Hey everyone!
I had the epiphany that everything you do around a budgie is teaching them something, as they are smart little boogers. Every interaction you have with or around them, they observe it.
When I initially had them (Spock and Worf), I was accidentally underfeeding them for the first week or so by adding too many pellets into their food (which they won't touch yet) and not providing enough seed. I think this is why they so boldly climbed into my hand to eat millet before.
Now that I've upped their food to 1 tbsp seed and 1/2 tbsp pellets per bird, they just ignore, ignore, ignore when I put my hand in with a bunch of millet in my palm. I will wait 15 minutes and they just climb around the cage. I eventually give up because I have to go places in the morning and my arm is tired! Once I give up, I put their food bowl in, and they hop down to it immediately.
When I do this, what do you think they are learning from it?:
1- If we wait long enough, she will take out the big scary hand and put in our tasty seed. Hand is bad, but if we ignore, it go away.
OR
2- We saw the hand didn't hurt us, and after the hand came our tasty seed. Hand is not bad. Hand brings food.
Thank you!
I had the epiphany that everything you do around a budgie is teaching them something, as they are smart little boogers. Every interaction you have with or around them, they observe it.
When I initially had them (Spock and Worf), I was accidentally underfeeding them for the first week or so by adding too many pellets into their food (which they won't touch yet) and not providing enough seed. I think this is why they so boldly climbed into my hand to eat millet before.
Now that I've upped their food to 1 tbsp seed and 1/2 tbsp pellets per bird, they just ignore, ignore, ignore when I put my hand in with a bunch of millet in my palm. I will wait 15 minutes and they just climb around the cage. I eventually give up because I have to go places in the morning and my arm is tired! Once I give up, I put their food bowl in, and they hop down to it immediately.
When I do this, what do you think they are learning from it?:
1- If we wait long enough, she will take out the big scary hand and put in our tasty seed. Hand is bad, but if we ignore, it go away.
OR
2- We saw the hand didn't hurt us, and after the hand came our tasty seed. Hand is not bad. Hand brings food.
Thank you!