When the budgie seems okay with your hand, place your finger inside the cage. Then push it slightly against your budgie’s chest. This will encourage it to climb on your finger. Be patient as the bird might be reluctant at first. If the bird is intimidated, just stroke its breast with the back of your finger. Show love and care. Alternatively, you can put a few seeds on your finger. Your budgie will probably climb on your hand to eat them. Doing this for a few days will teach your pet to trust you. You can hold other high-quality treats like millet to get your budgie more comfortable around your hands. [1] X Expert Source Hayley HeartfieldBird Specialist Expert Interview. 23 June 2021.
Offer a treat when your budgie does something following your instruction. This will reinforce the desired behavior. Be persistent and consistent. You will need to focus on one instruction at a time, and for quite a while until your budgie repeats on cue. Persevere and don’t vary the routine; this increases the chances that your budgie will learn faster.
To teach your budgie to step off of the perch you are holding and onto its cage perch, use the same command and steps given in the “step off finger” trick. To teach your budgie to fly to its perch, point to the perch and say “go back to your perch. " Reward the budgie when it goes to the perch.
Next, you can practice holding the towel while the bird is on it. Hold it in a slightly “cupped” way, and let it continue to eat the treat or play with its toy. Repeat this step every few hours for a few minutes at a time. Then, curve the towel around the bird and hold it more firmly. Keep repeating this process until your budgie is all wrapped up. Every time you do this, gently stroke or extend the bird’s wings and feet. It will get used to its wings and feet being touched at the vet. Repeat the “wrap up” every day with a positive attitude and lots of treats. Your budgie will become comfortable with being wrapped in a towel for nail trimmings, wing trimmings, and such.
Try to put the budgie on top of the tennis ball and hold its body while the feet look for balance. Every time the budgie tries to balance itself with its feet, offer a treat. Don’t force your bird to learn a trick for too long. 10-15 minutes per day is enough. Remember that your bird should have fun! Leave the ball in the cage. Your budgie will eventually understand the purpose of the exercise and balance on its own on the ball. Be gentle when you hold the budgie on the tennis ball. Remember that they are fragile birds.
Every time the bird tries to climb the ladder, say the same word, like ‘climb’, to let your bird make the association between its action and your order. The trick is to make your budgie climb when you order it. Be patient and gentle. Place your bird on the lowest end of the ladder and hold it. Say the word associated with climbing and release your budgie. Once your bird understand what is expected, don’t place it on the lowest end of the ladder but a few centimeters from it. Increase the distance every day until your budgie obeys without physical contact.
Wait until the budgie is old enough. The bird should be at least three months old before it can speak. If you have more than one budgie, stick to the teaching of one name. You don’t want to make it too hard at first. Don’t forget to reward your budgie. If it doesn’t learn quickly, don’t punish it. It doesn’t understand right or wrong and will just mistrust you.
Repetition is an essential part of teaching your budgie learn new words. [3] X Expert Source Hayley HeartfieldBird Specialist Expert Interview. 23 June 2021. When you enter the room, systematically say ‘hi coco [or the budgie’s name]’. When you feed it, point at the seeds and say ‘food’. Look at their corporal language and take advantage. When the bird is in a threatening posture (biting or pecking), say ‘Angry’. When the budgie is resting on one leg and looking happy, say ‘happy’. Your budgie can also say simple sentences. When your bird eats, say ‘coco [or the bird’s name] eats’. When it drinks, say ‘coco drinks’. Don’t teach your bird insults. The budgie will remember it for a long time and might embarrass you in front of your guests.
Pick a song you like. Remember that your budgie might sing it for a long time. Record yourself singing a song and play it to your bird when you’re away. This is an extremely efficient way to teach a song without having to sing it a thousand times. You can do the same to teach words. The actual recording of a song might not be the best way to teach the bird. The instruments will probably disturb it.
Make sure to read the wikiHow tutorial on how to take care of a budgie. Stay close to the cage. Talk to it quietly as you wait for it to adjust but do not try to handle it. It will get used to you in the course of a few days or weeks. Avoid loud noises and screams. Your budgie is likely to be stressed by this new environment. Name your budgie. Say it often, especially when you feed it, so that it gets used to its new name. Read your bird a story. This might sound strange but budgies like to hear their owner’s voice. Reading them a book will sooth them and make your voice familiar.
Water and food should be changed daily, even if the budgie hasn’t touched it. A new budgie will often refuse to eat for up to a week, as it gets used to its new life. Introduce your budgie to treats before training starts. Give it a piece of fruit or a few seeds. Your bird will love it and will be more willing to learn if it has an incentive. Don’t exaggerate with treats as you want to keep your bird healthy.
To call it back, switch off all the lights and leave the curtain of one window open, but remember to close the window. The budgie will be attracted towards the light. Hold it gently and put it back inside the cage. Make sure that there is no cat or predator in the room. If you have a child, don’t let him/her frighten the bird. Budgies are easily traumatized.
