my budgie

Question
QUESTION:
hello,

i took in my budgie after a couple brought him into our store asking us to take him in. i believe i asked you a question before regarding how i may be able to know his age since hes an albino.

well now iv got him settled into a new cage, with lots of colorfull toys and bells. hes still adjusting to it, but day by day hes exploriing more and more of the cage.

though i still find hes some what depressed, for as i understand it, when budgies bond to someone or something, they start to miss that bond if its broken. do you thinkk he'll be able to rebond to me, i mean so far, hes learning to trust me, he allows me to take him out of his cage and he sits on my shoulder as i walk around, he eats from my hand though from time to time he still hesitates. i talk to him alot, he seems to prefer it when i whisper, but im not sure if hes actually listening to me or if im just imagining it. how can i tell if hes listening to me, because he looks at me when im talking, but i dont know if hes paying attention.

another thing is, as soon as everything is settled in a few months and if he learn how to talk, im planning to get him a friend, another male budgie, im going to keep them seperated for a while, till i can train the new one then ill introduce them. lets say if my first budgie did learn how to talk, if i introduced him to a new budgie, would he stop talking and would he still be hand tamed?

basically what my two questions are, is 1) how can i teach my budgie to trust me and 2) what will happen if i introduce a none trained budgie to a trained talking budgie?  

bug

ANSWER: Time is the best way to get him to trust you.  A little bribery can go a long way too.  Try getting him to eat millet out of your hand.   This will help him get used to you and help him become tamer.  He'll get settled and comfortable eventually.

It really won't make too much of a difference.  Just keep in mind that budgies are easiest to tame when it's one-on-one because they get distracted easily.  It's best to have them tamed separately.  Speech is the one exception in that if a budgie knows how to talk, and one that doesn't is in the cage with him and he can hear him talk, the non-talking one may mimic the sounds the other is making.

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QUESTION: so i just need to keep trying.. i want to know though whats the next best thing to millet seed... i cant seem to find any around here...

so i might have a win win siutation, my old bird might teach my new bird how to talk and he wont be lonely any more when i leave the house.. thanks thats helps.. i was losing hope that i might have been doing something wrong.. but your right all i can do is be patient and let time do her thing..

so how can i tell if hes listening to me when i talk to him.. and when hes settled in.. how do i begin teaching him words and to use words in contex?

another thing id like to know.. im planning on taking him to the vet soon, but im afraid that if i take him, he'll start to hate me for it and we'd have to restart from scratch.. can that happen?

bug

ANSWER: It depends on the bird.  Some birds don't even like millet.  If you can't find some, try feed stores in your area if there are any.  Fruit, veggies, or just treats that you can buy at pet stores could work too.  It might take a little while to find out what he likes.

It's sometimes hard to tell if they're listening.  Sometimes they will respond by moving their head up and down or cocking their head to the side, or talk back to you.  As for context, the sounds don't mean anything to them.  They just repeat them back most of the time.  If you can get him to talk, you should be happy with just that.  More complex things like context are extremely hard to teach budgies as opposed to other members of the parrot family.

Vet visits can be stressful, but if he does "hate" you for a while, it's just a phase.  It's kind of like when a teenager tells their parents they hate them, then forget about it the next day.  If he seems a bit upset after, try giving him a new toy or something tasty.  He'll get over it, they just like to be dramatic sometimes.  I had a budgie a few years ago who would hold out her wing as though she were in pain whenever she wanted attention, but there was absolutely nothing wrong, the vet said she was just being a drama queen.

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QUESTION: ... smart budgie you had there...

you see theres my problem... my bidgie doesnt play around with the toys nor does he accept treats all to often.. he likes apples alot that i can tell because when i put in a bowl of fruits and vegs he only looked out for the apple.. im confused... im saying hes just still adjusting.. but i dont know... its like hes lazy and doesnt want to do anything just sitting on the perch the whole day... and lately hes been refusing to come out... im thinking i should try with him in the early morning instead of the afternoon.. you think that would help?

whevenever i talk to him.. i perch him on my finger and after a while he starts to move his beak likes hes trying to say something but no sound at all comes out.. could that be a sign that he's listening?... actually you know.. i dont really want him to talk.. im just trying.. as soon as i get him to fully trust me and come out and in of the cage easily.. im getting another budgie going to train that one.. and they can just talk to each other and ill listen...


one more question.. when i take him to the vet.. what should i ask the vet to chek.. and what kind of questions should i ask?

thanks so much for putting up with me.. cant tell you how much i appriciate it...  

Answer
Trying it at a different time of day may help.  Not only will he have more energy early, but if you change things a little, you can keep him from getting bored (hopefully).

Moving the beak without talking is normal. It's usually a sign of affection.  They sometimes make soft clicking sounds when they do this.

When you take him to a vet, just ask for a check-up, and you may want to mention that he's been kind of lazy.  It could just be that you have a lazy budgie, or it could be something else.  You might want to ask how old he is.  You could also check to see if they can clip his wings for a reasonable price.  You may or may not want this done, but it can make taming easier because it forces them to be more dependent on you.