Getting my Budgie out of it's cage.. Best method.

[cham87]

Hey I wanted to see what people think is the best approach to getting your bird out of its cage while in the early stages of building trust. I currently just stick my hand in the cage and have to grab him. He will step up on my finger but soon as he knows I am taking him out of his cage. He wants to jump on a perch in his cage. So the only way is to grab him. I grab him appropriately but the fact that he runs away is not wanted. How can I get it so he will step up and willingly want to come out on his perch?

[liz]

Grabbing is not good. Open the cage door and let him step out. Is he flighted? If not he is fearful because he knows he can't escape if you hurt him. He feels safe in his cage.

My cockatiels all came flighted. Shadow and Lemone' were wild and never touched before I got them. The breeder said they would never be pets because they don't want touched. I opened the door and let them fly. When they got tired they needed me and would step up to go back. After a few times they realized that stepping up was a good thing.

[brfussne]

Budgies love millet, try using millet spray as a treat to lure your budgie out!

[mtaylor1021]

I had that problem while I was taming by budgie. I used to hold millet in my hand and then it would step on my hand and I was able to SLOWLY pull my hand out of the cage with the bird on it. My bird didn't notice I was taking him out because he was so engrossed in eating the millet. He's more tame now though and will usually come out on his own when I come home from work and open the door. What's also helped me is that my bird now only gets pellet food in his cage, but when he comes out with me, he gets some seeds and/or millet. So he's figured out he gets "the good stuff" when he comes out and hangs out with me.

[ChewToy]

I have the same problem with sky. I just left her when she didn't want to come out, and then after a few days of being in her cage she was happy to come out and has been ever since.. if he's flighted then he will wanted to get out and stretch his wings some time.

[macbrush]

Here is what i did to lure my CAG out for the first time (successfully without grabbing, or negative encouragement). I secured a perch just outside the cage door, then I let him play with the spray bottle because I know he would ask me to scratch his head if I let him bite the spray bottle (don't ask me why, i don't know... LOL), then I slowly let him bite, scratch his head, bite more, scratch more, work his way out to the cage door. He stopped moving out at that point, then i slow down the pace even more, after 5 mins, he took his first step out the cage onto the perch outside without realizing it. He withdrew back to the door a couple of times, then he began to came out standing on the perch outside asking for more spray bottle and scratching.

After a few days, I even proceed to lured him further stepping on the perch that I held by "connecting" it to the perch that I fixed on the cage. But as soon as he realized the perch started moving (because my hand wasn't 100% steady), he was so scared and flied off, but that's another story.

[Adze]

I had the same problem with bailey my keet. Just left the door open with a millet spray infront of the door and a couple of mins later he is out

[Michael]

When I recommend grabbing a bird out and reconciling, this is only for the first few training sessions to get it to know how good it is to be out and train step up. Obviously it's not a long term approach (although I practice it with my birds from time to time for other reasons). You do want to move to a less forceful approach as soon as possible. Warm him up by targeting around the cage and then targeting onto your finger.