By Dave Grimes

My name is Dave Grimes and I live in Cincinnati, Ohio USA. I've been asked to write about the methods that I used to tame my budgies, Sunny and Sky.

There are many different schools of thought on taming and some of what I say may work for others and some won't. I basically only had to tame Sky because Sunny had been handled since he was very young and was used to people. Sky was bought at a pet store and had had no prior experience with people that I know of. This is how I gained his trust.

1. Set up your bird's cage before bringing it home. Many books give detailed info on what should be in the cage. Food, water, perches and a couple of toys, something with a bell, for example.
2. After you've brought your bird home and put it in its cage, leave it alone for a few hours and just talk to it from across the room. Say its name, whistle to it, and even sing a song. Try to sing the same song each time you sing. Don't put your hand in the cage except to change food and water or to clean the cage for the first week. Let the budgie get used to the people, other animals, and sounds in your house. A week is only a general guideline. The important thing is patience, patience, patience.
3. So, your bird is now comfortable with its new home and environment. It even is fine with you being around the cage and putting your hand in to do daily maintenance. You'll know it's ready when it doesn't show any signs of nervousness, fluttering, backing away. Now comes the really fun stuff. Start out by putting your hand in the cage a few times a day for a few minutes each time. Don't move your hand toward the bird at first. Just put your hand in the cage and leave it in one spot. Keep talking and singing softly to the bird at all times during this step. This will teach the bird that you mean it no harm. Budgies are prey animals, which means that in the wild they have many predators. Your hand at first looks like an elephant or something huge coming to get them. This is why patience is needed. At first the bird may flutter around and act frightened. Don't give up just keep your hand in one place and talk and sing to the bird until it calms down. Keep this process up until you can put your hand in and the bird doesn't get scared. A week or more may be necessary.
4. Once your budgie has learned to trust your hand in its cage, you can very slooooooowly start moving your hand toward the bird as it sits on a perch. If the bird starts backing away or acting nervous stop moving your hand and leave it where the bird feels comfortable. Don't, I repeat, don't rush this step. This is the most tantalizing and frustrating part of the whole process. As before keep talking to the bird all the time. After a while if this is done correctly your bird will actually let you touch it with a finger. Sky got so comfortable with this routine that he would preen himself while I stood there talking and singing to him.
5. The next step is getting your bird to get on your hand or finger. What I did was to moisten my finger and put food on it. You can also use a spray of millet, which most birds can't resist. Your bird might come right away to eat or might just sit there looking at you like you're crazy or something. This took the longest for me and was very frustrating at times. Don't give up if the bird doesn't come down right away. He's still learning to trust you. One day, out of the blue, it will happen and you won't believe the feeling of satisfaction you'll get when it happens. I just stood very still and let Sky eat. This is a big step. You might have to do it for a while before your bird will get on your hand even when you don't have food. All of this should be done in the cage during a quiet time of the day like early evening.

Final Thoughts

I hope all of this info helps. I'm just giving methods that worked for me and Sky. I do remember one day when he actually got on my hand without any food and nibbled and chattered away happily. That's when I knew I had done the right things with him. Not all budgies will react in the same way. They have different personalities just like people do. If you have any further questions or suggestions e-mail the list and let me know. I really hope you can get something out of this and that it helps you development a great relationship with your feathered friends.

Bark and Chirp @ulater!
Dave, Sunny, Sky and guide dog Pamona