Budgie training

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I just got a budgie a few days ago and i was wondering how i could train it. I think it's a wild budgie because it's scared of people. Today i started training it and it started biting me. I tried using gloves and that successfully trained it to not bite me. Now it want to train it to step up onto my hand. I tried everything but nothing works.  Also, it's wings are not clipped and i want to clip it but don't know how. Any advice?

ANSWER: There are as many ways to tame budgies but this is one that works for me. Remember, it may take up to 6 months so don't give up to soon.

3 ten minute training sessions a day seem to work best.



First get his wings clipped, if you haven't clipped wings before it is best to have a vet, or someone with experience show you how. This will make him dependent on you as
well as make it possible to work with him. Otherwise he will just fly away!

Next, take a dish towel and corner him in the cage and take him out.  Being grabbed is one of a birds biggest fears, but the towel will help keep him from associating this with your hands...and
they must learn to be toweled for vet care, such as check ups, beak
trimmings, etc any way.

Now you have your bird out of its cage...its wings are clipped...so now
you will take him to the bathroom (make sure to put the toilet seat down)
and you will sit down with you knee's up.

Put your keet on your knee. When he flutters off, simply pick him and put
back on your knee. Talk soothingly at all times when you are pleased with
you lil guy!

He will fly off quite a few times, but with his wing clipped he wont go
far and you can re-catch him easily. You don't need to use a towel after
you get him out of the cage.

When he begins to stay perched on your knee, begin moving your hand up
your thigh a little bit at a time, until you can place your hand right
next to him without him taking off...

After you can easily get him to stay on your knee and allow your hand to
sit next to him...place your finger against his lower belly, above his
legs and press gently saying "step up"...again he is likely to run off on
you the first few time, you keep repeating it...

When you get him to perch on your finger, start having him step up from
one hand to the other...using "step up. Now you have a hand tame keet!!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much! :) By the way can budgies eat couscous (tiny yellow grain stuff) as a staple or do they have to eat seeds? Also do i need to cook the couscous or do they eat it raw? Thanks!

Answer
They can eat couscous, but it cannot be it's staple diet. Like you, your pet budgie needs to have variety in its diet to stay healthy. He needs seeds, I would add pellets to it's diet of seeds as well, he also needs fruits and vegetable, and grains!!

Here are some safe foods for your bird:


Greens: Kale, Bok choy, spinach, chard, mustard greens, radish, carrot tops, beet tops, dandelion greens (make sure they haven't been sprayed or collected near a roadway) and just about any other leafy green veggie.

Veggies: Carrots, peas, zucchini, corn, squash, radishes, bell pepper, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, chili peppers.

Grains: Steamed rice (white, brown, wild) cooked pasta, whole wheat and multi-grain bread, popcorn (no butter), bran muffins, polenta, grits, cous cous, sprouted seeds and grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet, teff, kamut, spelt), oatmeal, all natural cereal.

Proteins: Raw sunflower seed (small amounts), chicken, eggs, fish, small amounts of hard cheese such as Jack and cheddar, tofu, cooked beans (lentil, kidney, black, garbanzo, navy, white).

Fruit: Apples (seeds removed), peaches, bananas, melons, mango, pomegranate, oranges, papaya, strawberries, plums, pears, berries, nectarines, cherries. (Please remove all pits from fruit.)


Foods You Should NEVER Feed:

Chocolate
Avocado
Sugary Foods
Salty Foods
Greasy Foods
High Fat Content Foods
Caffeine
Soda
Alcohol
Pits/Seeds/Roots of Fruits/Veggies
Candy
Rhubarb