# Is hand taming a 4 year old male possible? And what about teaching him english?



## Picklesmom (May 27, 2018)

Unexpectedly got a 4 yr old Male a month ago. He is my very first bird. I want so desperately to be his everything. I am very patient and work with him several times a day for 10 minutes or so at a time. Is it possible for him to hand tame at this age? And can I expect him to mimicking English? I keep a YouTube recording on for him all day with "I love you", "Whatch doing", "Hello" and "Good morning". Having fun just wonder if I am expecting too much from a older bird. Thanks for any suggestions. Picklesmom


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Taming and Bonding with a budgie is all about helping him learn to trust and feel comfortable with you. Working with him regularly and consistently the way you are, is exactly the right approach to take. Realize it will take time and may take more time than it would with a younger bird, but some of the progress will be determined by the environment the budgie experienced before coming to you.

With regard to teaching him to mimic speech, that really depends upon the individual bird. Generally, it is much better to start with just one phrase rather than multiple phrases, but since you have the recording playing all day, the multiple phrases may not be an issue. Not all budgies (no matter the age) will mimic speech so if he does not, don't let it bother you.

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.

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## Auston (May 12, 2017)

Me again after a long while. I'm in a similar situation with birds that haven't been tamed yet. We've had Auston and Coco for 1 year now. After some initial success of them going onto our hands to eat millet, nada. Granted I haven't tried the taming consistently, so now i've been trying again after a long time.

The budgies used to be in one cage, but I felt that Coco (the male) was bullying Auston (the female) so I bought another cage and separated the birds maybe 6-8 months ago.

They seem happy, eat well and they love broccoli, they have since I got them. So I've tried putting my hand in the cage with broccoli in it to see if they would eat out of my hand. Coco is braver than Auston, in that he doesn't freak out at all when I put my hand in the cage, but he was off in the corner with his back to me the first few times. Then tonight I tried again and he was on his perch facing me, but still didn't approach my hand. Here is a picture..am I getting closer?










He basically stayed there the entire time, sort of looking interesting but not making any moves towards me. Better though he didn't seem at all scared this time.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

You've been given great advice. It's definitely possible, despite it perhaps taking longer with an older bird. Be sure to give him plenty of time to go at his pace to ensure he's comfortable as he gets used to you. 

If you have any questions after reading through all the stickies and articles provided above, be sure to ask as we'd love to to help! 

Hope to see you around and to see you little budgie soon too! 

Cheers :wave:


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Hi :welcome:. 

As mentioned above, it could take some time. Maybe more time than you’re expecting, but remember budgies are ‘prey’ animals, and typically don’t respond to humans as easily as with domesticated pets. Each budgie is distinctly different, and you’ll start to see a personality emerge the longer you have him. Different individual budgies also have different levels of trust toward humans and will set boundaries as to the level of interaction they’re comfortable with. Consistency is key to unlocking your budgie’s pet potential. Regardless of their level of tameness, they make wonderful little companions. 

By taking a look at the resources in this forum; Stickies posts, Articles, and links from FaeryBee above, you’ll find answers to many common questions. There’s a ton of useful information here. If you can’t find the answer after reading through the material, just let us know . 

The best way to share photos with us, is to use a photo sharing site such as Imgur hoto:


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## Picklesmom (May 27, 2018)

Poor mr pickles is still not calming down. I promise I've been patient. I just thought maybe I should have told u he was with a female and several other birds at his prior home for his entire 4 years. Then that owner wanted to down size and gave him and his mate to a friend of mine. He was aggresive to the new owners other parakeets but she wanted to keep the female that came with him and only get rid of him! Poor Pickle. All he does is sit in same spot. Wont play. Hardly makes a peep. And just seems sad. I myself dont want 2 birds and am wondering if I should rehome him to a lady that has a large glass aviary with multiple birds and years of experience. I so want a hand tamed bird now after watching all the YouTube videos, should I start over with a young one? Just want Pickles to be happy. I did find a grass ring that he loves so am glad he is eating something besides seed. Please help, and thanks!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*What specifically do you mean by your comment that Pickle "is still not calming down?"

You indicate he simply sits in the same spot all day which sounds as though Pickle is depressed and needs attention.

How much time are you spending with Pickle each day? 
Are you still sitting by his cage at least 4 or 5 times a day for about 10 minutes each time while reading, singing and talking to him?

You indicated earlier "you want to be his everything" which leads me to believe you have expectations that may not be met by this budgie or any other. 
Every budgie is unique and not all budgies (even young ones) necessarily bond to their human extremely strongly. 
It's very important that you remain realistic about this bird or any other you may get in the future.

How do you know this lady that has a large glass aviary and multiple birds? 
Has she met with Pickle and/or given you advice regarding his behavior?
It would be important to me, if I were Pickle's owner, to have anyone I was considering rehoming him to meet with him and see how that person interacts with him before ever making a decision.*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

You've been given great advice. It's unrealistic to expect Mr. Pickles to have settled in already after just having him a very short time. You need to take a step back and ensure you're spending lots of time talking, reading, sitting by his cage, etc. to make him feel at home. 

After a FEW weeks, if he's still not showing signs of activity and interest in his toys, surroundings, etc., then you can evaluate if he's needing budgie company to be happy. 

Please keep in mind that budgies are birds and not dogs or cats. Simply because you "start over" with a hand tamed budgie does NOT mean that it will bond strongly with you. Similarly some "wild" budgies originally end up having a very strong bond with their owners. The only thing that determines a budgie's capability to bond with humans is its personality


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## Picklesmom (May 27, 2018)

Thank you both for the advice. Yes I am still spending time with him. Eat all meals by him and talk to him many minutes a day. I think u r right and I am wanting too much too fast. That's how I roll. 🙄 I will relax and let him be a bird not a bestfriend. 😁
Yes the lady with the glass aviary has met him. She thinks he is healthy and may or may not ever be tamed. So I will not stress or force anything. Just don't want him unhappy. Thanks again.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm glad to hear you will be giving Pickles the time he needs to settle into his new home and have determined to lower your expectations of how you want him to behave. :thumbsup:*


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