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Taming Budgie trouble

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Bones » Mon Sep 19, 2016 1:13 am

Hi All - I've had my Budgie for 4 days. He hops on your finger when cornered and as soon as you make a move to come the out the cage straight away he flys off. His wings are clipped. I've read some of the clicker training instructions and he's not interested in Millet and French White spray or apple. I understand the clicker method as I used it with a puppy and it worked very well. I can't see it working with this bird. To start with I would hold him on my chest or on my finger but it's not long and he is off. Things are getting worse as to start with he would bite but it was nothing but he is biting harder and harder. It's obvious what I'm doing is making him worse. Please help if you can as I can't keep going with what i'm doing. Just an after thought that I don't try to remove him from the cage and just have him on my finger. He only stays there for about 30secs but is that likley to increase over time????................thanks heaps Mal
Bones
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby liz » Mon Sep 19, 2016 6:52 am

He is telling you that he is scared with his bite. Don't reach into the cage any more than you have to. Parrot proof a room and give him the respect he needs to loose his fears. It is a shame that his wings are clipped. When you let them grow back you will find a calmer and more social bird.
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Wolf » Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:13 am

Birds do not respond in the same manner as dogs do, because they are prey animals that do not have the physical build to actually defend themselves from most predators, they do bite but that is a last ditch effort to free themselves from the predator so that they can try to escape. At this point in time your bird has not been given the opportunity to adjust to its new environment or to you, four day is nothing and it usually takes at least a month before they even begin to adjust to this so the bird is terrified of you and you are moving much too fast for the bird to trust you, you need to slow down and pay attention to your bird so that you move at the birds pace and not yours.

Please read the link that I am providing you with, it outlines the method that I use for a new bird and although it was written in response to a member with a different species of parrot, it has worked for all of my birds regardless of their species. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15840
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Pajarita » Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:47 am

Actually, for a budgie (a parent-raised aviary bird), it would take a number of months for him to get used to you enough that he would not try to fly away. You can't clicker train a bird that doesn't trust you and no aviary, parent-raised bird is going to do this without you putting out A LOT of time, work and effort.

Unfortunately, what you have done has made things worse because they techniques you are using (cornering him, holding him against your chest) are flooding techniques which tend to destroy trust in them. You need to start from square one and by this I mean no touching the bird, no asking him to do anything for you (not even taking a treat from your hand) but simply sitting in the same room where his cage is for hours and talking to him until you see him no longer reacting negatively to your presence. Once you have achieved this (he will eagerly look for you as you walk into the room and will hang on to the bars of his cage on the side closest to you), you can start target training him IN THE CAGE because, if you try to do it outside the cage, he will fly off. Now, this doesn't mean he is to be in his cage all day long. You need to let him out to fly for, at least, three hours a day, and, if you feed him right (you can't free-feed seeds because the seeds need to be his high value item), he will go back into his cage for his seed dinner when the sun begins to set (there cannot be any artificial lights on at the time).
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Bones » Mon Sep 19, 2016 6:33 pm

Hi - I am so grateful or all the answers and it has given me a approach. I think he is scared as he seems to be shaking. His feathers are fluffed and I read that to mean he's ok as they would be held in really tight if he was scared. I'm an old block now but I got my first budgie at 5 years old. A few years went by and my Dad built me an aviary. When I was 10 years old I brought a very young Budgie into my Bedroom. I don't seem to remember it taking very long to tame him and he was really tame and could talk. This guy seems nervous with me sitting next to him so I sure your all spot on and i'm going to have to take it very slow. Thank you all for your help you very kind people, it is really appreciated.
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Bones » Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:58 pm

There is one thing I don't understand. When his feathers are fluffed out he seems to be shaking, most noticeable with his tail. I thought fluffed feathers meant calm but shaking stressed. My understanding is this shouldn't happen at the same time. Any ideas?????? I'm wondering if he has some condition????? thanks Mal
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Wolf » Mon Sep 19, 2016 10:12 pm

Not enough information to say for sure, but it sounds like he might be sick and in need of a vet, I would take him to an avian vet right away. It is better to be safe than sorry.
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Re: Taming Budgie trouble

Postby Pajarita » Tue Sep 20, 2016 10:10 am

If he is fluffed up when he is not sleeping and you can see his tail going up and down (this is called a 'tail bob'), he is sick and having trouble breathing so, most likely, he has a respiratory infection. Please consult with an avian vet or, if you can't, please get a wide spectrum antibiotic to put in his water (they sell them in most petstores) and, most importantly!, keep him in a quiet place with A LOT of heat. I put a heating pad on the bottom of the cage -covered with paper or a towel so it doesn't get poop on it- and drape a large towel on the cage, covering all sides but the front -for light which he needs for eating and drinking.
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