I cant get my budgies to like me.

[AEBEINT]

Okay so I have had my two new birds for about a month and I am completely new at this. I know this type of question probably pops up a lot but i"m a little worried that i'm doing something wrong. I read several books on budgrigars before i bought them and i made them a nice big 30x30x30 cage out of stainless steel wire. I have two seperate food and water dishes in different parts of the cage so no fighting over that, and I got my birds from an aviary. They were raised with about six other birds and are brothers only about 4 or 4 1/2 months old. They have no problems with each other and seem happy and healthy. While they do not outright panic from my hand if i put it on the cage and will take treats from my hand they still do not seem comfortable with me. Even if I have food in my hand they will not let me touch them and will run if I get too close, about 4 inches or so. I have gotten some advice to either seperate them and restart the bonding process or to leave them alone for two weeks and then start the process again together but I'm not sure what to do. They don't go completely ballistic ever whether i'm trying to work with them or clean their cage but I seem to have hit a wall. Any advice would be welcome.

[Kim S]

Four months is a bit on the late side to get a non-tame bird tame. Especially when you have two. They tend to bond more with eachother than with their owner. But seeing they dont freak out when you go into the cage you have a nice base to start from.
I wouldnt seperate them, that would just cause extra stress. I woulndt advise you to take a 2 week break either. They wil just get wilder and wilder.

Do what you do now. Go into the cage, offer food, try to get closer to them. If the freak out, you go to fast. Take a step back and start again. In time you will become failiar enough for them to take food from you and to step up. But it could take a long time for birds that arent used to human contact.
Try to keep the traing sessions (this desensitizing is training too!) not too long. 5 to 10 min max and multiple times a day. Try to end on a positive note. Dont end the session when one of them freaks out. That will teach them that you will leave them alone if the freak out.

This topic answers a lot of your questions and gives a good guideline to follow:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=227

[YungAndintrigued]

Great advice Kim!
Basically the more time you spend around them, The more tame they will become.

[AEBEINT]

Thanks for the help. I think I'm just being impatient because its actually only been about 4 weeks. I'll keep at it.

[pabeth]

I have had a single parakeet bird for 8-9 years who has never been tamed. Sures she'll sort sit on my finger. She used to let me pet her, but barely. I think that some birds never come around . I struggled with it to. But at least they dont' flip out with your hand in the cage.

People might not like this suggestion, but I say just get another cage and keep them separate and not see each other or a reflection for a while, then spend loads of time with them.

[Kim S]

Remember that not every bird likes to cuddle. Especially budgies. They sit with you and chatter, but thats about the most you can get without real training.