is my budgie unhappy?

Question
hi,
i have a budgie who is now 2 years old and i seem to be having more and more problems with her.
she will not tame at all although i do not mind if she chooses not to go near us (i would rather she was happy) i am concerned she is very lonely. she did have a friend however they did not get on at all and were always fighting so i had to make the decision that he would be happier else where.
recently however she has been squarking an awful lot, i no she is not ill as i work with a vet who has given completed her regualr health check. she does however seemt o have an eye site problem, when she flies she has no idea where walls etc are and flied straight into them at first i thought this would improve with practise but this has not been the case. she also seems to panic if she can hear me and i am not close enough for her to see.
is she misbehaving because she is craving attention? do i need to try a another companion or do i need to try harder to tame her if i do any ideas nothing is working i have every book and read all websites it doesnt work at all.
im very concerned that she is not happy and i would hate this?


Answer
hi. thanks for your question. sorry that you and your budgie are having a difficult time right now.  seems like you are trying your hardest to make sure she is healthy and happy and sometimes that is the best you can do.
it is probably better that you removed her "friend" if they were not getting along. two birds can eventually either seriously injure or kill one another if they do not get along.
if you have ruled out health reasons for her squawking behavior, that means that it must be more of a behavioral thing. i would not be too concerned about her eye site...most birds, when allowed to fly around the house, often crash into things like walls and doors. this is not necessarily an eyesight problem but more of a panic thing...the bird is so nervous that it begins flying around wildly and often runs in to things. birds bodies' are designed to fly freely and are not used to the confines of a "human" home.  this is why it is very important to either have her wings clipped or have her closely supervised while she is out. a bird can easily become injured after crashing into something like a window or door.
if the only "misbehavior" is squawking, i would try and see what you can do to keep her company when you are not there or are home but unable to be near her. birds are flock animals and are not used to being alone. you are part of her "flock' and as such, she will want to be with you at all times. most bird owners will tell you that this is the case with their birds and even the best bird owners still have a squawking problem...thus, even if you spent every waking moment with her, she would still want more attention. this is not practical for most people so there are a few things you can do.
apart from spending time with her out of the cage, you can spend time in her area. i bring my bird nearby when i am watching tv, paying bills, on the computer, etc. that way you can still get your business done while "spending" time with your bird. also, i would make sure that she has plenty of toys as a bored bird is a noisy bird...try and get her things to chew on, play with, perhaps even a mirror..something she can entertain herself with. when you are not home (or even when you are) perhaps leave on the radio or t.v....something that has noise/talking to keep her occupied. finally, if you feel you have tried everything to quiet her, you can always cover her. covering is a behavioral technique that can be used to quiet birds. however, take care to only cover her when she is either going to sleep or being noisy so that she understands (never cover a quiet bird unless it is bedtime). when she is squawking, cover her for 15 mins then uncover her. if she begins squawking again, try another 15 mins. hopefully, she will get the idea.
i definitely would not try getting her another friend bird as it did not work out last time and you may end up having to return another bird. as far as her not being "happy" it sounds like you are doing the best you can. birds crave attention and the more attention the better...but there is only so much you can do.  
good luck and let me know how it goes. alicia