as to not interfere with the swing (I have noticed this when your Blu moved across the perch).

I'm wishing Blu all the best!


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## immorgan

I can't express how happy this story makes me! I can't imagine walking down the street and having such a pretty girl land on my shoulder! You're so lucky  and she's even luckier to have found such a loving home. I wish you the best of luck with her 
Everyone's given you such great advice already, I don't have much more to add! But I second what Julie said about mirrors, my boy became very obsessed with his reflection and I had to buy all new toys.
Stormy's favorite toy is this because it provides so many things to do! He swings around on the chains, chews on the loops and climbs on the top part. Be careful with this one though, the loops are a little large and there's a risk of your bird getting their head stuck. I modified mine to make the loops smaller.


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## Budget baby

Hello and what a way to become interested in Budgies having a blue Girl come flying down and land on your shoulder.
Blue is very lucky to have found you, she is obviously used to being with people and sitting on a shoulder this does point t her being someone's beloved pet that has managed to escape.
If you do not find her owners then she seems like a lovely Bird.
She is most probably used to being out of a cage and showing signs of wanting out. Take the time to read through the stickies and links provided these will help you with tips on giving her the best care .:cobalt::sky blue:


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## bluewing

Blu is adorable! Looks like you have a budgie full of moxie and playfulness on your hands.


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## Jo Ann

*My*

Hi and welcome to TB.Blu is a lovely normal cobalt blue hen. Something to consider: Budgies crack the seed coat and eat the seed inside. The food dish should have a small amount of seed replaced daily as a budgie will actually eat the seed on the top layer. The chaff stays on top and if you take the dish out side and blow across the top, the chaff will blow away. If you leave the chaff will build a soft fluffy layer but the real seed -food is forming a deeper layer that the budgie will miss. A budgie can starve with an apparently full dish of seed.
The seed layer is below the chaff. So blow the chaff off daily. An alternative is to use gravity flow feeder with a small shoe containing fresh seed as the seed is eaten or dug out by the budgie to expose fresh. There is a lot of good info on seed and other balanced. diet sources like fresh vegies and pellets . There are several sources of pellets from Roudybush , or harrisons, or Zupreme. use the smallest seeds available,like canary/finch size or harrisons soft powder or granular that can be easily mixed with regular seed and will be easily nibbled as the bird nibbles the seed. The diet area in Articles and stickies on various secions. Blessings and enjoy sharing with your new friend., Blu. Jo Ann :Love birds::Love birds:


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## StarlingWings

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

How sweet that little Blu decided to land on you  Perhaps she hoped she'd find a loving family, and I can tell she was right--either by being reunited with her own family or finding a new one with you, Blu is in good hands 

If it turns out she really is a stray, then I look forward to hearing lots more about her  Be sure to keep us posted on how she settles in! 

I completely agree with Aluz as to her behaviour, and the links provided are excellent resources, too. Be sure to ask if you have any questions after reading through everything! We're happy to help 

Hope to see you around! :wave:


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