*Progress Log* Untamed baby Budgie, untrained bird owner.

[cham87]

Here is a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8U1z-9vVOQ

[cham87]

Much better!

Check out this video! First time out of cage!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSUuwZcMHSU

[GlassOnion]

Looks great! You can also put some millet pieces in the plastic toy so it's a little puzzle for him.

[cham87]

OMG ARE YOU KIDDING. HE GETS ON MY FINGER!!! LOL HE GETS ON MY FINGER!!!


I have made him step up three times and step down three times on my training perch. WOW. amazing...

just took 2 days... so is he still considered untamed? When should I start putting him on his back and stuff? Maybe wait a day or two?

[Michael]

just took 2 days... so is he still considered untamed? When should I start putting him on his back and stuff? Maybe wait a day or two?

I wouldn't push it TOO much. I like your cautious approach... it works better with the bird cause it gives it time to see what you're gonna do. You want step up to be rock solid before you do ANYTHING that could work against trust. Even if he is stepping up just cause and you didn't have to tame/train it, I still suggest going through the training steps because they are good for the long term and teaching other things.

Since he is flighted (from what you said), you're going to want to build trust, target train, and then prioritize working on flight recall. You can work on touch/hold a little in parallel but flight recall is the thing you really want to get down as soon as possible. You need him to want to fly to you (as opposed to away) because that is the basis for everything else.

Also it's possible he won't eat much on the first few days. And although everyone can give you their opinion of what it is "best" to feed him, I would stick to whatever he was eating before you got him until he is reliably/comfortably eating on his own. Then you can work on introducing new foods. But for now, you don't want him to lose too much weight because you piled loads of other foods that are scaring him away from eating what he knows. So if he was eating pellets before you got him, feed him exactly that kind of pellets. If he was eating seeds, feed him that exact seed mix. You want to see him eating well for a few days to a week before overwhelming him with new foods.

[laducockatiel]

Great! Try and feed him seed from your hand (if he's not too scared) it will build trust

[cham87]

just took 2 days... so is he still considered untamed? When should I start putting him on his back and stuff? Maybe wait a day or two?

I wouldn't push it TOO much. I like your cautious approach... it works better with the bird cause it gives it time to see what you're gonna do. You want step up to be rock solid before you do ANYTHING that could work against trust. Even if he is stepping up just cause and you didn't have to tame/train it, I still suggest going through the training steps because they are good for the long term and teaching other things.

Since he is flighted (from what you said), you're going to want to build trust, target train, and then prioritize working on flight recall. You can work on touch/hold a little in parallel but flight recall is the thing you really want to get down as soon as possible. You need him to want to fly to you (as opposed to away) because that is the basis for everything else.

Also it's possible he won't eat much on the first few days. And although everyone can give you their opinion of what it is "best" to feed him, I would stick to whatever he was eating before you got him until he is reliably/comfortably eating on his own. Then you can work on introducing new foods. But for now, you don't want him to lose too much weight because you piled loads of other foods that are scaring him away from eating what he knows. So if he was eating pellets before you got him, feed him exactly that kind of pellets. If he was eating seeds, feed him that exact seed mix. You want to see him eating well for a few days to a week before overwhelming him with new foods.

Mike first of all I would like to say thank you for posting on my thread. I greatly appreciate it. I was doing parrot research and was on the fence about things. Soon as I found your blog with all of those articles is when I knew I was going to get a parrot. Your approach and know how is awesome. So thanks for getting me into this.

I understand. How long do you think it will take for the step up to be perfected. I know that is hard to answer, I mean a week, two, three? More? Or is anything possible. His step up is certainly not good yet, I just pretty much put him off balance and say the cue "step up." He went off of the perch one time onto the floor and he is hard to catch so I don't handle him with my hand because he will fly away from me so I drape a thin dish towel over him and delicately find where his oblong body is and then lightly unpack the towel and find his feet sticking upwards. Then id let him get on the perch whenever he stopped flinching.

Right I 100% will go through the training steps. I feel that is a must. He has yet to eat food from me so I cannot start click conditioning yet.


Today is Wendesday, tomorrow on Thursday I will be going to the Pennsylvania airport to pickup my girlfriend at 6:30pm. Then I am going to NJ from there and I wont be back till Monday or Sunday. So that will be time apart from Fleury. I am going to tell my sister some things so she can spend sometime with him today and hopefully when I come back he has not regressed any.

What I have realized is there will be certain times when I wont be able to be with Fleury. My life is busy. I think one of the biggest fears people have after doing research on birds is the time constraints. I figure this bird is a baby, regardless of how he acts no matter what I will always be trying to exercise the training steps and taming techniques for it's whole life. So even if he were to be upset because I left for three days. Well I will get his trust back.

Thank you again Mike, I hope this thread can help ny new bird owners.

[cham87]

Okay so today is a big deal!

I am going to go over to my Dad's house today. I am taking Fleury with me! I am going to just transport his cage. Taking the water out, keeping the food in. I am going to put the cage on the front seat and drive very slowly/carefully. I figure this is going to be a big step I mean he is on his third day and I am going to be transporting him from my house to my Dads which is a 25-30 minute drive. I hope he can handle it. My thinking is since he is young it is probably a good idea to get him use to doing things now opposed to doing things when he is older set in his ways.

Poor guy is just sitting on his rope swing shaking right now. .

Will post pictures later tonight!

[cham87]

I took this pictures before I put Fleury in the car..


(Click to view super high res)

Fleury in the car for first time!



He did completely fine in the car... I am going to Nj today for a couple of days. I left him at my Dad's house. He will be fine there, my only fear was my dad lit 2 scented candles right next to him-then I made him blow them out. Boy did the room smell funny after. Hopefully Fleury did not endure much damage from that because I know that is not really allowed. Blah damn it.

I left a small list of things for my dad to do while I am away. Change food/water. No candles/sprays/teflon. Practice step up and put on his training perch let him sit there. Put him away when he goes to work.

Pretty simple hopefully Fleury is super excited to see me when I get back to pick him up on Sunday or Monday.

[brfussne]

It's Monday! How did Fleury do while you were away?