My budgee will come to me if i have food but wont if i dont?? i want it to sit on my finger? what do i do?

Question

Ive been training my budgee for 5 intense days now and it trust me and flys near me when i am holding its cup of food in my hand and even steps onto the cup when im holding it same with its water, but as soon as it sees my finger or i try and put my index finger near it for it to step onto it flys away. I know i have to connect my finger to food sumhow but i need help

Answer 1

You don't need to "food train" a budgie--it's a bit smarter than a hawk or falcon and can think beyond its belly. It's good that it trusts you as much as it does but your budgie doesn't need to associate you with food, he just needs to know that he'll be safe if he's sitting on your hand. When I tamed my first cockatiel, I didn't use any food, and he ended up being completely tame. I've never seen anyone recommend that people use food to tame parrots, because it isn't necessary at all; it only makes things more complicated.

Leave the food and water dishes in the cage and take your bird out by coaxing him onto a spare perch (or even a perch that you take out of the cage, if you don't happen to have a spare one--just make sure it isn't one he's sitting on at the time). Sit down someplace--on the floor is a good idea if it's clean and you have enough room. Let your budgie onto the floor, too. At this point you don't want anything else in the way--it should be just you, the budgie, and the floor (if you have something else on the floor, say a food dish, he'll automatically climb onto it because it's higher than the floor, and then since he's off the floor, it'll be a lot harder to get him onto your hand, because your hand is not the only substitute to being on the floor). Rest your hand palm down on the floor about a foot away from him; make sure you're relaxed, if you keep your arm tensed he may take that tension as an indicator that something is about to happen and be jumpy. Very slowly move your hand toward him, a little at a time, until you're only six inches away, then four; if he's comfortable with that, slowly ease your hand up to his belly until it is pressing (lightly) against the lower part of his belly, keeping your hand just high enough that it isn't resting on top of his feet; ideally he will step up onto your hand, although he may fly instead. Wing-clipping can be helpful because while it won't completely prevent a bird from flying, it greatly reduces the distance he can fly, so you get him back faster (chances are he'll land on the floor again, as opposed to on top of a bookshelf, a curtain, Pallas's bust, etc.). It does not hurt the bird any more than clipping your fingernails hurts you--that is to say, not at all--and if you plan on taking him out of his cage it will help him not fly into dangerous places like ceiling fans, windows, the toilet, etc.; you should keep ceiling fans off, windows shuttered (or blinds drawn), and bathroom doors closed anyway, but in case a family member opens the bathroom door or something, it could save your bird's life.

Whether you clip his wings or not, he can still fly somewhat; the trick is patience. Eventually he will step up onto your hand, even if it is just a second. When he does, keep your hand exactly where it is--don't lift it off the ground right away, just keep it still. He may hop back off, but it's a good start, and gradually he'll spend more and more time on your hand before he hops off. Once you think he'll stay there long enough, you can slowly bring your hand up off the ground. Now you've gotten your budgie to sit on your hand; chances are he'll take the opportunity the added height affords and try to fly off, but it's a start. Once he's on your hand you can give him a small sprig of millet or a toy to give him something to do while he's there.