i need help with my cagebound budgie

[cheesewheel111]

hello all! this is a very new account (and a very new layout, not used to forum boards) but i need some help for my ~4 year old budgie. hes a big chatterbox and very attached to his safe space cage. he was doing fine the first months i got him, until a good friend of mine (not so much anymore) grabbed at him right in the beginning of his training process and almost hurt him really badly. it left a huge dent and as much as i tried, for about a year, any getting him out of his cage was useless. i didnt want it to resort to this and i feel worse about it every day. is there an approach i should take? i want him to live out a better life and not play with his mirrors as much as play with us. i dont like mirrors in the first place but i didn’t want him to be completely alone. i’m next to him almost every day with work and he always comes right up next to me in the cage if i talk to him, and he knows how to step up if you build it up again, but i just want him to have a better quality of life and i feel so bad for letting that incident happen. can any of you provide any ideas? should i open the cage door and let him come out on his own time instead? thank you

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome to the forum.
What size is cage? We're us it placed? That might help with ideas.
You can zip tie the door open, and have a perch that goes from the inside to the outside. And put a millit spray at the outside end

 

[cheesewheel111]

i’m not sure of the size, but i’ll measure. we’re thinking of moving him to a much bigger cage used for my quaker who unfortunately passed. the cage is placed in a corner next to a desk with my desktop, on the other side of him are shelves used to hold some old files and all of his food and millet. the other wall is a window so he can look outside.
just took measurement- the width is about 20 inches, about 16 inches long, and 25 inches tall. it’s kind of in two sections, and the other one is just 17 inches tall.

 

[Laurasea]

This is an article on stress in parrots it might help you.
I'm sorry to hear if the loss of your Quaker. I love Quakers so much. How long did you have yours? Do you know the cause of his passing? Yes out him in the bigger cage. Budgies shut down in small cages.
Also does your Budgie eat leafy greens and veggies? They do love veggies and greens, once they get brave enough to try them. My little ones come running for leafy lettaces!
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

Also a link on cage bound parrots.
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/cageboundbirds.html

 

[cheesewheel111]

thank you so much! i had mine for about two years. he had gotten out from his cage when i was away from the house and one of my dogs had found its way and...you know the rest. definitely one of the worst days of my life, as i had made every precaution possible with the two.
he eats leafy greens! not so much veggies. he was never given them before he was taken into my care and doesn’t understand how to eat them—i try still, but to little effect. (this probably sounds like i’m a terrible owner—i blame myself for letting this all happen, and genuinely want to fix my wrongs)
i will definitely move him to the cage as fast as possible, as soon as i’m done with this flu!

 

[Laurasea]

So sorry to hear of your Quaker, that's so tuff. I have dogs, and have worked very hard to teach them to back away from the parrots, they have to give five feet of space. I don't even let them look at the parrots. But I still watch them like Hawks. And worry..

I hope you feel better. I like honey in plain hot water, then I squeeze lime, lemon, and add a slice if orange. My family calls it Laura's Tea. and Zicam works!

I've made mistakes, as most of us here have. We all try and do better. I dedicate my time here in the name of my past mistakes.

You should post on the new members thread. So everyone knows your new and says hi.

We gotta expand your parakeet's life. They are considered to be very smart, in the top five!

 

[cheesewheel111]

i’m gonna see what i can do with the veggies and stuff—maybe if it’s similar to the greens i give him already he’ll give it a shot i want to give him the longest and most fulfilled life i possibly can, hes the sweetest little guy who will jam out to 80s!

ill definitely post on the new members thread. very new to this whole forum thing, came on it for the first time for my budgie. his name is cooper!

i bet your quaker’s are sweeties. such lovable little birds! mine was anderson and the life of the party with his dancing. also thank you for the recipe for the tea. i will definitely make it soon

do you have any suggestions on how to transition him to foods he isn’t used to? should i jusy place it in his food bowl and wait?

 

[Laurasea]

Anderson Cooper cool.
Mine have their seeds. Then for veggies cut up and put in a shallow wide glass dish on the bottom of the cage, stuck a millit spray near the veggie..corn sliced off the cob, and apple are very tempted. Orange and red peppers with seeds have good vitamin A, cooked sweet potato, broccoli you can stuff in the bars if the cage. She'd some carrots, strawberry, cherries and plums. Heck mine eat every veggie I offer.
Feel better night