Help getting bird over fear

[mtaylor1021]

I've had a lutino budgie for a couple months now. He has no trouble stepping up for me or target training, but he gets affraid of me really easy. I'm the original owner, the bird is maybe 6 months old, I don't know the exact hatch date. I have to train him in another room because if he can see his cage all he wants to do is get back inside it. I used to have a Sengal parrot that absolultely loved me, would come out of the cage all day if I let her and would follow me around the house like a puppy dog. What can I do to help this new budgie over come it's fear and be more like the Senegal I had?? I probably spend an hour a day with this bird, talking, whistling, training it, and still it won't even go on my shoulder. Maybe I just need to be more patient. Do you guys find that training the bird helps the bird to be happier and more tame??

[Michael]

First of all, this probably isn't fear because he is stepping up for you. Sounds more like he just prefers the cage. Don't put mirrors in the cage. Take food out of cage for a few hours prior to taking him out and during the time that he is out so it isn't a reward to go back in for it. Try training some more tricks (like turn around) because they give the bird something to do while around you. Think about what he likes in his cage and try to provide it even more so while he is out with you.

[mtaylor1021]

I think you're right. The bird seems more trusting of me than others in the house. I used to have a basketball hoop toy in the cage that had a reflective back board on it, I took it out a month ago though because the bird was fixated on the "other bird" it could see in it. Yesterday he actually came out of the cage really well, and usually once I get him out he flies off my hand, but he didn't even do that, I was able to walk him all the way to his perch in the training room so that was a nice improvement. Yesterday I tried teaching him "turn around" the problem I ran into is when I hold my hand around his head he gets freaked out and often flies off his perch. Any tips?

[Shelby]

Yesterday I tried teaching him "turn around" the problem I ran into is when I hold my hand around his head he gets freaked out and often flies off his perch. Any tips?

Try holding the very end of the target stick opposite the end pointing at him, so your hand is further away when you're trying to guide him in a circle with the target stick.

Have you done clicker training with him yet? Even if you have, you could do a little review and you hold the millet spray at one end and gradually hold more and more of it in your hand so the bird has to reach nearer your hand to get the treat. Eventually, hold just one little tiny "ball" of millet broken off the main spray. I did that with 2 budgies and it worked really well. They become so used to your hand being near them when the get the treat that after a little while it doesn't bother them.

[mtaylor1021]

I do use a clicker already, but I usually hold the millet spray. I like your idea of just holding a little in my fingers so I'll try that. My budgie really surprised me last night because we had a lot of visitors which usually freaks him out but he kept standing and climbing on the door of his cage so I opened it and he came right out. So I put him on his training perch and showed my guests how he can target and step up and return to his perch. It was pretty cool. So he does seem to be making progress. I usually train him at night before I go to bed and I think he's starting to remember that.

[allirho]

It just takes patience.
I recently taught my budgie turn around as well. I had the same problem as you, initially- he would panick when my arm would hover over top of his head and fly off or, conversely, he would try to fly onto my arm (I guess he thought that was what I was asking him to do).
I kept up with it anyway with absolutely no progress for a few days then all of a sudden he actually followed the target stick and turned around. Now he does it like a pro, I'm working on phasing out the cue.
It will just take some time for him to get used to your arm and before you know it he'll be comfortable and will be able to focus on the training.

I also recommend feeding just one piece of millet at a time between your fingers.
It encourages your budgie to become accustomed to your hands and also GREATLY reduces the mess and the time it takes for a budgie to take and finish a treat.
Mine would sneak in a few pieces of millet from the spray before I started feeding it one by one!