# 1 Year Later



## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

I felt like sharing! I've had Momo for 13 months now. When he first came home, he was obviously very frightened, confused, stressed—but he adapted very quickly, especially for a budgie all on his own! Momo was still not sure about me though. Even if he showed signs of comfort and trust early on, it still took a lot of patience, daily training and interacting with Momo to help him understand that I was not a threat.

Here is one of the first times he ever came onto my hand, and it was for a treat!










Without millet, Momo would not come onto my hand. But somehow, over time and daily interacting, that changed. Now, a whole year later and with little baby steps, Momo and I have formed a bond that I was craving ever since bringing him home.

Behold... the little monster I've created! 































Now all he loves to do is fly onto my hand whenever he can to talk to me and distract me from my work. He has even learned to land directly onto my phone and my keyboard just to remind me that he's here and wants my attention! He loves to perch on my computer screen too but landing on my keyboard is new!

He has also grown to trust my big face and not just my hands. It took a very very long time and a lot of trial/errors, but Momo now allows me to kiss him! He gently nibbles on the tip of my nose or my lips—too cute. Sometimes he still runs from me though just because he's not in the mood  But considering he used to get nervous when my face was too close to him, this is a huge improvement.He even runs up to my face when chattering and standing on my phone (sometimes I'll hold it out flat so he can tap on the screen and draw all over his Snapchats...long story. LOL)

I am still bonding with Yuki, who is warming up to me at a much slower rate, but progress is still progress. It has been a bit hard since Momo wants my attention a lot, so if I'm focusing on Yuki he likes to come over and steal the show. Sighs, what a stinker!

Speaking of which, Momo thinks his name is "Stinky" because I called him that too many times. If I call out "Stinky!" he flies to me. What have I done??? 😂😂😂

Moral of the story: if you bring home a budgie that is very scared of you and it seems to be taking ages to have them warm up, please keep being patient! 

I was disheartened at first when I brought Momo home and he wasn't instantly attached to me. I had memories of my bird Judy from childhood who was always on my shoulder and extremely cuddly with me, and I was yearning for that again right off the bat. What I didn't remember was that the close bond we had wasn't instant, it took time to build up. And it's so worthwhile— now at last, I get to kiss a cute budgie every day like I used to, and Momo has so much fun sitting on my finger and singing to me every day! Plus, every bird is different. Yuki is much more shy and cautious than Momo was, and it is taking him a lot more time to build trust with me than it did with Momo. That's okay; patience is key!

💕


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Great story, he's looking great and I love the second picture. He has a beautiful necklace also.


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Cody said:


> Great story, he's looking great and I love the second picture. He has a beautiful necklace also.


Thank you! When he molts he loses his little spots, poor guy... lol but then they always come back. He really is so pretty. And he knows it!!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Vixenfur said:


> Thank you! When he molts he loses his little spots, poor guy... lol but then they always come back. He really is so pretty. And he knows it!!


 I sometimes find those special little spotted feathers when they molt, I save them when I find them.


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Cody said:


> I sometimes find those special little spotted feathers when they molt, I save them when I find them.


I only have found one of those before and I have it saved! I actually ordered a necklace with a tiny bottle on it to put it in, but I'm still waiting for it in the mail


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

He is SUCH a handsome boy! No wonder you and Yuki are both smitten with him! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I think there are more than a few members on here who will feel encouraged by reading it!  

Keep going, Momo!! 💙


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

StarlingWings said:


> He is SUCH a handsome boy! No wonder you and Yuki are both smitten with him! Thank you so much for sharing your story. I think there are more than a few members on here who will feel encouraged by reading it!
> 
> Keep going, Momo!! 💙


Thank you so much! Yes, my grandma calls Momo a "heartbreaker" and I agree... he knows he's cute and he flaunts it!! 

Of course— I know I had moments of feeling pretty down when Momo wasn't instantly all over me. It's okay to feel that way, but I had to remind myself that love isn't something you can rush along. If this is how close we are already after 1 year, I can only imagine the rest of our time together!


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## Sweety's mom (4 mo ago)

I’m so inspired and hopeful by your post! I have a wonderful relationship with my sweety but if someday he will also choose to sit on me and be physically close my heart will burst in half!!!!!!


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Sweety's mom said:


> I’m so inspired and hopeful by your post! I have a wonderful relationship with my sweety but if someday he will also choose to sit on me and be physically close my heart will burst in half!!!!!!


I'm sure he will!! You just need to give him time! Buttering him up with treats is a helpful way to bond. Little every day things I did with Momo though was always greeting him when I got home from work or being out—truly sitting down and talking to him for at least 5 mins when I first walk in the door—and making sure to try and engage with him a little each day no matter how busy I am. A little goes a long way. Now he comes to me when he wants to interact.


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## Sweety's mom (4 mo ago)

We are part way there. I spend so much time interacting with him and he loves it and I know he loves me. The fact that he doesn’t yet want to be touched by me is not deterring me from hoping someday he will. So far he’s let my face so close I could almost kiss him. Squeeee!!!


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Sweety's mom said:


> We are part way there. I spend so much time interacting with him and he loves it and I know he loves me. The fact that he doesn’t yet want to be touched by me is not deterring me from hoping someday he will. So far he’s let my face so close I could almost kiss him. Squeeee!!!


You're getting there! I started by gently nudging my nose on Momo and nothing more. When he stopped running away, and even met me halfway to nibble my nose (not in a defensive 'stop it!!' way but in a curious and gentle way) from that I tried an actual kiss! Some days he still leans away 😂 but I don't take it personally. Just go slow!

Teaching your bird to 'step up' is a very good way to start initiating physical contact. Momo used to only know how to step up specifically from a certain perch inside his cage. It took a looooong time for him to figure out how to do it elsewhere, and about a month ago he shocked me by running down my arm which is something he never did before. So he just got bold on his own and started doing things I never taught him! I'm excited for what other things he has in store for me. I bet Sweety will one day surprise you too!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Momo is adorable and the story is heartwarming.

Best wishes!*


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## Sweety's mom (4 mo ago)

I got my first kiss today! Or rather, he allowed me to gently kiss his beak today. My heart exploded!


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## srirachaseahawk (Sep 5, 2021)

Doing great!


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Aww, so cute!!


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Sweety's mom said:


> I got my first kiss today! Or rather, he allowed me to gently kiss his beak today. My heart exploded!


That's so precious!! How cute!! Budgies allowing us to come so close to them with our big human faces is something so special. I am so happy that they trust us, and that says a lot about us, too, and our patience and the way we respect our birds too. Otherwise, they would not let us near, or be paralyzed with fear instead, and we know how to tell the difference.


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