How long did it take you to tame your budgerigar?

[GlassOnion]

I've been slowly making progress with my budgie, Spice, on earning her trust. She will occasionally fly over to me when I call her name, given that I have food in my hand.

I'm wondering how long it took for other members until their budgies became completely tame? I can't wait to be able to take her out of the room she's in, and walk around the house with her!

Note: Fully flighted, never clipped.

[patdbunny]

How tame is "completely tame"?

I've personally never been able to get any bird - budgie, cockatiel, lovebird, etc. - that didn't start out handfed to be any tamer than to just sit on my finger. Even then, I never got them to the point where they'd actually enjoy and seek out human interaction.

[GlassOnion]

How tame is "completely tame"?

I've personally never been able to get any bird - budgie, cockatiel, lovebird, etc. - that didn't start out handfed to be any tamer than to just sit on my finger. Even then, I never got them to the point where they'd actually enjoy and seek out human interaction.

I'd say, hand-fed tame. I don't think my tiel was handfed, and when I first got him he hated being touched. Now I accepts pets and loves head scratches. So I was hoping for something along there.

[zazanomore]

For two budgies, to get to the point we're at now, about a year.

But, I never did any proper taming sessions. I let them come to me on their own terms. I think Spice will be tame in no time!

[kaylayuh]

My budgies will step up with a lot of prompting. They promptly fly back to their perch, though, so I'm sure that's not what you're looking for.

I've had Pigpen since September 9, 2010. She will rarely step up if I badger her into it. I usually end up needing to corner her in the cage to remove her and do anything with her. She did fly to the bed and sit with me for a second, but I'm pretty sure he was really trying to get Cheney Bird. She will also eat millet from my hand, but only if my fingers are an acceptable distance away from her.

I've had No Name since December 6, 2010. He will step up if he's outside of the cage relatively easily. He can occasionally be tricked into sitting on my shoulder for 5 minute increments. He will also step up if he needs assistance getting back to the cage. His flight feathers are growing in so he can't get much height yet. Yesterday, he let me pet him for a couple of minutes.

I haven't done any clicker training with them, so I'm sure their progress is slower than others. I got them from pretty poor conditions in a local PetCo and they seemed terrified of people. I didn't want to further traumatize them by yanking them out of the cage or poking things in at them. To even get them to come near my fingers, it took months of sitting by their cage cooing and humming at them.. and sitting very, very still with my hand in the cage.

[patdbunny]

Well, that explains it for me. I absolutely do not have the patience to take a year or longer to tame a bird.

[Margaret]

Mango after more than 3 years won't come to me, won't eat from my hand, etc. He had hard past, forgive him.
Coconut is tamed: he will step up, eat from my hand, never land on my shoulder but instead fly so close that I'm afraid he'll hit me one day. Never happened so far! Sometimes he forgets that he can trust me and he is like Mango- only sometimes. I don't know how long it took me to teach him. From what I remember, he was easy to teach from the beginning. Second or third day with us he eat from my hand.
Lemonade (female, who passed out last year) was so-so tamed. By that I mean she would step up when she wanted. When she mature and became Mango's girlfriend, she didn't want to listen. We're joking that it was Mango's influence on her
Blueberra - our female - similar story as Lemonade, only she remembers sometimes what is to eat millet from my hand.
Plum is tamed, sometimes he doesn't want to obey, but only sometimes-similar as Coconut. Plum is under Mango's care right now.

By "tame" in budgie world I mean only that they are not wild to me, I only teach them basic: "Step up", "Come here", "Sing to me", "I have a something for you".
I don't know if that's only my experience or coincidence, but male budgies seem to learn faster and remember later those basics.
Good luck!

[GlassOnion]

Hmmm, well, Spice was bred in a home and apparently when her and her clutchmates were still chicks the owners took them out for cuddle time, etc. She was pretty wild when I got her but within a day or two I could stroke her feet/chest/feathers without her flinching. Everyday since then, I make sure to touch her several times a day to sustain the comfort level.

I *believe* she knows her name is, "Spice" because when I call her with food in my hand, she'll fly to me- if she's hungry.

[kaylayuh]

You're certainly having better luck than I am. I can barely touch mine without them looking a mix of shocked, petrified, and like their about to pass out. I feel so bad that I just let them hang out amongst themselves and play with their toys and fly around.

[hopestar]

well i am starting to re-tame my budgie (after 3 years), i have been working with her for about a week and so far she will eat out of my hand and step up and she bites less, but she flys to her cage whenever i take her out. were making progress