LoVey’s ongoing update thread!

FaeryBee said:

How old is she now?
Even though she has alone time when you are at work, you are going to have to condition her to accept that she also has to have certain times in her cage when you are at home so that you can accomplish what needs to be done. She is going to be like a toddler and always pushing the limits so you are the one that must train her rather than allowing her to train you.

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Shes 4 months old now, and very much acting like a toddler. Oh, she is working very hard at training me! She has learned and accepted that she doesn't come out until I've been up for an hour or two. Being so active I have to be fully awake and ready to watch her carefully. There are a couple off limit places that she tries to get to. I have her step up on my finger and say no gently but firmly. She knows what the no places are because I see her look to see if I'm watching lol. She has a very strong willed personality and I'm making sure she knows that what I say goes. There will be times, such as if she needs meds that she has to do what I say.

I have been doing the cage time when I have things to do. If I can do something with her with me that's fine, but if she is getting to into what I'm doing she has to go to the cage until I'm done. I think she just loves being with me and I'm happy about that, but I won't be letting her run the show! I read a comment from you or one of your team members advising someone not to give in when they screech at you. I took that pearl of wisdom to heart!

srirachaseahawk said:

As long as you are providing her some consistent, quality cage time; it sounds like she’s not so much clingy as she is just happy to be with you.

Being young likely plays into her wanting your attention, so you should definitely take advantage of that from a bonding perspective in my opinion
But @FaeryBee is right about the quality cage time. She should “want” to go back there for things like toys and food and naps, so she doesn’t have a negative association with the cage and so that she isn’t putting you on “her” schedule.

On average, how much out-of-cage time do you have with her on a typical work day?

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On a work day 3-4 hours. On a day off more time of course. She has lots of toys in her cage that she enjoys playing with and I have different ones for out of cage time. She is so different from my Vern that in some ways I feel like a new budgie owner. It's good to hear the experience of those who have been through the same things. I have a feeling I may always have to give her cage time when I have things to do. She is a total sweetheart and I love her to pieces. But I need to be the one who calls the shots.

I have another question/thought along these lines. I've only had a single budgie so haven't had the opportunity to watch bird to bird behavior. In the morning or when I come home from work she spends about ten minutes tasting (?) me with her tongue. I feel like it's her way of reconnecting after we've been apart. Or is it a way of identifying me, although I'm sure she knows who I am? Do budgies in a communal setting do this? Or am I assigning human attributes to her that aren't applicable?

I know I sound like an obsessive ninny when I talk about her, and I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking I have a screw loose in my brain. I fell in love with Vern and now LoVey. I want to be the very best bugie mama possible! Even if I'm feeling terribly ill, the one thing I do is take care of her needs (food, water, clean cage). All I know is that I love her with all my heart and she seems to love me. I'd do anything to give her the best life possible! But if I'm being a bit of an idiot about her care I welcome constructive criticism.

Thank you all for the great advice and insights!!!

It won't be long before LoVey is fully flighted. She is very inquisitive too. Have any of you found areas your bugjes got into that you might have overlooked? I've read tons of articles about budgie proofing, but would be grateful to hear experiences others have had. I have coats hanging on the doors to soften things if she has a little crash landing. I got a set of curtain panels I'll be covering the coats with so she doesn't have sleeves and pockets to hide in. I also found cord covers that seem great for a standard size cord. The narrow cords I've covered with plastic drinking straws. I found a smal greenhouse thing that I can zip closed when she's out so she can't get to my plants. I think I'll be using cardboard to prevent her from hiding under the bed but I'm not sure. I'm also going to be making her a ceiling play area.

I've thought of the obvious things that the articles suggest but, would love to hear the experience others have had.
Thank you!

Oh thank you FaeryBee for all the links to the info and pictures! I just love lerning about budgies and seeing pics of other peoples birds. Until I owned them as a matured adult, I never realized what amazing companions they are. I did have a couple as a very young adult, back when birds were looked upon as ornaments that chirp rather than an interactive friend. The two budgies were in a way to small cage hung from the ceiling so the cats couldn't get to them. One of the cats managed to leap up and killed one of them 😢. That's why my room where LoVey is, is a 100% cat free zone!

I just want to say publicly how much I appreciate this group's adherence to best practices! Not to mention the myriad of articles and links to others. You all tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. I follow a lot of budgie group's in which those who point out things that don't follow those best practices are chastised. If I do something that's not in the best interest of LoVey, I want to know! She counts on me to take good care of her, and I'm obsessed with doing so!
Thank you, thank you!!!

Ziggy1 said:

I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep calling back all the time. If I am going out, I put Charlie in his cage and tell him bye bye see ya later. He definitely understands what I mean…..I always leave the radio on for him. Maybe give her a piece of Millet as you leave? They are more intelligent than people think……when it’s time for Charlie to go to bed, he starts to say Night Night sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite, put me to bed. Charlie is 3 now so the bond is strong .

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I always tell her good bye, love you and see you when I get home tonight. I only answer back if I'm slipping out of the room for a couple minutes. And I tell her where I'm going. Actually I tell her what I'm doing regarding everything, especially if it is something I'm doing in her cage, food, water, cleaning etc. I was feeling a little under the weather this past week and told her "mama doest feel well so we can only play together for a short time." She definitely knows her name and knows what spots she's not allowed to play in. She actually looks over at me to see if I'm paying attention lol. If she goes to an off limit spot I have her step up on my finger and gently yet firmly tell her no. So basically I converse with her in such a way that implies she understands every word I say. She also has her own radio that I leave on when I'm at work. Since she bonded with me so strongly from the moment she and I met, I feel it's important that she feels safe and loved.

I haven't been able to get on here do to a phone that died and information having to be retrieved, followed by having other commitments.

LoVey has been doing so well!!! As her molt has progressed she has been able to get some height as she flies. She can get from the floor to my shoulder. From the end of my bed she flew about three feet to the back of this chair.
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From the chair she flew to the window
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This morning I noticed another of her clipped flight feathers on the floor of her cage. I let her out as usual and she was zipping around the room. She was doing hairpin turns and was landing on what ever location she chose without a hitch.
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This is about a foot from the ceiling!
I'm so surprised at how well she was able to manuver as she flew. It's as if she's been doing it for years. Here's a picture of how well her flight feathers are coming in 🪶 💙😃

I'm still keeping things arranged so if she has some difficulty on her arial acrobatics she won't hit anything hard and hurt herself. Better safe than sorry.
LoVey wishes everyone a wonderful day!

I either read in one of the stickies or was told in a post that budgies who are closely bonded to their human companions (I won't say I own her), have a higher likelihood of egg laying. I would like to learn more about the physiological and psychological reasons behind this behavior. When I asked of LoVey might be going into breeding condition, I pretty much knew she was. As I mentioned before, LoVey is very strongly bonded to me. I want to do everything I can to prevent egg laying. I've made sure there are no obvious nesting areas, lowered her protein intake, darkened the room and rearranged her cage frequently. Is there anything I should be doing regarding my interacting with her? I'd love any suggestions as well as articles that address this issue. I tried Google but it gave me links that showed you how to bond. Apparently, I don't know the key to getting the answers I need through search engines lol. I know I'm being a worry wart...

Cody said:

They see you as a mate and it is hormonally stimulating.

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I was thinking that might be the case. So in a nutshell, my girl may be looking for love in all the wrong places lol. I mentioned before about how if another person comes into my room, she gets angry at me if I pull her off them. I've noticed this behavior has become more pronounced since she went into condition. Her hoping onto people seems as if she's investigating them. I'd love to know what she's thinking! I know she's trying for the dominant position in our little flock. I'm wondering if thos behavior is hormonal, territorial, protective or just one of her little quirks. So far, and for the most part, she's continued to maintain her sweet nature. Her cere has become more tan/brown but not fully covering it quite yet. I'm trying to encourage her to explore independently, but she does fly back to me for a quick hello. If only I could read her mind. Do you know of any reputable articles that speak on wild budgie behavior?