Need help with care

[rw759]

Hello Parrot Forum,
I am a teen struggling to take care of my budgie at the moment. I feel like an absolutely terrible person and would like some advice.
So 5 years ago, my parents got me a budgie for my birthday (not too smart because I was young and had little knowledge of bird care), but later on I did extensive research on how to take care of him, and he lived a very healthy and active life with me. Unfortunately, he passed away a few months ago, and I miss him dearly. However, 2 years into owning him, I was given the responsibility of taking care of an incredibly skittish and unhealthy female budgie from a parents friend who was moving away. Her name is Bobby. Bobby has lived with me since then and was very good friends with my other budgie. But the problem is, Bobby is impossible to get out of the cage. Yes, I've tried so many things over the years, but I think she's traumatised by her previous living conditions that she is terrified of coming out. Of course, she has a large cage, I make her chop, give her fresh water and vegetables all the time, I talk and whistle to her everyday, and she has plenty of wooden/metal/woven toys. But even when leaving the door open for hours with me in the room, she never comes out. In the past year, I've also developed some really bad anxiety (to the point where I can barely leave my home), so I lack the energy to give her the proper exercise outside of the cage. Please help, I love her so much but I don't have the energy to take proper care of her. I really want some help. What's the best solution to this?
TLDR: My anxiety is preventing me from taking my bird out of the cage and I feel horrible.

 

[onamom]

I’m so sorry to hear about the anxiety you’re experiencing. It sounds like you are putting in effort to spend time near her and give her a proper diet. Does she take treats from you? Have you tried getting her to step up on your hand for a treat?

 

[rw759]

I’m so sorry to hear about the anxiety you’re experiencing. It sounds like you are putting in effort to spend time near her and give her a proper diet. Does she take treats from you? Have you tried getting her to step up on your hand for a treat?

She does actually! Yesterday I held a treat at the door of her cage and she came up to me eventually! It's a step and it made me so happy

 

[Zainabals]

Hello,
bobby taking treats from you is a great step in the right direction.
My advice would be to continue with treats till she’s not too hesitant from taking it from your fingers then move on to putting the treats in an open palm till she starts getting used to climbing into your hand.
It’s going to take time but stick to it.

 

[onamom]

Hello,
bobby taking treats from you is a great step in the right direction.
My advice would be to continue with treats till she’s not too hesitant from taking it from your fingers then move on to putting the treats in an open palm till she starts getting used to climbing into your hand.
It’s going to take time but stick to it.

Agree with this!

Keep it up @rw759 and get her more comfortable with your hands. Once you can get her to step up it will be a lot easier to encourage her to come out of the cage. Slow and steady and lots of patience.

 

[Owlet]

Keep in mind, while out of cage time is very important, sometimes it's not suitable and you can't beat yourself up over it. She is an anxious bird and the cage is her safe place and theres nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't force her to come out and just let her do it at her own pace which may be never. Give her the option to come out if she chooses. Set up safe spaces near the cage with food, fun treats, and water that she can see and access if she wants to. Make coming out of the cage an option for her but not something she absolutely must do.

From the sounds of it you're doing a great job with her. Keep feeding her treats and giving her options and she will do great.

 

[rw759]

Keep in mind, while out of cage time is very important, sometimes it's not suitable and you can't beat yourself up over it. She is an anxious bird and the cage is her safe place and theres nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't force her to come out and just let her do it at her own pace which may be never. Give her the option to come out if she chooses. Set up safe spaces near the cage with food, fun treats, and water that she can see and access if she wants to. Make coming out of the cage an option for her but not something she absolutely must do.

From the sounds of it you're doing a great job with her. Keep feeding her treats and giving her options and she will do great.

Thank you for the response! It's been a while, she still doesn't really come out but I let her come out in her own time when she feels like it (she still won't come near me, as much as I try to gently approach her). Considering she came from an uneducated home, I don't think she will ever be a tame budgie, but I am working my hardest to ensure she has everything she needs to be happy and healthy does she need to come out regularly to be healthy though? That's the part that makes me feel bad. She has a large cage that she exercises in but I'm still curious.

 

[rw759]

Keep in mind, while out of cage time is very important, sometimes it's not suitable and you can't beat yourself up over it. She is an anxious bird and the cage is her safe place and theres nothing wrong with that. I wouldn't force her to come out and just let her do it at her own pace which may be never. Give her the option to come out if she chooses. Set up safe spaces near the cage with food, fun treats, and water that she can see and access if she wants to. Make coming out of the cage an option for her but not something she absolutely must do.

From the sounds of it you're doing a great job with her. Keep feeding her treats and giving her options and she will do great.

Also, your Eclectus is adorable!!!

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I would also suggest clicker training if you've not tried it. You can build a bond by training to do tricks and stuff. BIRDTRICKS on Youtube has some great demos.