“Only individually kept budgies become hand-tame”. This statement is not only hopelessly outdated but has also been disproved by countless trusting budgies kept in groups. The chances of getting your birds hand-tame actually increase with the size of your group. Because then you can benefit from the diversity in the flock. One of them is guaranteed to be cheekier than all the others. And they will then follow this example. If you have a little patience and the necessary knowledge, you are guaranteed to get at least one of your budgies hand-tame by following our tips.
Step 1: Settle in calmly
When you take your feathered friends home, you should have already prepared everything. The aviary is in place and fully furnished. For the beginning, your newcomers should be allowed to settle in calmly. Give them at least one to two weeks to do this. Avoid hectic movements and noise completely. As soon as the animals feel comfortable (i.e. show no signs of stress when you approach them), you can accustom them to your presence. To do this, first sit at a distance that they can tolerate without getting excited. You can read a nice book whilst doing this. You can then gradually reduce the distance.
Step 2: Make yourself interesting
Once the budgies accept your approach without stress, you can make yourself interesting with food. Foxtail millet is a safe bet. You’ll also need: Patience, patience, and more patience. Every single step of habituation should be firmly established before you go a step further. For now, grip the treat between your fingers, and place your hand on the bars. Once your budgies have learned to accept their reward in this way, you can go one step further: You hold your flat hand with the treat into the cage. Don’t stare at your birds whilst doing this. This is unsettling for them. And even more important: Remain calm and relaxed when the first budgie dares to touch your hand.
Step 3: Move your hand
Once one or even more budgies are used to feeding from your hand, you can introduce careful movements. These should be small and slow and never jerky. If the birds tolerate this, the big moment comes: you can take the bird out of its cage on your hand. Again, do this gently and in small steps. The first time, you take your hand and the bird back into the cage. Gradually keep your hand out longer, and finally move away from the cage.
Step 4: The first free flight
The first free flight will probably happen by itself. At some point, your little friend will take off. It is clear that the room is furnished accordingly and offers good seating. If your budgie doesn’t let you bring it back to its home, just wait. At the latest in the evening, it will return to its group. The way to freedom should always lead over your hand. Just like the way to the special treats.
If you have accustomed one or more of your budgies to your hand, many other possibilities are open to you. Budgies can learn tricks, and medical training is especially helpful. You can check them for injuries or parasites or teach them to trim their claws or how to administer medications. Not all of your budgies may become hand-tame. But some certainly will. Just give it a try.
The origin? Also plays a role.
Whether a shelter, a breeder, or a pet shop. The experiences that budgies have made in their previous home are formative. You should therefore make sure that you handle the birds carefully, do not catch them by hand, or unnecessarily shoo them around in the cage. If you want to adopt a budgie from an animal shelter, the caretakers will certainly know which ones were hand-tame with their previous owner or which ones are particularly people-oriented. If you get your budgies from a breeder, look for one that has already started to get its offspring used to the hand.