# Assistance with second bird?



## jakedowl (Jan 29, 2021)

Hi guys, so about 3 months ago I bought a 4 month old female budgie, aviary and parent raised, and I tamed her. It was a long process but now she is wonderful she loves scritches and cuddles and hanging out with me. The plan was to always get another bird friend for her eventually, a hand raised one. So recently I got a 6 week old "hand raised" male, I got him checked out by the vet and he passed all tests, so he was introduced to my female, he is 7 weeks old now and definitely NOT hand raised, he was clipped without my knowledge so they could take pics of him on their hand but they left his outer flight feathers intact so you couldn't tell. He does not want to be around people at all and panics and bites when you try to go near him he just can't get away. So basically after this long story, I do have a friend with an aviary who can take him and let him live with his own kind but i'm not sure, do you think it would be okay to tame him and let him live with her or to rehome him and get a truly hand raised bird? I'm just stuck in an awkward situation now.

Oh and in case it matters they are not living in the same cage right now, he is in a smaller cage because he truly does drop like a rock from any attempt at flight and she is in a flight cage i was planning on him to go in with her


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

6 weeks old is really too soon to have been sold but now that you have him you must give him time. He is no doubt frightened and needs to get accustomed to his new home. If he can see you interacting with your other bird that may help to calm him. It is way too soon to be trying to interact with him, it usually takes several weeks before they start to feel safe and months before any degree of training can be accomplished. If you choose to give him away that will just be another trauma in his short life so far. Anytime you get a new bird you can never be sure that you will be able to train and tame it to your expectations so you have to be willing to accept the bird for who he/she is. What area of the house are the birds in, are other animals or children in the house? You can try keeping his cage covered on 3 sides to help him feel more secure.


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## jakedowl (Jan 29, 2021)

Cody said:


> 6 weeks old is really too soon to have been sold but now that you have him you must give him time. He is no doubt frightened and needs to get accustomed to his new home. If he can see you interacting with your other bird that may help to calm him. It is way too soon to be trying to interact with him, it usually takes several weeks before they start to feel safe and months before any degree of training can be accomplished. If you choose to give him away that will just be another trauma in his short life so far. Anytime you get a new bird you can never be sure that you will be able to train and tame it to your expectations so you have to be willing to accept the bird for who he/she is. What area of the house are the birds in, are other animals or children in the house? You can try keeping his cage covered on 3 sides to help him feel more secure.


Well as far as I knew at the time he was hand raised, He is in my bedroom where no other animals are allowed just some fish. I'm in there with them most of the day and my female bird is always hanging out with me and preening me and training with me in front of him. Don't get me wrong I absolutely want to keep him i'm just nervous about having two parent raised birds. I have been given conflicting advice in regards to how soon to interact, for example Jamieleigh from BirdTricks on youtube who is a professional behaviourist and trainer along with my few bird friends recommend I interact with him on day one. I did with my female and it went amazing with her.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Every bird is an individual and you have to go at their pace, what works for one may not work for all. I suggest you not force interaction with your new bird, take it slow and sit by the cage and talk calmly to him until he is comfortable with your presence.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I agree completely with Cody. Not only is 6 weeks VERY young (8 weeks is minimum for the baby to have had adequate socialization and etc.) but every budgie has their own personality which means that you can't expect or think that the advice given by anyone for their birds, even if they are professionals, will work the same way with yours. I'd start off by interacting with him just by sitting next to his cage and talking to him for long periods of time and see how he responds so you know how to take it from there. 

We'd love to stay updated on how it goes


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## jakedowl (Jan 29, 2021)

StarlingWings said:


> I agree completely with Cody. Not only is 6 weeks VERY young (8 weeks is minimum for the baby to have had adequate socialization and etc.) but every budgie has their own personality which means that you can't expect or think that the advice given by anyone for their birds, even if they are professionals, will work the same way with yours. I'd start off by interacting with him just by sitting next to his cage and talking to him for long periods of time and see how he responds so you know how to take it from there.
> 
> We'd love to stay updated on how it goes


I'll keep you guys updated! The last few days i've just been desensitising him to a target stick and he's finally started to touch it through the bars and move around a little, today I even got him to target up onto my hand, he only stayed there for a second but it was good  and yeah I know now he was too young really, I don't think he was around his parents long enough for them to show him what's safe because he is terrified of EVERYTHING in comparison to my female who was 4 months when I got her and pretty good about processing things before reacting. He never got to fledge properly either


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*It is best that you not try to touch your budgie for the first two weeks. 
He needs time to settle into his new environment and become comfortable with his new surroundings.
Budgies are often submissive for the first few days simply because they are terrified. 

You can cover the top and three sides of the cage to help the budgie feel more secure. Playing music for him when you aren't around will be helpful as well. Budgies perceive no noise as meaning there may be danger.

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

To build your budgie's trust, sit by his cage and read, talk or sing quietly to him 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 him so he'll learn that your hand is safe and will not hurt him .

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

After 2 weeks, begin moving your hand slowly toward your budgie. If he becomes agitated, stop moving your hand and just hold very still until he calms down. When he's comfortable with your hand near him , you can offer him 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 whenever you interact with him .

Most budgies once they pass the "baby" stage, do not like to be petted or touched. 
If your budgie does like to be petted, you should only ever pet his head, neck or chest area.
Stroking a budgie's back and/or tail stimulates its breeding instinct. Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.
It is best that you not try to touch your budgie for the first two weeks. 
He needs time to settle into his new environment and become comfortable with his new surroundings.
Budgies are often submissive for the first few days simply because they are terrified. 

You can cover the top and three sides of the cage to help the budgie feel more secure. Playing music for him when you aren't around will be helpful as well. Budgies perceive no noise as meaning there may be danger.

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

To build your budgie's trust, sit by his cage and read, talk or sing quietly to him 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 him so he'll learn that your hand is safe and will not hurt him .

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

After 2 weeks, begin moving your hand slowly toward your budgie. If he becomes agitated, stop moving your hand and just hold very still until he calms down. When he's comfortable with your hand near him , you can offer him 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 whenever you interact with him .

Most budgies once they pass the "baby" stage, do not like to be petted or touched. 
If your budgie does like to be petted, you should only ever pet his head, neck or chest area.
Stroking a budgie's back and/or tail stimulates its breeding instinct. Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.*


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