Baby budgie advice..

[josaphine32]

Hi
we just bought a baby budgie tonight she is very fightened understandably. we have covered her up for the evening can anyone give any tips on how to tame her. On many sites they say nothing from the cabbage family does this include lettuce? What do you treat your budgies to? Any advice regarding budgies would be very apreciated.

[LoftyLottie]

Don't worry about taming her for a few days. Let her get used to her new surroundings but spend plenty of time talking to her in a soft voice so she becomes accustomed to you and the family.

After a few days you can start to put your hand gently into her cage. As soon as she gets used to this you can try to stroke and touch her feet with your index finger. Gradually get her used to your finger touching and stroking her feet and move your finger gently under her breastbone above her feet. She may well step onto your finger. Once she has got this far you can gradually start to move your finger about. Eventually she will be quite happy to perch on your finger. Take everything very slowly.

If you google 'Budgerigars' you will find plenty of advice on food etc.

Good luck. They make absolutely delightful pets.

[bensmum]

Lottie has said it all! You need lots of patience but once she is used to you she will be a lovely pet. They become very tame and are real little characters

[lankeela]

I once worked in a pet shop, and the budgies were wild as hell. When someone was buying one, the shop owner would take it up to the office, clip its wings and hey presto it would just sit on your hand as though it had been hypnotised! I would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.
Instant taming. Get someone who is experienced with birds to do the wing clipping and then you can hold it, stroke it and it won't be able to fly away either.

[chappie]

Hi Josaphine,

Please think very carefully and read up on the pros and cons of wing-clipping before making any decisions on this. Many folk think it is cruel. Other folk think it's the right thing to do.

My own experience of it is this - My OH and I have rescued many birds over the years. One particular bird had been clipped by an inexperienced person. The bird very nearly bled to death, he came to us very traumatised and it took us a long, long time to bring him back to normal. The vet who treated him advised that he be put to sleep - I wanted to give him a go, as I have treated depressed birds before, with success.

Some would argue that the bird is safer if clipped, for example, it can't fly far, or sometimes not at all, without falling to the floor, and therefore would be unlikely to fly into a window or onto an open fire. (I have known of budgies doing both, btw).

Others would argue that it is cruel to deny a bird its natural instincts. It's a difficult debate. Personally I would never clip, although I am sure there will be ABers who feel differently.

Re the lettuce, I have always given all our budgies and cockatiels lettuce, they seem to enjoy it, although I am told there is little nutritional value in it for them. I also give them spinach and pea-pods, which they love.

Best of luck with your new little friend.

chappie.
xx

[wildwood]

I'll be blunter than chappie. It is absolutely cruel and idiotic to clip a bird's wing(s). If anyone wants a pet that doesn't fly, get a hamster or snake. Birds fly, that's what they do. If you can't provide a suitable environment for them don't get one. Most pet parrots die at half their optimum expected lifespan because they are constantly clipped every year and can't fly and get too fat.

As for your taming question... Lottie has already covered it very well.

Lettuce is ok but remove the surplus after a couple of hours. There is nothing wrong with cabbage or any green vege that you can eat yourself, but always remove the uneaten bits. Put the greens on top of the cage so the bird has to exercise to get at it.
For a real treat, try sprouting some canary seed providing it is not imported (bromite treated seed won't sprout), just when the sprout becomes visible is the best time to feed.
Half dozen oats soaked and rinsed now and then should also go down a treat.

[LoftyLottie]

I have kept and tamed many birds and never have I clipped their wings! A traumatised bird will sit on a finger. I have even had traumatised and injured bluetits that have sat still on my finger and one injured kestrel that let me handle it as if it was tame! Birds act like that when in trauma.

I hope Lankeela's posting was tongue in cheek.

[lankeela]

Not at all. But I would add that I would never keep a bird in a cage anyway, as I think that is cruel. However if someone has got a very frightened baby bird they are going to have a hard job handling it.

Many birds do have their wings clipped and if it means they are going to be able to be let out of their cages without flying off and can be petted and stroked then provided it is done by an experienced person (as I suggested above) then I do not think it is cruel; if it caused harm then I am sure it would not have been done for so long. Bit like docking dogs' tails, but don't get me started on that one!

[LoftyLottie]

We have to agree to differ Lankeela.

The only birds I have ever kept have been rescued or neglected. Some have been frightened. Like you, I don't like birds in cages, but accept that when birds are bred for pets and have never known freedom, and wouldn't survive in the wild, then they have to be kept in cages and given freedom to fly when ever possible.

I actually do know quite a lot about birds. Only in exceptional circumstances do wings need clipping - not just clipped so that someone can handle them quickly and easily. With time most caged birds can be finger tame.

Let's not go down the path of docking tails ;o)

[josaphine32]

I won't be clipping budg's wings as she was born with them, we would like to let her out of her cage once she is used to us, She has bitten me already, I bought a new cage and needed to transfer her and my god does she hurt, we have the radio on low with low lighting and we are trying not to scare her. fingers crossed she settles down,

[LoftyLottie]

She will, don't worry. Just give her time. Yes, they certainly can bite!! Before long you will have a friendly, entertaining little companion. They are very affectionate and love company. Glad you are going to let her fly freely. Once she is finger tame you will find that it is easy to get her back into her cage. I wouldn't let her fly before that stage though, otherwise you might have to resort to a net!