Yeah, a lot of birds end up being total millet junkies, it’s like crack to the little featherheads. Moderation is crucial when it comes to millet. If he’s used to the millet being in a certain spot, take it out and put something else there and see if he goes for it. Try the bell pepper knob, it’s easy to clip with the stem and it looks like something they’d really like with all the seeds right there. It lasts a day or two as well, doesn’t get manky the way green leaves do.
that’s a good idea!
We move his cage this morning, down the 2 steps from the kitchen to the family room. I figured that the jostling (which we kept to a minimum) was pretty frightening, so I put the millet back in (also, we were going to be away for many hours). Yep, show love by feeding them unhealthy food :D.
Brief update:
The cleaning lady was by late last week and said that we really needed to have Morty out of his cage for an hour a day. Then she basically reached into the cage and grabbed him, and scolded him for trying to get away. She also gave him a bath under the kitchen faucet (is that truly needed?
Morty is, so far, unwilling to approach our hands at all - even when I’m holding a bit of millet or fruit. He seems utterly uninterested in goodies like that, except the millet and then only when it’s in his cage while he’s undisturbed.
So I finally got brave and nabbed him myself this evening. He bolted every time he got the chance. I finally took him in the small bathroom, and let him have his freedom in there; mostly he stood there, waiting for me to eat him. I got down on the floor and at one point managed to get him to step up on my finger, but he fluttered away after a couple of seconds and hid behind the toilet. I had some millet with me but aside from stepping on it once, he didn’t touch it.
One thing I tried while we were in there: I found a video of parakeets making noise and played that. He seemed puzzled by it, at least, though he didn’t try to approach the display on the phone (I had set it on the floor).
The poor fellow trembles whenever we’re holding him - I can’t blame him!!
I can’t help but think that this forcible handling is not the best way to go. On the other hand, 2 weeks of being far less assertive hasn’t done anything either.
Budgies love to take baths and showers. It’s not necessary, budgies aren’t dusty birds, but it’s fun. Add some green veggies like lettuce and kale to the bath and the bird will frolic around and eat it. It’s like a budgie waterpark.
He’s probably picking up on your own hesitation and uncertainty.
Keep working with him. Tell him to “step up”. Having him do it for a moment is still progress. Keep doing it and he’ll get the idea you’re not going to eat him. Keep talking to him.
Yes, this takes time. Yes, it can be frustrating.
If you’re OK with letting him have some time in the bathroom (so you can catch him) then give him exercise time in the bathroom (make sure the toilet lid is down!). Exercise is important for a young bird. He needs to move around to stay healthy.
Wait… first you all say bathing is fun, then you say to put the toilet lid down!! 
Yeah, I put it down.
So you all don’t think I’m terrorizing him when I catch him? He trembles so badly.
Do they need cuttlebones to wear down their beaks?
And as for a bath: just put a couple inches of water in a sink or basin and plop him in? I’ll have to get some greens for him to play with.
I had thought of getting another wooden ladder, like the one I already have draped through his cage - to hang on the front outside of the cage. That way if he’s on the floor, he can use it to climb back in to safety. Dunno how to teach him about it, of course…I guess hold him next to it and encourage him to step onto it.
I just ordered a small-animal playpen thingy, that looks to be a good size to put on the floor by his cage. Since his wings are clipped, he won’t be easily able to fly out of it. Of course he could climb up the side and make his escape that way, but he seems mostly inclined to stay put / find something to hide behind when he’s loose.
I did get a second wooden ladder; I figure maybe I’ll set the pen up beside the cage, with the ladder dangling down into the pen, then put him on the floor in the pen - perhaps encouraging him to go to / up that ladder. My hope being that he’ll learn to recognize that ladder as a way to get back to home and safety if he’s out.
Perhaps you could also take a book or tablet into the bathroom and instead of trying to actively and continuously interact with him, just sit and read for a while while he explores the room, chills out, or considers the sink/ bird bath or other toys you may have set up for him in there. Just exist alongside him while you each do your thing. I’m not saying you should ignore him, just take the pressure off him being the focus of your attention.
So the playpen was a little helpful - but the extra ladder is working out beautifully.
I tried to get him out the other day and wound up chasing the poor fellow around the cage; then in one panicked flap he accidentally went out of the cage, and happened to land right in the middle of the laid-out playpen.
He was supremely uninterested in the goodies I had set out: a bit of spray millet, a bit of apple. But he ultimately found his way to the bottom of the ladder that I had dangling into the playpen, and hopped up onto it.
Then I dropped my phone, and the noise startled him away - but he eventually found his way back to it, and climbed right on up. I had a rope perch near it, connecting to the door, so he hopped onto that and then used that to get back into the safety of his cage.
The next day, I didn’t have the spare perch out, and we managed to get him out and standing on a shoulder for quite some time. When it was time to put him back, we put him in the playpen area. All he did was climb up one side and stand on the edge - so clearly that’s not going to be helpful long term. BUT - he stepped onto my finger, and stayed there while I moved him to the bottom of the ladder; he went right up it and into the cage without the assistance of the rope perch.
Today, I got him out - more cage chasing 
but he eventually fluttered out and onto the floor. He headed for a corner. I went near him to make sure he didn’t get any place inaccessible, and he gradually headed back in the direction of his cage. He went right by the ladder… but after a couple of feet, he turned around, and made a beeline for it.
I was trying to repeat “Morty go home” the whole time in hopes that he would ultimately learn that this meant, well, “go home”. Obviously that’ll be something we’ll have to work on long-term.
He still shows NO interest in coming out and exploring (supervised of course!!) voluntarily. Right now I’ve got the cage top open, with a rope perch connecting near the edge to down near the bottom of the cage (just above the ladder) and the door wide open, and he’s just sitting there, quite certain that he’s next on the menu.
I do feel reassured that he now has a way he can get back to safety if he’s ever out and about or escapes - as long as i leave the cage door open, he can get in with just the ladder.
Of course, right now he’s in his cage, huddled on the in-cage ladder (one of his favorite spots) and not moving a muscle. I think the open door is weirding him out.
He still shows no interest in fresh foods. Well, one time I had put a mini pepper in the cage and he was tugging it around with his beak as a toy, but he made no attempt to eat it as far as I can tell. Nor will he go near millet if we’re involved - if I leave it in his cage of course he’ll snack on it. So, using food as a bribe for desired behavior has not been successful.
You do realize you’re making progress, right?
He’s not coming out of the cage on his own, and he is returning to it on his own, because he feels the cage is a safe place. Which is good - little birds need to have a place they feel safe.
And he’s getting on shoulders and fingers? Good!
Be patient and continue to work with him.
He’s very cute and the play structure looks amazing!
Well, he’s not getting on voluntarily, and I keep thinking it’s traumatic for him to be chased all over the cage :(.
I’m trying to leave the top and front open while I’m home working, to hopefully get him used to that and not quite so terrified of it.
Another behavior I hadn’t mentioned before: if he’s on his wooden swing (a platform of dowels, like the ladder but closer) and I put my hand near him, he’ll peck at the hand in disapproval. Not biting, just pecking. He doesn’t do that anywhere else in the cage. So I would move my hand away… then I realized that’s teaching him that “pecking make scary thing go away”. So yesterday I persisted. Didn’t try to touch him, but brought the hand right back after a second… and he quit after a couple rounds. I haven’t tried again today.
He has a little plastic ladder with a mirror at the top, that came with him. The hooks don’t fit through the wires of his new cage so I was leaning it against a lower perch. He disapproved of that, so he’d knock it loose and kick it around the cage a bit. Last night I decided to slide it through from the outside… and he’s enjoying sitting on it now. He might be peeved that I “broke” his toy! I think he’d enjoy some “foot” toys given how he’s ignored the hanging toy I got him, and has been dragging this thing around.
You’ve got a great set up for him. I also have a series of ladders for Fat Uncle Blue because he’s more comfortable climbing up than flying.
It’s just going to take some time for him to get used to you. Or - he might not. Fat Uncle Blue has never gotten to the point where he wants to sit on my finger. The most he’ll do is stand on my arm if I’m wearing a specific long-sleeved shirt that he likes.
The other budgies will crawl on me and sit on my finger/arm/head/ear when they feel like it. I never force the issue and always let them make the choice. But they will all happily and greedily take any and all treats from my hand. The babies like to stand on my hand when they’re eating treats - especially hard boiled egg (only the whites). But I make a point of spending time with them every, single day because they lose their tameness super quickly.
I would remove his mirrors for now. If he doesn’t spend much time looking at them it’s probably fine but if he is always sitting by the mirror - take it out because the other budgie he sees will always be more attractive than you.
Well, no, getting chased around the cage isn’t good, but…
I’ve had a number of birds, all very socialized and (except one) people friendly. But not all of them have “voluntarily” stepped up onto fingers. They’ll do so if I ask them to, but that’s them doing so because they’re asked, not because they’ve decided to do that of their own accord. If he’ll “step up” when asked to do so that’s actually good. Or if you insist either verbally or via body language.
Even the birds that have gotten on hands/finger of their own accord don’t always want to - they do have opinions. (A common trick is for a bird to put one foot on your finger, as if to say “there, I “stepped up”” then take it off again).
Not a bad strategy.
That’s probably about right.
Brave birdie!!!
I opened the cage door a little while ago, and just now I saw him standing on the edge of the opening. I snapped a photo (which is visible at the same link from the other day), then I went close very carefully to push the chair nearer so he had something to hop onto. Of course he backed off when he saw me coming.
A minute later, he was on the edge again - and he took the plunge onto the chair. I didn’t have my phone ready in time to snap him before he fluttered the rest of the way down. He’s on the floor behind the cage right now, where I can’t see him - but I know he’s in a spot where he can’t really get stuck, and of course he can always walk around to the front to climb back in.
Well, if he remembers, that is!!
Whenever he gets back in, maybe I’ll set some millet on that chair to act as an incentive.
He made his way to the front, and spent a few minutes just hanging out on the dangling rope perch. I think I’ll have to make sure to close up the big box of millet so he can’t totally pig out (it’s on a shelf under the cage - and is now accessible if he goes walkabout). Then he decided he’d had enough, and he’s back inside the cage.
Sounds like he’s getting comfortable enough to explore rather than just hide. Good job! For both of you!
He’s had one more jaunt; the first I realized was when I saw the flapping to get down to the floor. He actually walked around the room a bit then headed back home. I watched the whole time but did not attempt to approach him, as I’m sure he’d have bolted. One of these days, I’ll try to see if he’ll step onto my finger when he’s loose.
A few minutes ago he was standing at the cage door again, hollering at me, but he didn’t go any further this time.
Of course we’re keeping things closed up when we’re not around; we don’t want any unsupervised EVAs just yet!!
Not much of an update. He still steadfastly refuses to come near my hand even when I’m holding birdie crack (i.e. millet). He has had a couple more very brief EVAs - we’ve taken to leaving the cage open whenever we’re home and on the same floor of the house. No luck handling him, as I really, really hate chasing him around the cage.
He does get excited when anyone is running water in the sink. I don’t know if he remembers that as something vaguely fun to play in (I would think not, as the cleaning lady has bathed him several times, and he squawks the whole time). Or the sound is just very pleasing to him. He also chirrups in response to birdsong outside.
He’s a Trekkie!! I’ve been binge-watching STNG lately, and he gets very excited, chirruping and squawking, during the opening music.
He has a new sound: we cover his cage (mostly) at night to keep it a bit warmer - and when I approach to put the cover on, he’s started making a very soft burbling sound that I couldn’t hear if I were 3 feet further away.
Well, I feel like a bad pet person tonight.
I decided to make another attempt to catch him. He almost immediately flew out of the cage and onto the floor. He did some running around, and ultimately lurked underneath the cage. Wouldn’t come out for anything, even though at times he got close to his ladder.
So I went across the room, figuring he’d come out soon.
I dozed off.
2 hours later,the poor fellow was still hiding underneath his cage. He didn’t come out and get home again until we all left the room.
To be fair, he wasn’t starving… there had been sufficient “onanism” going on that he had plenty of seed to eat.
Time to put on some more Star Trek for him.