To not know what to do with Perry the Parrot?

[Periperiparrots]

I purchased a blue male budgie last week as Dh and 14 year old Dd wanted one and we named him Perry the parrot😂
He’s youngish and very , very cute. He has this lovely periwinkle colour (which is why we named him Perry!)
I change his water, food and clean cage every morning, he’s looked after and has toys in his cage but he doesn’t seem to like us 😞 He also doesn’t seem to be drinking either 😢
Whenever daughter tries to feed him some millet he gets scared and flies around. Whenever I let him out to have a fly for a few hours (with windows and doors shut and all hazards removed!!) he just stays on the top of the dresser and doesn’t come down for a while.
Are we doing something wrong? Dd wants to teach him little words and perch on her hand but he doesn’t 😔 We love him though.

You’re expecting a lot from such a new budgie!

The tamest ones have been hand reared, and they pretty much always are happiest if they have a friend. The exception to this was my wonderful budgie who died last year aged 17!! He had a wife for a bit but he wasn’t bothered, when she died he wasn’t sad.

I didn’t ‘do’ a lot with him though- he’d let me touch his head until he got really old and he would sometimes perch on my finger. He’d come out for a fly but was happiest in his little home. Mostly he was just happy to chirp along to the radio and look at birds out of the window, and play with his bell toy. A simple little soul but I loved him so much!

They don’t all learn words- mine could imitate garden bird noises but not much else!

I've had budgies since I was a child, sometimes single, sometimes two together.

Budgies, when in company of others, will never be as tame as those raised on their own, so if you do get another one, just bear that in mind.

Your budgie should not have been allowed out of the cage until it's been on your hand a few times, to know that you are safe, and never until at least a week into a new home. That way, if he needs to be transferred to a different place, he'll be fine to be carried by you.

Basic rules for a happy bird:

Your budgie cage should be, at minimum, double size of standard ones. Mine is just over 1m height and 1/2 m width. You should invest in special bird sand, which contains shells to help their beaks, instead of the sheets that now seem to be fashion. Amazon delivers £25 worth (which lasts roughly 6 months if changed weekly).
Do NOT use standard bars inside the cage - they will damage their feet over time - use natural branches, which you can buy, or those deemed safe (online lists) from someone who can get fruit tree branches for you.

Food needs to be a mix of commercially available seeds and fresh greens - there are many lists online of what is safe; I am growing lettuces and some leaves from budgie seeds to supplement his diet.

They need to be in your noisiest room - kitchen or living room for us - and need a lot of initial time investment to come to trust you. One of my budgies saw me as a mate, this one just likes a good cuddle.

NEVER grab them for fun - it terrifies them - and if you need to get nails etc. cut, do it in a towel.

Fresh water out of a bird bath appears to work better and some budgies love a good bath. Change water every 2-3 days.

Yes to a mirror. The Range also have lovely sets of wooden bird toys, which you can string together. If you keep a lone bird, buy a life size plastic one to perch in their cage, too.

DM me for more info, I have had a number of very happy and long-lived budgies in my time.

@Etherel what was the age of your longest lived budgie? I was stunned that mine reached 17.

Just under that, 16 years. Which is double their average life expectancy.

Birds are very senstive little souls and will take time to get used to you and their new home. Over time you will start to recognise his moods from his body language etc just be really patient and gentle, no sudden movements, slowly slowly and don't rush him. Try not to loom over him but get down to his level so you don't appear intimidating. Birds can be very loyal and loving but have to build the bond gradually.

You have only had him a week.. he is still settling in and probably terrified of his new surroundings.
There are a ton of great videos on YouTube on how to get your budgie to trust you. It does take a lot of time and patience though. It was a couple of months before mine would land on me. He ended up being very bonded to me and was a talker too. I taught him a load of swear words not all budgies will talk though.

Here's the little cuddle monster

Let me see if I can help. You clearly care so he's lucky.
His cage is his safe place ,so help to make him feel secure there.
Have a small part of the top covered.so he has a sheltered corner, which to his mind will be safe from predators landing from above.

He will be drinking, they don't drink huge amounts .If you have a tube feeder only, maybe add water in a hopper. A little bath placed on the floor now and then will eventually get used, they like being spruce.

Leave the millet in his cage, don't expect him to come and feed when offered as a hamster might. (Pet shop advice leaves me cross!)That said, too much millet is not good, it's high in cholesterol, so don't always have it available. Do offer lettuce, possibly a little broccoli, spinach, apple. These give essential vitamins and some fluid. Read up on foods to avoid: eg chocolate and avocado are toxic to birds.

Definitely have a mirror and a bell. A little swing will also be welcome. Don't clutter his cage with toys though, give him room to move.
Speak quietly, be gentle ,no sudden movements, and he'll gain confidence. It takes time, lots of it sometimes.

Good for you letting him have some freedom. Leave his cage door open so he can find his own way back to his safe place. I have a little plastic bridge at the cage entrance and let budgies come out by themselves on to that when they are ready, and then it's easier to get them home.

Eventually you can gently persuade them to step onto a perch that you hold and slowly move towards their feet. Say "step up" as you get near and gently nudge them and they do learn to do just that. One of mine now launches herself at any stick I wave if I shout "taxi" as she likes being taken places.

When he is out give him things he can chuck about: little plastic mesh balls, or like mine, paperclips ,pens, office stuff, so the first words he learned were "What are you doing!?" If he learns to speak it will be words said with emotion, so watch out for that. One wee one learned to say "I'm so sorry" as he had a very long car journey home as a rescue and I kept apologising for the constant motion!

There's lots more that will make a difference to you enjoying a happy bird, but I do recommend you get a sensible book ,you could maybe read it with your daughter.

All the best, Perry will have a good time with you.

You’re supposed to leave them in their cage for at least a week so they adjust to their surroundings. You shouldn’t be letting him out until he’s trained to the hand (you do this by putting your hand in the cage and gradually getting closer to him over a week or so). Poor bird sounds terrified, hope he doesn’t have a heart attack because of it!

Ooh if you see chickweed growing wild- it’s a very common weed- they really love that. But give it a good wash. On hot days my budgie loved a spray bath- just water from a spray bottle on him- he went nuts for it l.

Ahh etherel your bird is gorgeous , looks like Perry too

Parrot owner here (budgies are related). To add to advice already given:

Google foods toxic to parrots/budgies (these include onion, avocado, chocolate, tea, coffee, peach stones and lots more). Better not to keep a bird in the kitchen as, apart from the hazards such as bowls of water and hot burners, a bird can die in a very few minutes from fumes from overheated pans (especially non stick - my parrot is a foster from a national parrot rescue, Birdline, and I had to get rid of my non stick ware before I was allowed to home him). Don't do ironing in same room as bird as ironing board covers and irons, when hot, can be toxic too. No aerosols, scented candles or slow release air fresheners to be used in any room the bird is in(another killer) also nail varnish remover fumes can kill birds.

Birds are very easily stressed by changes and need gentle introductions to new things. Mine hates his new cage because it is black (current one light grey) and just won't go near it. The first few weeks it appeared, he started pulling his feathers out and that only stopped when I realised why and put a cover on it so he didn't see it so much.
Mine loves the radio (he has classic fm) and can hear outside birds and does their calls as well as car and house alarms.
Yours probably would like a companion budgie. Give him lots of time and get everyone to be quiet around him for a bit til he is used to you all. Mine falls off his perch if people come in wearing bulky bright jackets or carrying plastic bags or cases. I have to get them to leave them out of sight.

Lastly, go online and join a (preferably UK if that is where you live) budgie owners forum so you can get best advice re food supplements and and budgie first aid - there are very, very few avian vets in UK (general vets are really hopeless with birds) so it pays to know how to deal with bird ailments yourself if possible. Do see if you have an avian vet near you (now, in case needed in a hurry)as that would be very worthwhile.

I’ve always wanted a budgie, so shamelessly following for updates!

Absolutely agree with MrsJoy about avian vets .If you have one near you, it's great. Non specialist vets will admit to knowing very little, if anything about birds. Therefore Bird Forums are vital, you can learn so much from other owners about first aid and ailments
Straight forward budgie seed isn't an adequate diet on its own, they'll share advice on this too.

And regarding fumes: an ironing bird cover also can give off fumes ,as from a non stick pan. Avoid hairspray ,nail polish remover near them. Think 'delicate chest'

And if your wee one gets to explore the house in time, make sure the loo seat is kept down! And curtains pulled across windows until he gets aware of glass.

I was very embarrassed by a rather posh visitor one day, returning from my bathroom to ask: Who or what is Beethoven?
I had a note in the loo that said: Please leave the lid down,
You don't want Beethoven to drown........

Ds has 5 budgies.

Hand training takes patience unless you've had them since babies. Put seed in the middle of your hand and hold your hand still. It may take a few weeks before they will step up. What I do is hold a little piece of millet between my thumb and little finger and leave my first finger for them to perch on.
One of them will do that happily, but the others aren't so keen.

Try and see it from the budgie's point of view too. He was just plucked from his home (presumably with more of his species, as he would live in the wild) and taken somewhere on his own. Your daughter may really like him and be well intentioned and loving but he doesn't know that! For all he knows, she wants to eat him. So she's got to slowly and quietly gain his trust and show that she's safe to him.

Had a solo budgie as a child, he was very happy but that was entirely because he got a lot of attention. He had a mirror which helped too but if your budgie didn't have lots of chit chat it will be full of sadness.
You need to chat like a budgie with him to build a relationship, when you have a relationship you can start thinking about giving him noises to mimic (talk).
In the wild they are in constant visual and audio contact with their flocks mates, you need to mimic that as much as possible.
Our budgie was sad if we went out for the day, that's how much they need it. We could soon cheer him up and with kids etc at home it was rare he was alone. Lots of chirps, cheeps and trills... But in a conversation way, so he makes a noise you respond - it is the back and forth that gives them the social contract they need.
If you can't do that it will need a companion