I'm a new member and have questions

[Cali&Pilot]

Hey I'm new, my name is Jaxon, formally known as Cali and I have a budgie named pilot, who I've had for about a month, and I read something today and I'm considering it and I wanted to ask for advice. So I have gotten her to the point where she will eat out of my hand, but she still wont let my hands anywhere near her, and I read something about how clipping their wings could make the taming process easier and I was thinking about it, because every time I let her out of her cage she flies up onto my curtains and I struggle getting her down and I've even fallen through a glass table trying to get her, and I really want to tame her.
I have attached some photos

 

[GaleriaGila]

I think you're totally on the right track, as far as patience and caring. Let time and love work its miracles.
I'd avoid clipping but it WOULD most likely aid "taming". What's more important... flight or taking? I took the side of flight, and as a result, I have created a monster... loud, aggressive, rambunctious! I have that luxury. I know not everybody does.
Stick with us. Lots of folks here are much more capable of giving training advice.
My absurd motto has always been "Let the Rickeybird be the Rickeybird" as much as possible. Parrots are wonderful wild critters.
I predict that you and Pilot willbe good buddies for a long time.
If you do clip, I will definitely understand, and hope you have good luck.
Either way, stick with us.
Great photos!

 

[Cali&Pilot]

I think you're totally on the right track, as far as patience and caring. Let time and love work its miracles.
I'd avoid clipping but it WOULD most likely aid "taming". What's more important... flight or taking? I took the side of flight, and as a result, I have created a monster... loud, aggressive, rambunctious! I have that luxury. I know not everybody does.
Stick with us. Lots of folks here are much more capable of giving training advice.
My absurd motto has always been "Let the Rickeybird be the Rickeybird" as much as possible. Parrots are wonderful wild critters.
I predict that you and Pilot willbe good buddies for a long time.
If you do clip, I will definitely understand, and hope you have good luck.
Either way, stick with us.
Great photos!

thank you

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I have 19 budgies, some very tame and friendly and some not. You're making great progress with your girl. Shes a real cutie! She looks a lot like my girl Joey that I hand raised last fall.

Don't be surprised if she never let's you "touch" her, as in pet her, because even the tamest budgies don't like it much. But they make up for it in becoming very friendly and flying to you to hang out.
A budgie that's not tamed yet has a natural tendency to fly haphazardly to the highest place and staying there, making it hard to get them back in their cage. They can also fly into walls and windows possibly getting injured. A lot of people disagree with wing trimming because birds are meant to fly and I agree that they should fly, but when your budgie is not tamed yet a minor wing trim can be very helpful. I would shorten the tips of the longest flight feathers less than one inch. She will still be able to fly but not as high and not as fast. Never trim only one wing. The poor bird will be unable to maneuver due to the imbalance and can get injured trying. Have a vet do the trimming and make sure you tell them that you still want her to be able to fly.
Six months after a wing trim the feathers will grow back and by this time she should be tame enough not to need a wing trim again.

I would get rid of the mirror toy. There's no benefit in giving her a reflection of herself to peck at.
Female budgies in particular often do not like other females in their cage and she may attack her reflection. Plus, you want her to seek you out for companionship, not her reflection. Give her lots of toys she can chew on because female budgies in particular love to chew.

You are well on your way to Pilot being your new best friend. Soon she will perch on your hand to eat her favorite treat.

 

[wrench13]

Feathers grow back. The trauma of you chasing her around may imprint that fear permanently. Thats a trust buster for certain.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Right, wrench13. Especially while you're trying to win their trust.

 

[Cali&Pilot]

I have 19 budgies, some very tame and friendly and some not. You're making great progress with your girl. Shes a real cutie! She looks a lot like my girl Joey that I hand raised last fall.

Don't be surprised if she never let's you "touch" her, as in pet her, because even the tamest budgies don't like it much. But they make up for it in becoming very friendly and flying to you to hang out.
A budgie that's not tamed yet has a natural tendency to fly haphazardly to the highest place and staying there, making it hard to get them back in their cage. They can also fly into walls and windows possibly getting injured. A lot of people disagree with wing trimming because birds are meant to fly and I agree that they should fly, but when your budgie is not tamed yet a minor wing trim can be very helpful. I would shorten the tips of the longest flight feathers less than one inch. She will still be able to fly but not as high and not as fast. Never trim only one wing. The poor bird will be unable to maneuver due to the imbalance and can get injured trying. Have a vet do the trimming and make sure you tell them that you still want her to be able to fly.
Six months after a wing trim the feathers will grow back and by this time she should be tame enough not to need a wing trim again.

I would get rid of the mirror toy. There's no benefit in giving her a reflection of herself to peck at.
Female budgies in particular often do not like other females in their cage and she may attack her reflection. Plus, you want her to seek you out for companionship, not her reflection. Give her lots of toys she can chew on because female budgies in particular love to chew.

You are well on your way to Pilot being your new best friend. Soon she will perch on your hand to eat her favorite treat.

I have already removed the mirror toy, and the blue hut, I've also had to change her feeder multiple times

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Good. The hut will eventually cause problems. You'll find what works for her and eventually you'll have quite a collection of stuff that didn't! We all do.

 

[Cali&Pilot]

Good. The hut will eventually cause problems. You'll find what works for her and eventually you'll have quite a collection of stuff that didn't! We all do.

yeh its crazy the amount of things I bought for her that she doesn't really use, she still doesn't play with her toys all that much, but I'm trying with her

 

[Cali&Pilot]

Good. The hut will eventually cause problems. You'll find what works for her and eventually you'll have quite a collection of stuff that didn't! We all do.

she also likes to sit in her food bowl when she eats

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Sitting in the food bowl while eating is yet another one of those things that budgies, especially females, do. You may also catch her tossing all her food out of the dish by kicking with her feet. Adding a seed dispenser that doesn't allow her to sit in her food can save on seed.

Are you offering her fresh vegetables? Most budgies love a fresh leaf of romaine lettuce. They eat what they want and shred the reset. They especially enjoy raw corn on the cob.

 

[Cali&Pilot]

Sitting in the food bowl while eating is yet another one of those things that budgies, especially females, do. You may also catch her tossing all her food out of the dish by kicking with her feet. Adding a seed dispenser that doesn't allow her to sit in her food can save on seed.

Are you offering her fresh vegetables? Most budgies love a fresh leaf of romaine lettuce. They eat what they want and shred the reset. They especially enjoy raw corn on the cob.

I had a seed dispenser and she would get a bunch of food all over the place, and since I switched her bowl she doesn't kick food out anymore, she just happily sits in her bowl and eats. I haven't started giving her veggies yet because I didn't know what to get for her, but she does like fruit (yes I know veggies are better for her) and she seems to enjoy it and gets it all over her feathers and I put a bowl in her cage with water in it, but she hasn't bathed in it that I've noticed, but over all she is a great bird who I love having around and listening to music with (she chirps along)

 

[rheashard2]

I'm coming to the conclusion that budgies mentally stimulate their human pets as much (if not more) than my CAG!

 

[Cali&Pilot]

I'm coming to the conclusion that budgies mentally stimulate their human pets as much (if not more) than my CAG!

wdym?

 

[rheashard2]

On the surface budgies look so sweet, small size implies small mischief. Budgies are in reality tiny mischievous individuals. They require human pets to constantly try to figure out what to do, anticipate events that their small size and nature encourages. I read many of the posts budgie and other parrot humans do. Then do what if mental scenarios. I want to have at least three flexible responses. I get a brain ache. I wonder if it's because 4+ decades has been CAG specific.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

If you let budgies a lot of out of cage time they really keep you on your toes! When they start exploring areas they aren't supposed to be in my husband says they must be bored. How can they be bored with all the freedom and human and avian company they have? Imagine how bored a budgie that lives alone in a small cage must be. I call it budgie abuse! That's why I do t rehome any of my flock- no one I know would take care of them right.