Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 4/28/2007

Question
Hi Chrys,
I recently aquired a young budgie (6 weeks old I believe).
She's relatively aclimatized to my hand in the cage now (though sometimes
she's still skidish - when I catch her off guard or tired I believe).
However she will not take food from my hand. Doesn't even look at it.
Also, I've started letting her out of the cage. Sometimes she isn't even
interested in coming out. When she does hope out, she lands on the floor. I
read that you can then entice and interest them by dropping treats on the
floor as it stimulates their natural foraging instincts. However like the other
treats she will have nothing to do with these.
She then promptly winds up under my bed and will remain there for over an
hour til I finally scoop her out and plop her elsewhere (like my dresser). She'll
stay there for a minute, but then wind up under the bed again.
I want to continue to let her out because I know it's healthy, but it is very
challenging to get her out from under the bed. She won't come for a treat
(even if it's just on the floor and not in my hand). I have to chase her out with
a broom, which I hate doing because I know it's frightening and probably
doesn't help in gaining her trust.
Any suggestions? I am doing something wrong?
PS: I'm tried store bought budgie treats, suet, apples, plums, carrots and
bread with honey.  

Answer
Hi, Erin.

If this baby is only 6 weeks old, it is a very young bird.  It probably doesn't know what most food is yet...birds won't eat things they don't recognize as food.  You need to keep offering until the baby eventually tries the food.  In addition, if this baby was just weaned (which I suspect is true), it still prefers warm foods, and its beak is still too soft to eat a lot of hard food, such as seed, pellets, etc.  Try things like cooked brown rice with shredded veggies mixed in, warm corn bread or healthy multi/whole grain muffins, maybe cooked oatmeal, try shredding apple/carrots...soft, semi-hard foods.  And, yes, you are teaching this baby bird to be scared of humans!  This baby still needs to be cuddled, probably prefers being stuffed in your blouse/shirt pocket to being out in the open, in a dresser drawer...this is why s/he retreats to under the bed.  The baby is looking for a place to hide; the bird must feel safe and secure under the bed.  Then you are chasing her out from there...she doesn't know where to go/what to do!

If I might be so bold...it sounds to me like you are treating this baby budgie as an adult bird, and you need to be treating him/her as a baby budgie!  This baby is just starting out in the world and has to learn what it's all about, including what to eat, what's good/what's bad, what's safe/what isn't, should I trust humans (or not), what freedoms you will allow him/her to have, what you expect, etc., and you will learn from your bird.  Try some different foods, allow the baby to sit with you when you watch TV in the evenings (if s/he'll do so...let the bird cuddle up in your hair while sitting on your shoulder, etc).  Allow the bird to sit on top of its cage at times during the day (budgies are often stepped on when on the floor).

Come back as you need to.

Chrys