Hey everyone. smile This topic is going to be devoted to the training of my three budgies - Jayka, Grayson and Emmit. I'll try and update every day on that day's training. I'll start with today, since it was their first training in the bathroom. I'll do each update in bold.

6/15/07 - I started with Jayka because she was the first one I caught. I put her in their little red cage and brought her to the bathroom with a wooden dowel and a small piece of spray millet. I started with just pushing my finger into her chest and having her step up. She responded to this well and stayed on my finger and let me pet her with my finger. shocked I'm not sure if that was out of trust or if she was just so scared that she would have let me do anything. But she was much nicer than I expected. About half the time when I pushed up on her chest, she would just sit there - but she didn't even bite me once! I was very surprised. She stepped up very well onto the dowel as well and took a few nibbles of millet.

I then caught Grayson and brought him into the bathroom. I tried to ger him to step up on my finger and he scooted away. I tried again and he stepped up with one foot while biting me really hard! I was like "Did Jayka and Grayson just switch personalities?!" Grayson was a pain in the butt, for lack of a better phrase. He wouldn't step up without biting my fingers and he kept flapping away from me and crashing. So I brought him and the dowel and the millet into the bathtub (which has a curtain) so Grayson couldn't run/flap away. I got him onto my finger and then he just sat there. I tried to get him to step on my finger from my other hand but hw would just sit there or bite that finger. I tried the dowel - same thing. He would bite it and wouldn't step up on it. I thought Grayson was going to be easiest! I guess I was wrong ... he also didn't eat millet that I offered him.

Emmit, on the other hand, was an angel! I brought him into the bathroom and first thing he climbed onto my hand and climbed up to my shoulder to try and get to higher ground. He fell to the grond, obviously, and then I presed my finger in front of his chest and he stepped up. I gave him a bite of millet. I offered my finger from my other hand. He stepped up without a second thought. Amazing! I was very excited. He did this continuously throughout our training session. He let me pet him as well, but didn't seem very excited about it so I stopped after a few strokes. Emmit also stepped up on the dowel on command. I then layed down and puthim on the ground. He clibmed onto my chest and waddled around. smile I then got him onto my finger and put him on my shoulder. He stayed there are nibbled on my hair! Emmit did this last time I got their wings clipped - he actually sat onmy shoulder as I was on the computer. That was a year ago. I wonder if he's just more docile and tameable? Or does he just like being higher up off the ground? Either way, he's trusting me.

Of course, now that they are together on their play gym they scoot away from my hand. Any advice on getting them to trust me when they are together and in my room?

Thanks for reading!

3bud

RIP Jayka, Grayson, and Emmit