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Budgie won't eat until I do?

1K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  FaeryBee 
#1 ·
Chitters has taken on 3 new behaviours since Bonejingles died. He runs back and forth along a perch by the window, he won't eat until I do, and this morning, he was angry at me for not eating and kept waiting by his food until I started eating something. He also waited over an hour yesterday at his food bowl for me to finish the dishes and come in with a glass of milk before eating... What can I do?
 
#2 ·
I'm not really sure what to tell you... It sounds like he's really missing his buddy, and maybe he feels more secure when you're in the room, which is why he's waiting until you come in to eat. It hasn't been long since Bonejingles passed, so maybe he'll get used to being alone? If not, you may have to get another budgie for him to be happy.
 
#3 ·
Often I find that my birds will all eat at the same time and maybe he was used to taking his cues from his friend.
It's obviously not going to work for you to have to eat so that he does, but maybe you can try and wean him off the behaviour. Try just sitting with him at his feeding times so you're there. Talk and reassure him while he's eating.
You might then like to try and do other things while he's eating. At first something else while still sat near him, but then try standing up near his cage- not actively paying attention to him and just listen to see if he continues eating. If he continues to eat, progress it so eventually, you walk a couple of steps away.
you need to get it so that he's comfortable eating without you there. You could also try giving him a treat like millet, veg or a honey stick at a time when you are not going to be there so the treat lures him to eat without you being present.

Running back and forth is possible to gain your attention. You are his flock mate now and interaction with you is all he has.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
Well his cage is in my room and I'm pretty much constantly in here. Yeah, I changed his food to try to encourage him to eat on his own, filling one feeder with a mix of everything he usually gets and the other with flowers, leaves and twigs off the bottlebrush. I wanted to give him some mulberries but the wild birds got them. Also when he's running back and forth, it's not at me, it's at the wild lorries in the bottlebrush tree. He can mimic their song perfectly. He and Bonejingles have called to them since I've had them. There was a tornado here on Monday, it didn't spook him at all somehow... It doesn't seem to be nervousness, just loneliness. But even if I got another budgie he'd still have to wait a month, I've been talking to him more. I'll be getting him a mirror tomorrow. I tried to give him my old makeup mirror but he's scared since it's a big one that plugs in and lights up.
 
#6 ·
I didn't know that mirrors could be something they get overly attached to, thanks. He watches everything I do on the computer (The monitor also has my gaming consoles and stuff hooked up so I can watch DVDs on it too and Chitters can see/hear everything), his cage is in my bedroom so he gets my company most of the time. The other birds usually stay away, but when the bottlebrush flowers the rainbow lorikeets come, along with blue faced honey eaters and noisy minors. When the passionfruit vine, palm tree, and mango tree flower/fruit, the sulpher crested cockatoos come. I even saw a finch yesterday. But that's not constant, so I hoped he'd be happier with at least the sembelence of another bird. The cockatoos and lorries and stuff don't come close to the window. I don't exactly leave my room very often but since I had Bonejingles I wasn't trying to handtrain him, just letting him be a budgie with her... I'm having to start from scratch again. What I've been doing is sitting closer to the cage, talking to him more, and holding my hand up beside the cage. He was hand raised. The midges are back so I can't even open the window more than an hour a day until next Winter...
What do you think of the idea of putting my fighter fish closer to the cage? Fighter fish are intelligent too, and can get bored if not played with a lot and having stuff moved constantly. While he can't make noise back at him, he can swim around and flash his bright fins and be interested, responding to Chitters movements with his own. The only problem with that could be the fighter fish getting stressed and scared of Chitters bright colours, but with his much larger size I doubt it. It's fully cycled and filtered so ammonia gasses and such aren't an issue.
 
#8 ·
I can't help with the eating issues but I have my bird cage right next to a large fish tank and they do not interact with each other. Occasionally Luna will glance at the fish but she doesn't seem entertained by them.
The fish seem to have no idea Luna even exists.
 
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