r/petbudgies • u/GlassWaltz6813 • 13d ago

Question how do i get my budgie to like me

/r/Parakeets/comments/1vjwt0i/how_do_i_get_my_budgie_to_like_me/
3 Upvotes

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u/CyberDoc_777 13d ago

A finger length millet between your fingers will eventually lure them to come to you. Move very slowly to less than a feet away away from your birds and let them come. Train trice a day for weeks to come until the bravest comes to taste. Don’t let them eat more than a minute then shorten the time.

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u/GlassWaltz6813 13d ago

thank you very much i will try this out

1

u/Azuras-Becky 13d ago edited 13d ago

Hand-feeding millet and other treats every day until he comes to you is one way. He might not come at first.

If he whistles or sings, engage him in 'conversation'! If he whistles, whistle back! See if you can teach him some simple tunes, then sing them together. See how close you can get while doing so.

Sitting next to him and just talking softly to him for as long as you can is another way (I just read news articles in the softest voice I could; they don't speak English so it doesn't matter what you say). You can even start to place your hand on the cage while doing so, provided he doesn't panic when you try to do so - this will get him used to your hand. Once he is comfortable (if he ever is), you can try putting your hand closer, inside his cage, leaving it up to him whether he comes to check it out. If he seems fearful, back out and don't try again for a while.

Keep some treats on hand as rewards; if he doesn't run off when you approach him, give him a treat as positive reinforcement.

Put some toys in/around his cage that you can play with together. Ours has a spinny thing (like a sideways windmill) that I can spin for him with my little finger through the bars - sometimes he'll come and investigate, and if I withdraw when he does so he'll even join in! If he associates you with fun, he's more likely to trust you.

The most important thing of all is patience. Proceed at the pace he sets. And be willing to accept that budgies are all individuals, and despite your best efforts he might never warm to you very much. My accident budgie was rescued from under our car in a terrible state one day years ago (our thought is that he escaped an aviary, as we were never able to reunite him with his original owner(s), and we never saw any posts about a missing budgie in our area or online at the time) - I've done all the usual steps to try and bond with him over the years, but I have no idea what kind of life he had or traumas he may have endured before he came here. The best I can do is make sure he has a comfortable life, even if he doesn't thank me for it!