budgie questions?

Question

hey everyone what's up? well i have a few budgie questions that i need some answers on: first of all, i have a now 4 month old budgie and it all of a sudden started to rub its beak/head against its perch and the side of its cage,why is it doing that? also can someone please tell me how to train my budgie to come to me when it's on the floor and stuff and how can i teach my budgie to not fly away from me when it's out of its cage and on my finger ? last question,can budgies see in the dark?when i leave my room at night i turn off my light and turn on a nightlight for him but i'm not so sure that it shines torward him so do i need to do anything differently? thanx! p.s.i like converse!=p

Answer 1

head scratching - Itches, Molting, New feathers coming in, mites,

Train it to come to you when its on the floor & not to fly away - you need to work with it more, It's not used to you, if it was it wouldn't fly away from being perched on your finger Unless A) it was hungry/ thirst B) tired C) bored

Talk to your budgie all the TIME!, soft gentle tones, Specially before you go sticking your hands into the cage to feed/ water/ clean the cage , IF at all possible DO NOT put your hands in from ABOVE the bird - or when its on the floor DON'T put your hands above it to get it - this makes them think you are a Predator and it'll frighten them more then they already are

EVERY TIME the bird does what you wanted it to do For example STEP up on your finger from the floor -PRAISE it like there is NO tomorrow and give him/ her a treat ( even if it's just a piece of its normal food)

To get the Budgie to Perch on your finger, Make sure you say Step up! when you put your finger under their chest above their legs -

Can they see in the dark - This one I'm not 100% positive but I'm pretty sure they can after i go to bed and my room is pitch black Dark Plus their cage is covered with a blanket, I can hear mine eating, or moving around from perch to perch so i'm assuming they can

One More thing DO NOT USE mite Spray unless a avian vet tells you your bird has mites - it is NORMAL for birds to rub thier heads/ beaks on things , They can't reach ALL the spots that itch, with thier beaks or Feet !
if it is doing it NONE stop for long periods of time - Go to your avian vet ( MOST normal dog/ cat vets do not see birds)

Answer 2

The rubbing against the cage/perch is normal. Mine used to do that a lot. It's just another way to scratch their head... or just to show the perch that they love it!
Getting the budgie to come to you and stay with you relies on a couple of things. One, the personality of the bird, and two your relationship with the bird. My old parakeet would jump for my shoulder the moment she was let out of her cage and wouldn't leave until I put her back in the cage. But another parakeet I had was much more shy and tended to keep to himself. You might try different noises to get the bird's attention, like making a squeak by inhaling through puckered lips, clicking your tongue, or even blowing a raspberry. Just be careful... I've had curious birds cling to my face after getting a peek at my tongue.
As for darkness, I'm not 100% sure about this, but I'm pretty sure they can't. My bird always avoided flying in dark rooms and, considering what a problem they have with mirrors and windows, I would be inclined to say their eyesight isn't much better than a human's. However, birds enjoy sleeping in darkness and most are familiar enough with their cage that they can find their favorite sleeping place the moment the lights go out. If you turn out the lights and hear a lot of frantic flapping, turn them on again and give the bird a chance to calm down before climbing back up to its sleeping place.

Answer 3

I may be able to answer your questions. First Budgies prefer to sleep when there is no one around. And they do like music, so you can play the stereo or radio when you are gone. The night light is ok but not necessary.

Your bird is only 4 mos old and the rubbing of it's head and beak on things is normal, this is how they groom themselves and how they scratch. Plus he is still growing. His beak is changing and becoming harder. This is the best time to train your bird since his bite won't hurt as much as when his beak is harder. It will feel more like a pinch instead of a puncture. lol
Once the beak is harder it will do more damage to fingers and arms. I have quite a few scars from the birds I've had, not to mention the Yellow Naped Amazon I once had.

To train your bird start by talking to him each time you have the chance, this gets him used to hearing your voice and feeling comfortable around him. Then you can work on finger training him. But this all takes time, so if he's still young start now. Work with him at least every day or so to get him used to being around you. Sometimes when you hold him on your finger you can put your thumb on his feet until he settles down. Find a treat he will like and give this to him when he does something like sitting on your finger. Also budgies can learn to talk. The imitate the voice and the louder you talk the louder they repeat what you say. As I said this all takes time so have plenty of patience with your bird, don't give up, they will surprise you when you least expect it. Below I have a list of sites that may be helpful to you.

Answer 4

My bird rubs her beak and head against her perch daily, to help clean ti and itch spots they can't reach. it also helps new feathers that are coming in. Comfirm mites with an avian vet before spraying them with mite stuff, if they don't ahve mites it might irritate the skin. When your budgie is on the floor sit near by and hold out a treat and say "Come" when he comes give him the treat and ltos and ltos of verbal praise as well as petting. Keep doing this for about 10-15 mintues a day. over time he will learn to come to you on command from further and further distances. Some birds will jsut fly away from you if they are spooked, or if they jsut want to go preen. Not much you can do there, sorry. For night time it does help birds to have a sligth amount of light incase they wake up so they don't spook. But none of my birds have night lights and they do just fine.

Answer 5

Hi there, I'll try and answer your questions:
If your budgie suddenly started to rub his beak or head aginst his perch, it could either be that he has mites (buy some mite spray from your local pet shop)
or it could also be that his feathers are forming, check to see if he has any kind of spiky looking stumpy things on his head, these are what new feathers look like when they start to grow.
The only way you can teach a budgie to stay with you is a lot of patience, if you have given your budgie a lot of freedom up until now, maybe try and restict his flight to just one room at a time.
As for night time, please leave your budgie in his cage at night, also cover his cage with something like a towel or sheet, this will let him know that it is rest time and will prevent any mishaps during the night, it is a lot safer for him.

Answer 6

I Had three budgies one died but now i have 2. For your first question, your budgie rubs its beak on the perch because its itchy to him, he needs a cuttle bone or mineral block for that( my birds rub their beaks on the perch too and they don't use their cuttle bone so if your budgie do not do that don't worry it wont kill him lol). your second question, it took my budgies over 4 month's took get used to me and now my birds can go on my finger and sing a tone i tought them, and if you want to call your bird a name, keep repeating your self and it will catch on to it like a song also its like the same thing. But for your bird going on your finger you would have to Wait for him to get used to you and then try and put your finger in the middle of its chest and feet. It might put on foot on your finger then might fly away, that's fine though ^__^. your third question, Budgies cant see in the dark, but only a little bit like we do. Make sure you have a cover over your budgies cage so then it wont wake you up in the morning when you sleep. When its in the middle of the night your bird should have memorized your cage or should know where the food is so it can eat. I hope this helps you and your budgie! ^_^

Answer 7

My 3 budgies all rub their heads on things. It's part of the grooming. I spray mine with a water spritzer every morning and they like that. Make the area where it sleeps as dark as possible at night. A bit of light won't hurt but they need their downtime in the dark to sleep well. Try using a chopstick perch to train your budgie out of the cage, instead of a finger.

Answer 8

I have budgies and mine rubs its head agaisnt the cage and perch. Try mite spray. It probably has mites that are bothering it but empty the cage before you spray because you dont want that in their food or water. My budgie is not trained and it is afriad or my hand. I suggest training it when it was young. Make sure that theres only one bird in the cage or else it will forget about you and your training and it'll play with the other birdy and dont want that if you want a good bird! Did you know budgies can talk? It is much easier for male budgie to learn than a female. ( Blue cere- male. Brown cere- female. Cere is the flesh above beak) As for seeing in the dark. I leave a night light on for them. i think it makes them happy. Any other bird questions email me at [e-mail].

Answer 9

Since no one can answer whether birds can see in the dark, THEY CAN SEE IN THE DARK!!! With just a tiny amount of light, they CAN see. But birds need 12 hours of sleep time in order to stay healthy.

If you are feeding just a seed diet, you need to do better for your bird. Putting your bird on a healthier diet, will get you closer to your bird. Feeding veggies, pasta, meats, cheese, and using cheerios for treats will get you closer.

Also clipping the birds wings will also allow you to teach the bird to "step up" . Please take the bird to someone who knows how to clip the wings. Once the bird is on the floor, say "step up" and push your finger into the chest of the bird, and the bird will step up onto your finger. It's natural for them to perch on the highest perch, especially if it's on the floor. Then you can play ladder with your two fingers, repeating "step up" with your fingers.

Rubbing it's head is nothing more then you wanting your back scratched. Do NOT attempt to run your hand over it's back. Keets just hate being petted. But i do encourage you to take a little pet under their wings. Do this slowly and eventually they will put their wings up for this little scratch.

If you have mirrors in the cage, remove them. They only know this as being another bird. It won't bring you closer, just further away. It also will hinder your bird talking in our language.

I can't express the diet anymore then i did. Seeds will only get you about 4-6 yrs with your bird. A proper diet can get you more then 20. The choice is up to you!! My keet is now 28 and still alive.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

I very own a chook rescue. i do no longer wash my hands until eventually now and after dealing with the birds, which contain budgies. I purely placed a bottle of purell next to the cage and use it until eventually now and after. it is distinctive for me through fact I even have many birds i could stress approximately passing stuff directly to. i could pass with the purell to be risk-free yet heavily. could you wash your hands until eventually now or after every time you touch your infants. So no you do no longer could. And it is great to enable your chook out some situations each and on a daily basis. I also have a sunlight conure putting on my shoulder as i'm typing this now. you purely prefer to enable them to out so as that they are able to loiter around with you and get some one on one time with them.