We provide our pets with food, water, shelter, attention and care, and in return we ask for their love and devotion. If you want your budgie to love you, give her the right balance of attention and space, and she'll ruffle her feathers in delight whenever you enter the room.
Step 1
Make your budgie comfortable in your home. Your budgie can't develop her relationship with you if she feels unsafe, and her cage is her safe haven. Keep her cage in a room where you and your family spend time, but also where she can get her rest at night. Budgies need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Shelter her from drafts and sudden noises.
Step 2
Establish a connection of trust between you and your feathered friend. Now that she feels at ease in her cage, you can work on building her trust in you. Always approach your budgie calmly and speak to her in a soothing tone. Remaining calm around her will allow her to see you as a friend and not a threat. Don't grab your bird; instead, let her come to you when she's ready to be handled.
Step 3
Spend enough time with your budgie. Quantity is just as important as quality when you're devoting time to your bird. In nature budgies live in flocks, so it's even more important to spend one-on-one time with her if she's the only bird in the home. Budgies need at least an hour a day of your direct attention. It doesn't have to be all at once; you can spread it over a few short sessions. She'll also appreciate just being around you and your family throughout the day.
Step 4
Play with your budgie. If you spend time together engaging in an activity she loves, she'll perk up every time she sees you. Pass a ball back and forth -- cat toys also work great for birds. Or, toss a piece of food in the air for your budgie to fly and catch. Play peek-a-boo. She'll love it.
Step 5
Train your budgie with some basic commands. Knowing exactly what you expect from her will deepen her trust in you. Also, the time spent in training is a great bonding activity for the two of you to share. You can train your budgie to do simple things like "step up," which means "climb on my finger," and "go home," which means "go back to your cage." Other basic behaviors you can teach your budgie are "stay" (stay on your perch), "shoulder" (climb up to my shoulder) and "come" (fly over to me).
Step 6
Handle your budgie gently. Pet her softly and give her occasional treats from your hand to develop your affectionate bond. Budgies like being scratched on their heads and under their wings. They love receiving affection from their owners.
Step 7
Tame your budgie. Taming a bird means training her to the point where she can follow basic commands and can be loose in your home without destroying your possessions or doing her business outside the cage. If your budgie is tamed, she'll be able to spend even more time with you, and will be happy that she's allowed to roam free. Also, the time spent with your budgie doing this amount of training will establish a strong and lasting bond.
References
Resources
Tips
- Keep training sessions about 10 to 15 minutes long so your bird can stay focused.
Warnings
- Do not give your budgie a mirror. This can lead to your bird developing an unhealthy attachment to her own reflection, and may weaken her bond with you.
Writer Bio
Madeline Masters works as a dog walker and professional writer. In the past she has worked as a fitness columnist, fundraising copywriter and news reporter. Masters won two Pennsylvania Newspaper Association Awards in 2009. She graduated from Elizabethtown College with a Bachelor of Arts in English.