[Caboose]

Hello everyone. Well I have a few questions I really need help with. So sorry if this is long. I have two budgies. One male and female named church and Allison. They are both younger than one year but I do not know their exact age. I have had them for about 3-4 months. And I love them so much but they are still afraid of me. Sometimes they perch on my finger or shoulder and let me give them a kiss on the stomach. But I can tell they want to go straight back to the cage. And the male begins to pant every time. When I stick my hand in the cage they start to run away. Their wings are growing back. When I purchased them their wings were clipped. So now they fly away. How do I get them to love me and not be afraid of me one bit? Also recently they have begun to argue and fight a lot with each other. It really worries me because I have no idea why. They will fight and bicker then groom each other a little later. Is this normal for bonded couples? Or are they becoming unbonded.

 

[Jonah]

Bird's with clipped wings will allow themselves to be handled because they really have no choice. That does not translate into having become comfortable with you. Do you work with each one on one ? It is harder to build a friendship with birds that have each other but it can be done. As far as their squabbling, young birds will get along well enough but when they reach sexual maturity you can have problems like your experiencing. Hens can become territorial, how big is the cage you have them in ? Either sex can become more interested in mating activity that the other may not appreciate and fend off in an angry manner. We have tons of info here that will address all the issues you have going on. Check out the sticky's and see if they don't give you some ideas on what dynamics you are witnessing and how you should proceed. In your situation, keeping them in seperate cages, but next to each other for company, may provide you with a better chance of training with each seperately, and eliminating the fighting ....

 

[Caboose]

I have a very large flight cage. And sadly I do not have any extra cages to separate them. So would you have any other reccomendations? They perch next to each other. And groom each other and kiss with their beaks. Then sometimes they argue and fight. Blood is never drawn. And it never turns into a bad fight. But still worries me.

 

[StarlingWings]

How many water and food dishes do you have in the cage? They should each have their own to prevent arguments
Also, if there's a certain toy or swing they both like, they should each have one of those, too. This should help eliminate some of the bickering. As long as there's no serious fighting (I.e locked in combat, rolling on the bottom of the cage, feathers missing) then they should be okay, and always keep an eye on them when they seem to be in a bad mood to monitor their squabbles

Another thing--they could be just getting to their "teenager stage" where they will be less friendly towards you and one another as they establish their boundaries. It's always important to watch their body language to know when they don't want to interact right then

Also, have you read the stickies in the Taming and Bonding section of the forums? I'm sure you'll find something there to help you--the thing is, they have to do things when they feel comfortable, not when you want them to. Trust building is very important, and that's probably why they don't want to come out of the cage and sometimes act scared. :thumbsup:

 

[FaeryBee]

Randy and Star have both offered you excellent advice with regard to taming and bonding.
It cannot be stressed enough that taming and bonding is all about helping your budgie(s) learn to trust you.
This is not something that can be rushed.
It takes time and patience and it's very important you work at your budgies' pace.

You mentioned you do not have a spare cage.
It is always important to have an extra cage to use as a quarantine cage/hospital cage/vet transport cage.
I would suggest you get one to keep on hand so you'll have it when the need arises.
If you get a medium sized cage, you will also be able to house the budgies separately should the need arise.

On a separate note, please be sure you set up a budgie first aid kit and have an emergency fund to cover vet expense.

http://talkbudgies.com/emergency-room/225585-my-birdy-first-aid-kit.html

http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295033-prepared-veterinary-care-expense.html

 

[Jonah]

It's good that you have a large cage, that will help. Separate feeding dishes will help, and I would suggest following the advice in this thread which will not only help avoid breeding/eggs, but also should stem sexual aggression some....http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/90584-when-we-dont-want-eggs.html

 

[Caboose]

Well I do have a second cage but it is very small. Only used for taking to vets. Not suitable for living. The cage I have them in now is 37x23x60. I have two large stainless steel bowls. One for water. And one for food. I will have to purchase another 2 then. I don't see them really fighting over food and water because they eat or drink together most of the time. Sometimes they bicker. I can't really tell who initiates the arguements and what causes it. Though some days I see the boy put one of his feet on her back. I don't know if he's trying to mate or just start a fight

 

[Budget baby]

Hello, please do read the links provided for you they will give you some excellent tips and help. Sometimes two budgies will not get along just like people they have their own personalities. But I fell your budgies are maturing and stating to show signs of wanting to mate especially the male by placing his foot on her back. Please read the section on breeding and not wanting eggs.