August 1, 2024
Budgie not warming up
Ive had a budgie for 4 mths and he wont warm up to me, when i put my hand in cage , he runs and is afraid. He doesn’t take a bath either. He only comes to me when i give him treats??
Question:
Answer:
Hi,
Budgies are prey animals, so introducing your hand is one of the last steps to do. You need to first gain the bird’s trust. This can involve spending a lot of time each day sitting next to the cage and talking to him, with your hands in your lap. You should never reach for him or grab him – this triggers his fight or flight response because a predator would grab him. I’ll give you the links to our behavior and training pages. You need to have a better understanding of bird behavior in order to know how to work with him. Keep in mind that even when captive bred, these are an exotic wild bird, and they are driven by instinct. You can’t train them like a dog or other domesticated animal. As for a bath, they rarely take a full on bath. They can learn to like being misted lightly with a spray bottle. But in the wild, a soaking wet bird is helpless and easy pickings for a predator. They preen and groom rather than take a wet bath.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
