New Budgies

Question
Hi Chrys
Im soon going to get to budgies (YAY). My mom and i totally agree with her says that i should try to find out as much info as possible about them. So far so good, i just have 4 problemos. #1  What does it mean to "wean" a budgie, how do you do it and is it completely nessecory? #2 how do you tame a budgie. #3 I really want to teach my budgies a few tricks, i already know how to teach them to speak and sit on my finger, do you have any other ideas.#4 Will my budgies be okey, you see i live in south africe and the tempriture can be from litalerly minimum 2 dergrees calcuic to maximum 40 degrees calciuc, i can bring them inside but i want to see whether i have to because my sister is alurgic to the dust that their feathers make that clings to the air. If it is any help i am getting my birds from a pet shop.
Kind Regards
Marthella

Answer
Hi, Marthella.

You and your mom are correct in that you should learn all you can before buying any birds.

1.  Weaning is when a baby bird goes from being fed by its parents or a human handfeeding to eating on its own.  Yes, it's necessary so the bird can learn to eat on its own.  See my website for information on how to wean a bird.

2.  Instead of trying to tame a budgie, buy a just-weaned, handfed baby budgie from a bird breeder.  Then you won't have to tame it.  Trying to tame a bird takes much time, patience, and it isn't always possible.  You need to learn about bird/budgie behavior, etc., in order to tame a bird.  When you buy a handfed bird, the bird is already imprinted on humans, so most of the work is already done when you buy the bird.

3.  Teaching a bird tricks is a matter of continuous repetition and rewarding the bird when the bird does what it is asked to do.  Rewarding is very important.

4.  Birds don't tolerate hot temperatures very well.  You need to ensure your birds have plenty of water available at all times, are kept out of the direct sun (they'll need a cool and shady place), and have plenty of air circulation to keep them cool.  Air circulation is very important.  If temperatures are above 80 degrees F, your birds could be in danger, so watch them carefully and do what you need to do to keep them cool.  When your birds pant and hold their wings away from their bodies, they are overheated.  When this happens, you need to take action right away to cool them down.  A lot of people think that spraying them with water will cool them down, but sometimes this makes matters worse.  Instead, keep a bowl of water available for them to bathe themselves if/when they want.

My website is:  www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Chrys