Budgies are increasingly becoming common as pets as they are extremely social with humans and fellow birds.
Whether you have purchased or adopted a budgie, you should be happy about your choice. Many ask us the question – how to train a budgie to come to you.
Budgies are easy to maintain and keep you engaged with a wide number of vocalizations. But, as a new member of your family, a budgie might find it hard to socialize with you instantly. While it is not an impossible task, it does take time to make it happen as you need to gain the trust of the little one.
In this article, we are going to list a few steps to train a budgie to come to you in a short span.
How to train a budgie to come to you?
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Hand-feed your budgie
Food is one of the basic needs for any life on this planet. It is also a way to build trust and bonding.
As soon as you get in a budgie, begin giving treats that the little one can munch on. As they love treats, you can certainly get your budgie to come to you to get them.
This is the time when the budgie also realizes that you will be filling his/her hunger.
Slowly introduce other foods and ensure hand-feeding until the budgie continues coming to you.
When you do this regularly, the budgie is going to trust you.
Note – Hand-feeding is not needed in the long run but during the initial days, it is highly recommended. It is a form of bribing your pet.
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Free your budgie inside the home
It so happens among pet parents that they lock the budgie all the time within the cage which can affect socialization levels. It is not recommended, either.
Instead, leave your budgie in a closed room where the family members sit. Allow the budgie to explore the place.
Make it a habit to free your budgie for maximum time. This creates a positive perception about you on the mind of the little one. Ultimately, the association develops from flying around to getting closer to you.
Don’t be surprised if your budgie begins sitting on your shoulder or any part of the body as the little one accepts you as his/her friend/master. The trust builds when you ensure the freedom of the budgie.
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Use limited words but repeat
A budgie, in the initial stage, might not be able to understand your vocabulary. In that case, use small and limited words like “hello”, “good”, and “come”. Accompany these words with positive facial expressions. Probably, smile and give warmth to the budgie when you say “come”.
I used to wish my budgie “good morning” at the start of each day. I did it for 20 days and I was surprised to see how my budgie called me when I missed wishing her for a day. That’s the bonding such words create.
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Establish gentle touch
This is a tricky area where you need to know how to handle the budgie rightly. A moderate to harsh touch indicates your rudeness and there is no chance for your budgie to fly to you.
Alternatively, use a towel to let your budgie sit on it. Never force this behavior. Allow the budgie to make decisions.
You need to let your budgie free within the space before you expect the budgie to let you build physical contact. The comfort level matters in this process.
If your budgie is scared of the towel, gently pat the head whenever the budgie tries sitting on you. It implies that the budgie is safer in your presence.
Note – Do not forget to give your treat and also use an appreciation phrase when your budgie establishes physical contact.
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Practice
Getting a budgie come to you does not happen overnight. It takes time and effort to make it happen.
Repeat all the four steps mentioned above each day and you can let your budgie get closer to you day by day.
What is the fastest way to tame a budgie?
As I mentioned, there is no fast method to train a budgie to come to you. But, I can share a few quick tricks that I tried on my budgie, and guess what, it worked!
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Train at the same time each day
If you begin taming your budgie at 7 a.m. each day before leaving for your office, follow the same timing each day.
This approach lets your budgie anticipate and also understand that it is a routine and you are a trustworthy fellow.
It is better to do it multiple times each day so it gets faster.
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Involve your family
While entering into a home with several family members, a budgie needs to get comfortable with all the members. While you are trying to train the budgie to come to you, ask your family members to do the same.
I involved all my family members in taming my budgie. I took over the breakfast time to train my budgie while the other three members took lunch, snack, and dinner times.
As a result, the budgie became incredibly convenient with our home.
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Maintain calm tone
It is a bad idea to change tones while interacting with your budgie during initial times. While it is feasible for the budgie to differentiate your tones over time, it can lengthen the training period.
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Maintain the environment
Do not change the environment until the budgie gets completely comfortable.
A budgie’s behavior is highly influenced by environmental noises. Hence, let your budgie be in your company and experience some quiet and comfortable time at your place before you switch it over.
How long does it take to train a budgie?
An adult budgie takes 1-3 weeks to come to you while a baby budgie takes <15 days. The duration is based on environmental comfort, experiences with humans, general temperament, health condition, and age of the budgie.
If you have followed all the points in this article, it is no doubt that your budgie will come to you in less than 3 weeks.
Patience is the key! Never give up!
Remember that budgies are extremely gentle and calm. They prefer humans around them to be similar as well.
Budgies become your reflector. So, put yourself in the shoes of a budgie while you train and experience wonderful results ahead.