[karenblodgett3261]

Sweety is from a pet store and clearly wasn't hand raised. Like a lot of new birb parents (who haven't done enough research) I mistakenly thought Sweety would want to sit on my hand and shoulders, etc. I learned right away that this isn't a natural thing and only hand raised ones do this immediately with a new person because they already trust people.

Reading, learning, growing with him...and I finally get it. I do not want to "tame" Sweety. I want to bond with him. I want him to want to touch me, but I also will never be disappointed if he doesn't! I know he loves me and we really have bonded so much. He trusts me, sits there and watches with interest when I clean out his cage or change his food and water with my hands in the cage. He knows I will not try to grab or touch him because he set that boundary with me very clearly!

He will eat some millet from my hand and sit on it, but he doesn't want more touch than that and I have respected this.

We are working on getting him out of the cage safely. Since he won't allow touch and definitely will not perform any kind of tricks for treats, then I have no way of getting him back into the cage until he chooses to go back. In my place, this is dangerous for him because outside doors may need to be opened or other issues can pop up and if he doesn't go willingly back to his cage, he could get outside or get hurt. So I bought this really cool pod type tent thingy, it is sort of like a pop up phone booth!

Amazon.com: Under the Weather MyPod XL - Pop-Up Weather Pod, Protection from Cold, Wind and Rain - Navy Blue : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Buy Under the Weather MyPod XL - Pop-Up Weather Pod, Protection from Cold, Wind and Rain - Navy Blue: Weather Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can set his cage inside, open the top up, and he can play or fly around safely. I can even fit in there with him and I do go in there and spend time with him. He is getting closer and closer to me when I do this. It is so sweet, he definitely is not afraid of my face and head, he is only afraid of my hands. So slowly slowly we will get to where he may actually get on my head or shoulder or whatever, but at his pace only!

Now that he is used to his pop up tent, he loves it when I pull it out (he is never in it without me supervising). Then today I bought this other kind of tent that will be almost as big as my whole front room. This will allow him to fly around so much more and test his environment out safely.

GLORYFIRE Camping Mosquito Net Lager Size Four Corners Enhanced Tactical Mosquito Net Outdoor Mosquito Net Bar Olive Drab

Buy GLORYFIRE Camping Mosquito Net Lager Size Four Corners Enhanced Tactical Mosquito Net Outdoor Mosquito Net Bar Olive Drab at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision!

www.amazon.com

I can't wait to set this one up and give him an opportunity to actually fly more! He flies a lot already, but he hasn't been able to fly across the room back and forth. Now he will be able to do that.

Anyway I don't really have a question or anything I just wanted to share. I love this little guy so much and again, bonding NOT taming!

Oh my gosh, I love that you want to bond instead of tame. To me taming feels like a relationship is based on domination, which I see as different from us human flock members being the dominant flock member for safety and health reasons.

Sweety is from a pet store and clearly wasn't hand raised. Like a lot of new birb parents (who haven't done enough research) I mistakenly thought Sweety would want to sit on my hand and shoulders, etc. I learned right away that this isn't a natural thing and only hand raised ones do this immediately with a new person because they already trust people.

Reading, learning, growing with him...and I finally get it. I do not want to "tame" Sweety. I want to bond with him. I want him to want to touch me, but I also will never be disappointed if he doesn't! I know he loves me and we really have bonded so much. He trusts me, sits there and watches with interest when I clean out his cage or change his food and water with my hands in the cage. He knows I will not try to grab or touch him because he set that boundary with me very clearly!

He will eat some millet from my hand and sit on it, but he doesn't want more touch than that and I have respected this.

We are working on getting him out of the cage safely. Since he won't allow touch and definitely will not perform any kind of tricks for treats, then I have no way of getting him back into the cage until he chooses to go back. In my place, this is dangerous for him because outside doors may need to be opened or other issues can pop up and if he doesn't go willingly back to his cage, he could get outside or get hurt. So I bought this really cool pod type tent thingy, it is sort of like a pop up phone booth!

Amazon.com: Under the Weather MyPod XL - Pop-Up Weather Pod, Protection from Cold, Wind and Rain - Navy Blue : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Buy Under the Weather MyPod XL - Pop-Up Weather Pod, Protection from Cold, Wind and Rain - Navy Blue: Weather Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can set his cage inside, open the top up, and he can play or fly around safely. I can even fit in there with him and I do go in there and spend time with him. He is getting closer and closer to me when I do this. It is so sweet, he definitely is not afraid of my face and head, he is only afraid of my hands. So slowly slowly we will get to where he may actually get on my head or shoulder or whatever, but at his pace only!

Now that he is used to his pop up tent, he loves it when I pull it out (he is never in it without me supervising). Then today I bought this other kind of tent that will be almost as big as my whole front room. This will allow him to fly around so much more and test his environment out safely.

GLORYFIRE Camping Mosquito Net Lager Size Four Corners Enhanced Tactical Mosquito Net Outdoor Mosquito Net Bar Olive Drab

Buy GLORYFIRE Camping Mosquito Net Lager Size Four Corners Enhanced Tactical Mosquito Net Outdoor Mosquito Net Bar Olive Drab at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision!

www.amazon.com

I can't wait to set this one up and give him an opportunity to actually fly more! He flies a lot already, but he hasn't been able to fly across the room back and forth. Now he will be able to do that.

Anyway I don't really have a question or anything I just wanted to share. I love this little guy so much and again, bonding NOT taming!

Sweety is from a pet store and clearly wasn't hand raised. Like a lot of new birb parents (who haven't done enough research) I mistakenly thought Sweety would want to sit on my hand and shoulders, etc. I learned right away that this isn't a natural thing and only hand raised ones do this immediately with a new person because they already trust people.

Reading, learning, growing with him...and I finally get it. I do not want to "tame" Sweety. I want to bond with him. I want him to want to touch me, but I also will never be disappointed if he doesn't! I know he loves me and we really have bonded so much. He trusts me, sits there and watches with interest when I clean out his cage or change his food and water with my hands in the cage. He knows I will not try to grab or touch him because he set that boundary with me very clearly!

He will eat some millet from my hand and sit on it, but he doesn't want more touch than that and I have respected this.

We are working on getting him out of the cage safely. Since he won't allow touch and definitely will not perform any kind of tricks for treats, then I have no way of getting him back into the cage until he chooses to go back. In my place, this is dangerous for him because outside doors may need to be opened or other issues can pop up and if he doesn't go willingly back to his cage, he could get outside or get hurt. So I bought this really cool pod type tent thingy, it is sort of like a pop up phone booth!

Amazon.com: Under the Weather MyPod XL - Pop-Up Weather Pod, Protection from Cold, Wind and Rain - Navy Blue : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Buy Under the Weather MyPod XL - Pop-Up Weather Pod, Protection from Cold, Wind and Rain - Navy Blue: Weather Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can set his cage inside, open the top up, and he can play or fly around safely. I can even fit in there with him and I do go in there and spend time with him. He is getting closer and closer to me when I do this. It is so sweet, he definitely is not afraid of my face and head, he is only afraid of my hands. So slowly slowly we will get to where he may actually get on my head or shoulder or whatever, but at his pace only!

Now that he is used to his pop up tent, he loves it when I pull it out (he is never in it without me supervising). Then today I bought this other kind of tent that will be almost as big as my whole front room. This will allow him to fly around so much more and test his environment out safely.

GLORYFIRE Camping Mosquito Net Lager Size Four Corners Enhanced Tactical Mosquito Net Outdoor Mosquito Net Bar Olive Drab

Buy GLORYFIRE Camping Mosquito Net Lager Size Four Corners Enhanced Tactical Mosquito Net Outdoor Mosquito Net Bar Olive Drab at Amazon. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision!

www.amazon.com

I can't wait to set this one up and give him an opportunity to actually fly more! He flies a lot already, but he hasn't been able to fly across the room back and forth. Now he will be able to do that.

Anyway I don't really have a question or anything I just wanted to share. I love this little guy so much and again, bonding NOT taming!

I feel the same way about bonding verses taming. To me bonding means developing a friendship rather that being her owner. My LoVey and I are room mates in the room that she has given me the ok to have my bed in lol. In my ongoing picture thread (or the do it yourself thread) I have pictures of the playground I made for her that's hooked to the ceiling. She loves playing up there. You seem like the type of person who would enjoy doing that 😊. If you have any questions about how I did it I'd be happy to share how I got it done. It just fills my heart with joy to give my girl a happy life!

 

[karenblodgett3261]

One thing I've discovered is just when you think you have things all buttoned up regarding budgie proofing a room, they will show you areas you never thought of that they can get into lol. My birdy proofing tactics aren't pretty. I used the cardboard from cases of soda to block off the area behind my bureau have fabric storage containers adjusted closely together to block access to the area under my bed. I block her view when I am constructing these safety measures because she watches what I'm doing and her curiosity draws her to that area like a magnet haha. What a lucky bird to have a great mama like you!!!

 

[karenblodgett3261]

I've blocked off what I can see as obvious issues, but so far he has not explored anything outside of his cage (other than a quick peek out the window from the floor at his crow friends once in a while). I'm sure eventually he will and then I'll have to find out what else needs to be blocked or corrected. I'll be so happy when that time comes! I can't wait to see him exploring anything at all, poor little guy, so in love with his cage and uninterested in anything else.

I think the main worry I'll always have with him is that he wants outside sooooo bad that there will never ever be a moment I can let my guard down when it comes to the glass sliding door. He knows his friends are out there and they are the only thing he is interested in other than his cage/toys.

Hmmm, so he sees his friends, the crows, out the sliding glass door? That's a double edged sword in that it could encourage him to explore outside his cage, but the window itself might present a danger, due to him possibly flying into it. Windows scare me for that reason. Have you put stickers or window cling things on it? I'm talking sticker overkill lol. You want to make sure it doesn't look like an open fly zone. Will he perch on your finger, or a stick? If so, take him for a walk around the perimeter of the room. Tap on the walls and window and say "ouch" or some phrase you feel natural saying that will let him know he could hurt himself if he bumped into it. Budgies are so, so smart, and I tend to go on the assumption my LoVey really understands what I'm doing and saying. Maybe put a few of those hanging play areas (which you can add other things to). This is a picture of what I'm referring to:

You could put a few of those along the window. As you can see I hung a seagrass mat to to play area, and more could be added. You could hang a few that would cover the window of the sliding door. This would give him a landing spot that could prevent him from flying into the glass. I'll admit, I'm not good at alit of things, but I'm pretty good at contriving things and thinking our of the box lol. I'm so excited for you and Sweety and can't wait to hear how things are going!!!

 

[karenblodgett3261]

Today was a great day for Sweety! He flew around the studio so many times! The most he has flown before. And then on his last flight he went from the air straight into the side door on his cage and perfectly lit on his perch, for the very first time. He peeps and squeaks so proudly after some good flying.

Then later in the day I took the last dowel out of his cage and replaced with a branch. Also put one new toy in and replaced an old one with the same exact new one. He is always afraid of new things in his cage for a day or two. So this is him sitting on a lower branch and staring at the new branch and new toy as if they may murder him

I know by tomorrow he will be all over the new branch and toy but for tonight he has to stare the new things into submission.
View attachment 265665

This all led to some wonderful bonding as well. When I first had to reach in and rearrange the cage, he flew to the front of the cage and clung on. So he was as close to me as he could be. When I was done and took my arm out he stayed there, afraid of the new things. So I stayed right at the cage and I was able to kiss him on the feet and beak several times while he clung there. He was there out of fear but he stayed out of comfort. I sang songs to him and comforted him and kept kissing him while he stayed so close and even seemed to lean into it after several minutes. This boy doesn’t want me to touch him but he does sometimes come for my touch or comfort and it’s so endearing since he is so independent.

Oh how absolutely wonderful!!! I hope the new perch and toy know Sweety is the boss's lol. From your description, it sounds like he has good flying skills. Somehow my LoVey has amazing maneuvering skills. I imagine, like any living being, that each budgie is better at some things than others. If I'm not correct in this, I hope the staff members of the group will correct me 😊. I'm so excited for you!!! It's just so wonderful to see our feathered babies doing what birds are supposed to do. I'm so looking forward to hearing updates on your sweet boy!

 

[karenblodgett3261]

Yes, he has now stared the new branch and toy into submission enough to play with and perch on them!

He had another great day with some flying, which also resulted with him flying into the kitchen and the bathroom. My screen room divider was open, because so far he had not headed that way. Well I really need to keep him out of the kitchen, so once he had his fun I quickly closed up the screen and it will need to be closed if the cage is open from now on. But in his little adventure he got to see much more of my studio and he also sat on top of the kitchen cabinet singing proudly for so long before I finally convinced him to go back to his cage. Then he fought me for half an hour not to go back inside, he had had too much fun!!

Also I have this little travel cage which I used to be able to get him into and then we would travel around my place together much easier (or take it outside when it was summer). Something happened at some point several months ago that made him afraid of going into the little cage. So I moved the little cage out of his view for a long time, and just tried pulling it out again on Sunday. He was almost happy to see it! And basically hopped right in. This was fun because then I took him for a little walkabout in it around the apartment, and then sat him in it in front of the glass door that looks out onto the porch, and put some treats out right in front of it on the porch. His friends, crows, squirrels and some little birds came by to eat right in front of him and he loved it so much. He then refused to get out of the little cage for several hours, bless his heart he's so cute and stubborn and fun.

How cool is that!!! My son commented one day about my growing collection of cages lol. But really, all six of them are vital 🤗! One is for a few hours, like a trip to the vet or to work with me; one for one overnight stay; one for 2-3 over nights; one for more than three nights, and the tall, narrow one that was her home cage until I got the bigger one, and now her flight cage. I also have a very small carrier, about the size of a kleenex box, for dire illness in which she needs to be cradled in a bed of softness and rushed to the vet (that's the one I don't ever want to have to use). I'm so excited about Sweety's adventure!!! It looks like the whole area will need to be budgie proofed should little man decide to take advantage of a screen that gets over looked. Maybe you could put a little note near the cage door to remind yourself about closing the divider screen? As I've gotten older those little reminder notes to myself come in so handy lol.

 

[karenblodgett3261]

I have several small carriers for going to the vet and then I make a fabric bag for each to go in for protection, this is one of the winter ones View attachment 265694

You have to share some of your other creations! You have such talent! Please Cody share some more of you work 🥰!

 

[karenblodgett3261]

It is amazing how smart they are! When LoVey is a fresh girl and tries to chomp my nose (I can tell when she's doing it in a fresh bossy way. Kind of a "take that mama" kind of way), I say softly yet firmly "NO! You be sweet to mama!" If she keeps it up I tell her that if she keeps being fresh to mama, she'll have to go back to her cage. She looks right at the cage and starts to be the sweet girl she is lol.