my new budgie!?

Question

im so excited! i got a budgie from petsmart yesterday. he is blue, and i named him bailey! the cool thing is, as soon as he was brought home, he was ready to hop onto my finger! he is adorable! but i do have a couple questions!

~ he hasnt really made a single sound since i got him, he was chirping at the store and bobbing his head at me, but now he is SO quiet! he never makes a sound!
~ he wont play with the toys i brought him, how can i get him to interact with me more than just perching on my finger and nibbling food from my hand
~ he is not clipped, and i dont want to clip him, but occasionally he gets bored of my finger and flies off around the room. i would like to train him to fly to my hand when i say a command or something. how do i do this?

ps, he know the stepup command already, i taught him after school today! please help me! thanks sooo soo much! bye

Answer 1

Well you just got him, so obviously he is in shock of his new surroundings. Give him some time to adjust to his new environment. He might not make any noise or play with anything for a few days, even.

It sounds like he was handfed because you taught him step-up right after you got him! Good job!

http://www.budgietalk.com/

here's a helpful website for budgies.

The key thing is though, to be patient!
Gradually bond with your bird, You can't expect him to give you kisses and cuddle with the on the bird day you get him!

My cockatiel only started letting me give her scritches after a couple of months I got her! She was untame from the beginning though. But remember, TIME is everything, and patience is good too.

With the flying to your hand thing, it's not an easy command to teach. You will have to praise him with treats every time he flies to you, and retrieve him but not give him treats every time he lands somewhere else. This might take weeks, even months!

My cockatiel used to fly to me whenever I clapped, but now she's getting a little more freedom and I'm letting her fly and land where she wants (because a shoulder isn't really the most sturdy places due the the moving of a human)

Sounds like you're doing great with your new bird. Keep on going!

Answer 2

You just need to let your Birdie have some time to accustom to you.I'm really glad that you were able to get a Hand-trained one ,though,they are happier that way.He will be very quiet,probably for days.He doesn't know where he is or who he's with,and everything has changed.Budgies don't like change.It will take a while for him to get curious about the toys,keep at it once he's comfortable with you.Try toys you hold that have food hidden in them,they are called foraging toys.Your birdie needs to be clipped for his safety.I thought I didn't need to clip one of mine,and she drowned .You have to also make sure they can't hurt themselves in the room they are in,it must be birdie-proof.Toilets need to be shut,sinks must be empty,think like them so you can remove all dangers.If you don't clip his wings it's harder to train them,or keep them safe,or sometimes they fly away outside,so I would go get him clipped by the pet shop or a Vet.

Answer 3

Your bird is quiet because it is adjusting to it's new home.

If you let your bird fly around the house, one day it will meet disaster by flying out an open door or window, into a window or mirror, open toilet, pot of water, etc. The pet store should have clipped them for you.

Bailey sounds like a darling bird and I am happy for you.

Answer 4

Search earlier answers about parakeet training. You should clip the wings though. It is cruel not to, as they can easily be killed accidental by crashing.

Answer 5

Give him time to get used to his new place and you. Its a big change for him. Baby steps keep interacting with him and he will come around.

Answer 6

Your bird needs a while to settle into his new surroundings.Continue being around your bird,talk to him reassuringly,but do not crowd him. Given time,he will be fine...