Ask Lafeber

Question:

March 30, 2021

Budgie behavior


I bought my budgie at a pet store as a baby. His wings were clipped, and took a long time to grow back. He was anxious, and wouldn’t go on my finger or leave the cage, and became a biter which hasn’t stopped. His wings have finally come in, and the cage is always open, so he has started flying around, but he remains anxious. How can I care for his emotional health?


Answer:

Hi Rae,

This is probably due to the way he was handled before you bought him. A lot of budgie breeders who breed for profit breed their birds in colonies in large aviaries. They often try to get the birds directly from the nest box before the chicks fledge, so that they don’t have to try to catch them in the aviary. So basically these chicks are grabbed and all put in a large cage with some seed and they either learn to eat or they die. There is no weaning period for them. Then they are taken to the shops to be sold, sometimes within hours of being removed from their nest box. The shop staff will clip the wings as they remove the birds from the travel cage. So these babies have only been grabbed, removed from the safety of a nest box, grabbed again, and clipped before ever taking flight. Since budgies are prey animals, all of this is very terrifying. Budgies are generally sold quickly, and in their stunned state, they can often be tamed quickly. But some are like yours and fight back. Yours may have been one of the older chicks that did fledge before being sold. It’s also possible that yours is a female, as they tend to be less friendly and more likely to bite.

Budgies are curious and being colony birds, they are very social. You will need to go back to basics for taming and to try to gain his trust. He will be much harder to work with now that he is flighted, but it is up to you whether you want to have his wings clipped again. As you know, the feathers will molt and grow back – this can be weeks or months depending on when his next natural molt is. I’ll give you some links that should help you know how to work with him. You need to avoid grabbing him because this triggers the fight or flight instinct. His cage should be in a social area of the house, but not too close to a door or entry. Since they are prey animals, it makes them nervous for someone to suddenly be next to the cage. He needs to be where he can see people approaching him, and have a wall behind him. For some birds it helps to put a light cover over part of the cage so he can feel safe while he observes his surroundings. Talk to him a lot and don’t force your hands on him yet. He needs to trust you before he will trust your hands. You should use slow movements when you feed him, but it’s OK to let him see you put a treat in his dish with your hand. Just be slow and don’t move your hand towards him. This is not a quick process – it is more like weeks, months or sometimes never. But read the links, and keep trying. Again, if he is a she, your progress may be much more limited.

Teaching Your Bird

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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