How can I bond more with my budgie?

Question

What can I do to bond with it

Answer 1

this probably isn't a full answer, but i just thought i'd say that my budgie just lives in my room and is free to fly around when he wants, just being around me and getting used to me moving around and y voice etc made him very affectionate. i would just randomly walk up and pet him and then leave him to himself and after a while he would jump on my finger to be petted. after a couple of months he would fly over to me and sit on my head, shoulder etc. now he flys around in my backyard and comes back (i don't suggest you try this it gave me a heart attack the first time he escaped, and i was lucky he came back). it isn't a method of training or anything, its pretty slow, but it's probably the easiest and most natural way to get your bird used to you.  

Answer 2

My budgie is hand reared which means he has been taught to be used to human hands from a young age, although that doesn't seem to stop him squawking his head off when i try to check his nails or wings!

It is important to let him know he is loved : I hold him close to my heart, and talk to him in a comforting voice. You can use words that he is learning or his name aswell. Make sure this is not causing him any physical discomfort, and you can even give him a treat afterwards.

Does your budgie have a favourite bell or toy? Spend just 10-15 minutes a day playing with him and that toy and talking to him in a appraising voice. If he refuses to play, keep playing yourself (this may seem weird but trust me it works!) . HGe should find it hard to resist and join in soon enough!

Keep persisting!  Budgies have bad days, just like humans! Keep an eye on his diet and make sure he is getting plenty of fresh fruit as well as a nutritious seed mix. During his moulting stage, he made need a special mineral supplement that can be bought from pet shops and is relatively cheap. If you notice any unusual changes in his appetite or behaviour, don't hesitate to contact a vet or breeder!

There are many books available from libraries and book shops on budgies and lots of breeder forums on the internet fro extra info. Best of luck!

Answer 3

whats a budgie ?!

Answer 4

you could finger- tame it.

http://www.geocities.com/budgie-place/bw...

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3...

http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/articles...

Answer 5

Give him tasty treats! Like a tiny bit of apple.

Answer 6

Your Answer:

Bond With Your Budgie

Follow these steps to strengthen your relationship with your bird

By Nikki Moustaki

Taming a budgie (parakeet) isn’t difficult if you employ a little patience and a lot of routine. Consistency is essential to befriending any animal, as is having the time to do it and the proper expectations of results. Read on to discover, step by step, how to turn your biting budgie into a faithful friend.

1. Go into the taming process with the proper expectations.

You are a thousand times bigger than your budgie, and you have eyes on the front of your head, not on the side — you’re a predator. That’s scary for a budgie. Realize that it’s going to take a few training sessions to get your bird used to being with you. Don’t get frustrated. That’s the worst thing you can do. Your bird will feel the negative vibe and become even more nervous. No, this isn’t New Age hooey. Birds, like most animals, are sensitive to our moods. Keep training sessions light and short, about 10 to 15 minutes each.

2. Start slowly.

Actual hands-on taming is what most people want to do, the ability to perch the bird on a finger or shoulder and just “hang out” together. The first step is to instill a sense of trust into the bird, to show it that you’re not a threat.

A terrified bird is difficult to tame. Begin by simply sitting next to the cage doing something other than watching the bird, i.e. watch TV, read, knit, whatever. You’re trying to get the bird used to your presence.

After a few days of this, and when the bird seems more comfortable with your presence, approach the cage and talk softly to it (you will, of course, be feeding and watering the bird everyday too, so make this part of your trust-building sessions). Offer millet spray through the cage bars once the bird seems comfortable, this may take a few days. These sessions are about making the bird feel that being close to you is normal and nothing to get upset about.

3. You will probably get bitten.

Unless your bird is very young and just weaned from being hand-fed, you might suffer a bite or two (or three, or four!). This is the reason why most budgies don’t get tamed — owner fear. Expect the bite, and don’t freak out when it happens. It hurts, but it doesn’t hurt that bad. Be calm, and have some Band-aids ready.

Don’t react violently or make a big deal of the bite. Doing so shows your bird that biting gets a big reaction and that you will put him or her down to attend to your wounds — that’s what the bird wants. It will learn that biting is a good thing.

I wish I could offer a fool-proof way to not get bitten during a training session, but I can’t. Wearing gloves is a terrible idea — the bird will be terrified of them, and they defeat the purpose of training, which is to get the bird used to your hand. Training the bird to stand on a stick is a good idea, but I recommend hand-taming it first.

4. Have the budgie’s wing feathers trimmed.

Even if you eventually intend to let the bird fly, you can’t tame a flighted bird. The wing feathers will grow back with the next molt, and hopefully the bird will be tamed by then.

5. A bird in hand.

To begin training, you first have to get the bird out of its cage, but you win nothing by fishing it out violently. You have two good options. With a small, thin washcloth, gently and confidently place your hand in the cage with the washcloth over it, and grasp the bird just firm enough to hold it, but not so firm you restrict its breathing — birds can’t breathe when there’s any sort of pressure on the chest. Do not chase the bird around and around the cage (that’s why I emphasized confidence). If this method is too much for you, remove the cage top, or remove the bars of the cage from its bottom — most cages allow this. But don’t use this method until you come to Step 6.

6. Get the bird alone.

Taming is between you and your bird at this point in the process, one-on-one. Take the bird (cage and all if you have to) into a small room — most people use the bathroom — make sure the toilet lid is closed and that dangerous substances and items that can fall if the bird flutters into them are put safely away. Close the door, and lock it to prevent others from coming in.

7. Climbing the mountain.

Once the bird is out of the cage and you’re in the small room, sit down with your back against the wall and your knees bent into “mountains.” Gently place the bird on to one of your knees and slowly put your hands into your lap. If the bird flutters off, simply retrieve the bird gently and put it back on to one of your knees. It’s best to wear pants so that the bird has a good foothold, but be careful that the fabric isn’t a type that can snag a toe.

At this stage in taming, your only goal is to have the bird stand comfortably on your knee. Sessions should last no more than 10 minutes, two to three times a day.

Remember, don’t get frustrated, and if you do, put the bird back gently and go into another room to vent if you need to. Remain calm at all times around your bird.

8. Close and comfortable.

After a few sessions, the bird should be comfortable with standing on your knee. Now, begin to slide one hand slowly up the leg toward the knee where the bird is standing. Move slowly and talk soothingly to the bird, telling it what a good bird it is and how much you love it (a little corny, but what else are you going to tell it?). Eventually you should be able to get your hand close to the bird, almost touching it. Do only this for a few sessions.

9. The first touch.

When the bird seems comfortable with having your hand near it, gently try to touch the bird’s chest with one finger. Move slowly! This is a good time to break out the millet spray and offer small pieces of it so that the bird gets close to your hand and associates it with something pleasant. Do this for a few sessions. Remember, sessions only last ten to 15 minutes each.

10. Handle with care.

Some budgies will take readily to stepping onto your finger, and others will need a little more encouragement (putting the bird there!). After several sessions with the millet spray, once the bird has become very comfortable with the presence of your hand, place your finger sideways (like a perch) and push it gently and slowly on the bird’s chest. This will cause the bird to lose balance a little and step up onto your finger — in a perfect world, that is. More likely the bird will fly off, or jump over your finger into your lap. No matter. You’ll just try again.

11. On the finger.

If the last step doesn’t work after a few days, just pick up the bird and place it on your finger, holding your hand just over the knee that the bird has become used to standing on. Again, you should be talking to the bird softly, and offering millet if that has been working for you. Your hand should be steady and a place that the bird is confident standing on - if you’re wobbly and afraid, you’re going to scare the bird.

12. Out of the bathroom, finally!

Once your budgie is readily standing on your finger, and has done so for several sessions, you’re ready to have a taming session outside of the small room. Choose a larger area, but not one that’s too busy or where the bird could get hurt or hide if it flutters to the floor. Begin again with placing the bird on your knee and start over — it will not take as long this time.

13. Advanced taming.

Once the bird does well on the above steps, take it to other rooms, placing it on your shoulder, and trying to scratch it gently on the head. Remember to move slowly and make sure the bird will be safe wherever you take it. Your bird should be tame enough to take it out of the cage and play with it without the flapping and biting. You’re now building a relationship with the bird.

14. Step up.

Teaching your budgie to “Step up” is the final important step in the taming process. With the bird on your finger, place your other finger on its lower chest and push a bit, asking the bird to “Step up.” The bird should step on to your other finger. Repeat this a few times every time you play with your budgie, always asking it to “Step up” verbally. When you take the bird out of the cage now, you will use only your finger and ask the bird to “Step up.” No more fishing around with the washcloth. Your bird is tame!

Budgies “gentle” down pretty easily, even older budgies, especially when you take the time to instill a sense of trust and love into your taming sessions. Using a quicker method, “breaking” the bird, isn’t pleasant, and doesn’t work as well as the method I’ve described here. A relationship is about trust, and that’s the proper philosophy when it comes to taming any animal. So, budgie pals, fear your budgie no more! In a couple of weeks you’ll have a fine feathered friend on your shoulder — who can ask for more than that?

Answer 7

Talk to him, pet his head, whistle at him, or sit on him. I'm willing to bet that talking, petting, and whistling goes better for you than sitting on him but you never know...