# Trouble with trust



## Tizzel (Sep 1, 2016)

I got a new budgie about 2-3 weeks ago and he is very afraid of me. I have one other budgie that I have bonded to that will call out sometimes to the new budgie but I have heard that they would bond with each other and not with me if I put them next to each other so I keep the new budgie in his cage next to my desk where I spend most of my time so he gets used to seeing me. The progress I have made so far is that he attempted to eat some of a treat stick that I held in his cage and when I'm not paying attention to him I can sometimes hear him grinding his beak and see him clean his self. I try to spend about 20 minutes a day talking to him and I will put my hand next to the cage but even that will freak him out sometimes. If there is anything more that you think I could do to help him bond with me please let me know I just feel bad that he has been in his cage this whole time.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Hopefully you have the two birds in cages in different rooms of your home as quarantine is very important.

Quarantine means housing your new bird in a different cage in a different room as far away as possible from the room where your current bird(s) are housed for a period of 30-45 days.
Budgies mask symptoms when they are ill. Symptoms may not show up for over two weeks. 
Often you will not even realize your bird is not well. Many budgie illnesses are airborne which is why you need to quarantine your new bird in a completely different room.

It is also a good idea to always take a new budgie in to see an Avian Vet for a "well-birdie" check-up. This allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet and the vet can establish a baseline for your bird in case of any future illnesses or injuries.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

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 his 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 to him whenever you interact with him.

Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.

It's a process and the important thing is to simply enjoy the journey. 
Get to know your budgie and his body language and in time you'll know when he is most receptive to interacting with you.

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.

Site Guidelines
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295001-list-stickies.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/333106-posting-forums.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295033-prepared-veterinary-care-expense.html
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
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/339826-resource-directory.html

When you upload pictures as thumbnail attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape.

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:
http://talkbudgies.com/how-guides/175818-how-post-pictures-photobucket.html

For gender and/or mutation help - Lighting and Angle DOES matter

By the way, all photos entered in any of our forum contests must be a full-size photo and not a thumbnail attachment so it's good to know how to upload them! 

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:*


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

It's great to have you with us and you couldn't have come to a better place for help!

FaeryBee has already given you some excellent advice and to be honest, there's nothing more I can add. Taking time to work with him slowly, patiently, and at his own pace is a great way to begin to establish trust :thumbsup:

Be sure to also read through the forum links, such as the stickies and articles provided above by FaeryBee. They contain lots of valuable information to keep you updated on the best of budgie care  If you have any questions afterwards, please do ask as we'd love to help. 

Best of luck and hope to see you around! :wave:


----------

