Lisa Shea Forums Parakeets General Parakeet Chat I FINALLY GOT MY BUDGIE!!! :D

Yeah, this is "Irishku" I changed my username a bit...

So yes, I got my birdie yesterday! he's so beautiful! and boy, he has a great character. I think we're gonna get along real well...

He has not been trained, he was in a cage with a bunch of other baby budgies. However, it looks like he's a bit more mature since his eyes have a bigger ring around them, I mean the eye is not completely black like the other baby budgies.

I was so amazed by him! We just got him yesterday. Of course I set up his cage with all the necessities before introducing the bird to the cage. When I put the little guy inside, naturally, he was going a bit nuts in there--flying about aimlessly. I backed out and let him settle down. He hung there on the side of the cage for 3 minutes, and then he found a perch. I turned on some good music for him, and let him get used to his new environment. I checked up on him from time to time, and he was fluffing up contently. After a little while he found his way to the cuddle bone and nibbled on that, found the water and food. I slowly drew closer to the cage until my face was right by his. I gently touched him through the cage with my nose, and he didn't seem to mind at all.Later on I was whistling along with the music, and he began to sing!

Today, the 2nd day, I changed the food and water, and he just watched me carefully. He was not afraid of my hand, so I decided to move a perch to him. He did not mind, until it came to his chest. He flew away and hung there on the side of the cage. I complemented him, and receded. I tried again, and he put one foot on the perch! Then he completely got on, and would not get off. I put him back on another perch and held up some millet as a treat for his hard work. He examined me carefully, and slowly began to eat the millet from my hand!!!!

I complemented him, talked to him, and read him a book. He's all fluffed up and happy right now, and he even shouted a little peep as I sat by his cage and talked.

He's still a baby, but he's amazing! I will continue to be patient and train him, but I by far did not expect him to be getting used to me so quickly! I thought he'd be flying around like crazy when I was changing his food and water. He is an intelligent little guy

Thank you all for your great advice! I'm glad I read the finger training instructions on Lisa Shea's website, they seem to work great! I guess each bird has a different time frame. Some birds get comfortable faster than others, and so the steps come a bit faster. But I am keeping it easy on the little guy, so that it would not be too much for him in one day... patience is the key.

P.S. Hopefully I'll have a picture of him soon so I could post it!

Irene, congratulations on you wonderful progress and your new baby. Hope to see some pictures when you get a chance.

I want you to know that there is a chance that he will decide after a couple of days not to be quite so friendly. Sometimes this happens and it really confuses the new owner. If it does happen don't dispare - just continue on with your training method and he will come back around.

a baby has stripes on his head all the way down to his cere/nose..if he is showing a ring he isnt a baby any more however he can still be a youngster just not a baby ..the big thing is let him settle down with just the both of you kind of just looking in awe of each other..dont try to train him right off he needs to adjust to everything new for about four days..just let him do that and become familar with your voice and movements..but oh boy doing a happy dance for you that the time has finally come and you have your new lil buddy..and he has you too...wishing you both the best...what color is he ..describe him till you get a picture tell us..what does he look like...

Congrats on your new baby! Can't wait to see pics.
Did you give him a name yet?
You're probably better off giving him some time to adjust to his new home before pushing him to train or get used to you. Doing this will only force him to do what you want temporarily. Often with new owners they move too fast and then wonder why after a week or so their bird stops doing everything and rebels and starts to bite-all which are normal behaviors when you start off too fast for them. Earning a bird's trust takes alot of time and patience.
I highly recommend a book called Getting Started Clicker Training For Birds by Melinda Johnson. Even if you don't choose that training technique, alot of bird behaviors are explained.

It is always exciting to get a budgie!!!

Yeah, I actually thought about how I should not get overly-excited about training. I guess since he seems so calm with my hand, I decided to try the perch thing.
But today, the 3d day, I just let him sit there and explore his environment some more. I have the radio on for him, and today while I was in the bathroom, I heard him singing continuously. I was so amazed, because even when he sang the first time, it was short.

This time he kept singing along with the song, it was a very lively song, so I don't think he could resist :P

I came into the room and started whistling with the song, and he kept singing. He is getting quite comfy.

Thanks for the advice, I'll let him sit for another day or two, just to be on the safe side. I realized that he is not quite a baby, that's actually the first thing my sis said. I think that is why he is not as scared of my hand. He is not trained, but he does not mind me coming in to change the food and water. In fact, he was sitting on a close perch, right in front of the food and water as I changed it. He remained his fluffy content self and did not freak out at all...

So yeah, I think he's pretty much mature, usually their eyes are blacker and yes, like illusive fantasy has said, they have rings starting from the cere. This budgie has quite a space between the cere and where the rings start. You can still see some rings by the cere, but they are very faded, almost gone. So my sis says "he's a toddler." He is quite young, but he is probably just about grown up.

It's kinda weird because the other budgies over there are usually really young, they have lots of rings starting from the cere and their eyes are black... I guess this one has been in there a bit longer. I'm uploading a picture of him right now, for all of you to see

Yep, here he is... I changed my avatar to his pic. He's a beautiful bird. If you look at him from the back, the tips of his wings and his whole tail is white, but his back is sky blue, so when his wings are closed, there is a triangle of blue in the midst of white. It looks really pretty. And his belly looks like it has white clouds on a blue sky.

I have not thought of a good name yet. That's always the hardest part for me :\ I wanna think of something real good... I know it's not necessary to find a name right away, it's only the 3d day. But I am still completely blank... I might come up with something over time.

He is very mild-mannered so far, and you can now see his coloration, so if some of you have any name ideas, you can throw em out there for me. The more ideas, the better, maybe you'll come up with something real good.

he is a pied and looks as though his first moult has been and gone..as his colors seem crisp and bright and his cere is bluish meaning male. You can safely guestimate him to be approx. between four and five months old..still a baby just not a fleged baby..im chuckling as i look at him as he has a twinkle of im becoming a big boy look in his eye...and he is quite handsome.
Yes let him pick his name with his own antics and character as i wonder most of the time if they dont pick the names for themselves and we just think we did it...giggle. He may have a few more fluffs here and there to poof about the room but my oh my you have what looks like a wonderful healthy lil boy who im sure will show you how grateful he is that YOU CHOSE HIM...or maybe the other way around chuckle...

He is beautiful! Congratulations!
I wholeheartedly concur that the birds pick their own names. Just pray you don't end up naming him 'Screech' or 'Stabby'.

Wow, he certainly is a very handsome fellow!
At first sight I immediately thought he looks like the sky. Maybe you should name him Sky? Not very original, but it sure would suit him.