Welcome to TalkBudgies!
First question first is, how old is this budgie?
"Just out of the nest three days ago" doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence... Budgies should be at least 8 weeks old before they are released from a breeder, so hopefully that's the case.
I believe that you do indeed have a boy.
As to his behavior, you need to give him time. His entire world has literally been upended.
If your bird(s) come from a breeder that worked well at socializing their animals, then the process below is the same but it may go much quicker for you. You should move at the pace that your animal is comfortable with.
Start by resting your hand on the outside of the cage for 5-10 minutes a few times a day. Talk to them as you do this, in a quiet and steady voice. Read something to them if you like
Do not try to remove him from the cage for the first couple of weeks.
After two weeks of this, you can move to just placing your hand "in" the cage. You can use their behavior as a judge on this one. If they actively retreat from your hand, even when it’s on the outside of the cage; they aren’t ready for you to go to the next step. Once they start to essentially “ignore” your hand, then you can move on.
The next step is to put your hand in the cage. Don't touch them, go near them or even move. Just rest it there for the same 5-10 minutes a few times a day and continue with the quiet, steady speech.
Your bird(s) will eventually begin to acclimate to you and slowly move up to investigating your hand. Then you can work on treat placement in the hand to see if you can then lure them to step on it to eat from it (again without moving).
And then you go from there!
![:)]()
This could take weeks, or even months, of work and is entirely up to the bird. You may get lucky and have a very outgoing animal that tames in a short period of time, or you may have a more timid creature on your hand that requires a lot more from you.
Birds require far more patience with training than dogs and cats do. They all know instinctively that they are "prey items" and we are basically asking them to ignore that natural response when confronted by a larger predator (you).
You can also use their voice as a measure of their comfort.
A whistling/chirping budgie is not a scared budgie
![:)]()
Please take a look at the "stickies" posted in each of the topic areas for a wealth of knowledge.
Here are a few to get you started!
Is My Bird Healthy?
Yes, Your Bird Needs to See a Vet
Please Don’t Breed Your Birds
Coffee & Toast, Hold the Eggs
Clicker Training
Positive Reinforcement
A Healthy Diet
Essentials to a Great Cage
First question first is, how old is this budgie?
"Just out of the nest three days ago" doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence... Budgies should be at least 8 weeks old before they are released from a breeder, so hopefully that's the case.
I believe that you do indeed have a boy.
As to his behavior, you need to give him time. His entire world has literally been upended.
If your bird(s) come from a breeder that worked well at socializing their animals, then the process below is the same but it may go much quicker for you. You should move at the pace that your animal is comfortable with.
Start by resting your hand on the outside of the cage for 5-10 minutes a few times a day. Talk to them as you do this, in a quiet and steady voice. Read something to them if you like
Do not try to remove him from the cage for the first couple of weeks.After two weeks of this, you can move to just placing your hand "in" the cage. You can use their behavior as a judge on this one. If they actively retreat from your hand, even when it’s on the outside of the cage; they aren’t ready for you to go to the next step. Once they start to essentially “ignore” your hand, then you can move on.
The next step is to put your hand in the cage. Don't touch them, go near them or even move. Just rest it there for the same 5-10 minutes a few times a day and continue with the quiet, steady speech.
Your bird(s) will eventually begin to acclimate to you and slowly move up to investigating your hand. Then you can work on treat placement in the hand to see if you can then lure them to step on it to eat from it (again without moving).
And then you go from there!
This could take weeks, or even months, of work and is entirely up to the bird. You may get lucky and have a very outgoing animal that tames in a short period of time, or you may have a more timid creature on your hand that requires a lot more from you.
Birds require far more patience with training than dogs and cats do. They all know instinctively that they are "prey items" and we are basically asking them to ignore that natural response when confronted by a larger predator (you).
You can also use their voice as a measure of their comfort.
A whistling/chirping budgie is not a scared budgie
Please take a look at the "stickies" posted in each of the topic areas for a wealth of knowledge.
Here are a few to get you started!
Is My Bird Healthy?
Yes, Your Bird Needs to See a Vet
Please Don’t Breed Your Birds
Coffee & Toast, Hold the Eggs
Clicker Training
Positive Reinforcement
A Healthy Diet
Essentials to a Great Cage
