Chapter 6 – Training Time
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The best budgies to train are young birds who have established strong bonds with their owners--or at least with humans in general. An adult budgie who has not bonded with you or with any other human will be more difficult to train and perhaps cannot be trained at all. He can still be a wonderful pet if all you are looking for is a happy, whistling, chattering bird to keep you company and to entertain you simply by doing what budgies do; he just won't be a bird you can handle. This is one reason that hand-fed and hand-reared budgies (as well as other parrots) command higher prices than do those raised by their parents. They learn to trust humans by constantly being handled when taken out to be fed, and they learn to associate people with the comfort of being touched and of having full bellies.
Young birds who are still bonding to you do best when kept out of contact with other budgies, who might distract them. Trained budgies can quickly lose their training if placed into a large cage with several untrained budgies, as they revert to bonding with other budgies. Your bird will need several weeks of handling to form a strong attachment, so if you want two birds, wait at least two or three months before you purchase the second budgie. And note that although a male will probably retain his bond with you even while courting and mating, a female will most likely lose her training during the time she is incubating her eggs and taking care of her young.
You and your pet should try to establish a bond of trust and affection. This bond is essential if you plan to handle and train your budgie, but an untrained budgie can still be a delightful pet.
Basic Training
All budgies should be taught to step up onto your hand or finger, step onto a perch of any length, and accept being wrapped in a towel. The first skill is referred to as finger training, or hand training; the second as perch training; and the last as towel training. These three simple maneuvers, which can be taught with persistence and gentleness, are all your budgie really needs to know to be a great pet.
FINGER TRAINING
The first things to teach your budgie are to hop up onto your outstretched finger or hand while in his cage, to leave the cage on your hand, and to hop back down into the cage when returned. To begin, you have to form your first strong bonds with your budgie and earn his trust.
Start the training two or three days after the bird arrives in your home and becomes used to his new cage and surroundings. Approach the cage and talk gently to the bird. Occasionally, offer a small bit of foxtail millet as a treat or incentive for good behavior. Give your bird this attention for a minute or two each hour, several hours a day, for the first three or four days. By then, you should have a relaxed bird who knows you and expects you to offer food and attention. Most budgies adjust rapidly, and their owners gain their confidence in just a day or two. When you think you are gaining your budgie's confidence, lightly pet the top of his head or around the nape of his neck. Never tire the bird out by petting him after he has lost interest; let him relax, and then start again in an hour or later that day.
The next training step is to reach into the cage with your index finger extended. The bird should be interested, and he should hop over for petting. Move your finger under the bird where he can hop on, and firmly give the command "step up" so the budgie associates the sound with the action. Practice this basic training up to ten minutes at a time, several times a day. Within a few days, the budgie should become accustomed to your finger and hop up immediately when you give the command.
The first step in training is to establish trust, which is created through frequent positive interaction. Once your budgie has your trust, he will have the confidence to accept your direction.
Y bird should quickly learn to step up onto your finger upon request.
Once you are sure the bird understands the command, take him out of the cage while on your finger or hand. (This is one reason you want a cage with a large door.) The bird may be frightened at first, so don't push him too strongly. Most budgies will want to get out and explore, so they may be eager to leave their cages. If your budgie's wing feathers are trimmed, he won't be able to fly around the room (although he may startle and fly to the floor); but if his wings are untrimmed, make sure you practice this step in a closed room. Any trip outside the cage can be dangerous, so make sure the room in which you train is safe; check electrical outlets and cords, remove possible high perching spots, and don't let any other pets into the room.
Even with time and patience, some budgies may be hesitant to accept strange hands entering their cages and will not be receptive to finger training. Your budgie may even nip at your finger. In this case, your budgie is more likely to step up onto your finger if you first allow him to come out and climb onto the cage top or onto a perch attached to the outside of the cage.
Another way to reduce the chance of territorial biting is to practice training in a "neutral" territory, such as on a playgym in a room away from the cage. If your bird is still nippy, a final option is to begin step up training with a perch (discussed in the next section) and then work up to using your finger.
Once you and your budgie have mastered the step up command, teach the bird to step back off your hand or finger when he is returned to the cage. Use a simple command such as "step down," or "off," and gently maneuver the bird back onto the floor of his cage or onto a favorite perch. Repeat this process until the bird understands what you want and feels secure responding to the command.
Different budgies learn at different rates; some simply adjust better than others do. Never get angry or frustrated with a slow learner. Always be gentle and patient, and keep repeating the training session for short intervals several times a day. Eventually the budgie will associate the command with the action. Keep refreshing the training by repeating the sequence every day. Budgies can forget their training if placed in their cages and not asked to practice their new skills.
Once your budgie understands the step up and off commands, teach him to step up onto a perch and down (off) onto your finger or hand.
PERCH TRAINING
Next you want to get the bird used to stepping onto a perch. Start with a short perch, eventually working up to a perch that is maybe two to four feet long. This training will allow you to retrieve a frightened bird from a shelf, light fixture, or other position high up in a room or--in the worst case--from a low branch on a tree outdoors.
Using a short perch, repeat the basic training steps for teaching the bird to climb on and off your finger. Use the same simple commands so the budgie doesn't really have to learn anything new. Keep training simple and fun, and give an occasional treat to keep the bird interested. You will be able to tell when the bird becomes tired and just won't learn any more during a session, so let him relax and try again in an hour or two. Eventually, almost all budgies learn to step up onto a perch.
TOWEL TRAINING
You or your veterinarian may need to handle your budgie when he is sick or injured. An injured or scared budgie is panicky and will not respond to simple commands. If you try to hold a squirming bird with a glove, he is likely to bite you, and he may learn to distrust your hand. And veterinarians do not enjoy trying to examine or treat birds, even small budgies, who are constantly trying to bite and scratch them. The best bet is to teach your budgie to actually enjoy being wrapped in a towel and be willing to extend just a wing or a foot for simple treatments such as wing and nail trimming. Toweling him gives you control of the bird and reduces the risk of further injury.
Make this training time enjoyable for the bird. Place a towel on a tabletop or other stable surface, and put a treat or toy in the center (such as a piece of millet spray, a bit of apple, a raisin, or a favorite bell). Allow the budgie to walk over to the treat, and then spend a few minutes interacting with him. Once the bird has become comfortable spending some time on the towel, slowly pull one corner toward (and eventually over) the bird while speaking gently to him and petting him. You may need to repeat this several times because budgies are easily frightened by objects approaching them from above; but with persistence, you can teach yours to accept being covered.
It takes some patience to towel train your pet bird, but the training will make your bird much easier to handle when ill or injured or for routine grooming.
Once your bird is used to having one corner pulled up, proceed to a second corner and then a third, finally closing the entire towel loosely over the bird (and his treat). Ultimately, you want be able to lift your budgie and hold him firmly but gently while he is in the towel. You may find that your bird will more readily accept being wrapped in a brightly colored towel than in a dark or white one, and your bird may prefer a smooth material to terrycloth, which can get caught on his nails.
Can Your Budgie Speak?
Budgies are as intelligent as many larger parrots, and they have the same type of tongue and sound box (the syrinx, which contains the equivalent of vocal cords). Their small size, however, means that any words they repeat will be very high pitched--often close to squeaks--and the words may be hard to distinguish from whistles. Budgies can repeat words and other sounds, but you may have to listen very closely to tell just what sounds they are repeating. Don't expect your budgie to ever sound as clear as an African grey or an Amazon parrot, whose larger sound boxes produce more modulated tones that can actually resemble human intonation.
Not all budgies will learn to speak. Males are more likely to speak than females are; they also tend to have louder and clearer voices and are less likely to forget their training. Females often become more involved with laying eggs than with speaking, but many female budgies do learn to speak and are quite understandable. But there are exceptions to every rule, and many budgie owners would disagree with these gender-based observations.
Teaching a budgie to talk takes a lot of time and patience, and repetition.
When it is time for a speech-training session, move your budgie's cage to a place where he cannot hear other budgies or other birds and where he will not be distracted by a TV, radio, or stereo. Or move just your budgie into another room, placing him on a play-gym or into his travel cage or keeping him perched on your finger. You want him to be able to concentrate only on you and the many repetitions necessary to learn to speak.
Get close to your budgie, and make sure you have his attention; having him perched on your finger is a great way to show him it is time to focus. Begin with a simple word of one or two hard syllables--teaching him his own name is a great way to start. Repeat the word slowly and distinctly. Use a constant cadence, and say the word exactly the same way each time. Start with a ten-minute session several times a day, and eventually move to sessions up to twenty minutes long. You will be able to tell when your bird becomes bored and wants to play, but don't give up too quickly at each session.
How long will it take to teach the first word? It may take two or three days, or it could take a week. Or, as mentioned earlier, your budgie may never learn to speak.
Once your budgie has learned his name, move on to a second word that sounds quite different but still has only one or two syllables. Keep repeating until the bird learns the word. Once your bird has learned two words, continue to expand his vocabulary as much as possible. Many budgies learn their names and little else, whereas some learn two or three dozen words.
Use a Recording
Teaching a budgie to speak can be a long, slow process, but many companies have produced teaching aids to make your job easier. Any pet store that sells birds or bird supplies is certain to have one or two training CDs. Some aids are excellent and well planned, and others are a bit skimpier in presentation, but any may still help just by exposing your bird to constant repetition. However, many experienced bird owners believe there is no substitute for the one-on-one training time you spend with your bird. Consider training CDs a supplement to your budgie's training, not the main means.
Your budgie may never learn any fancy tricks, but even climbing a ladder, is entertaining for you to watch and good exercise for your bird.
Belly Up
Most parrots can be trained to lie on their backs in their owners' hands. It's a cute trick, and it is a position that veterinarians can use to examine the birds. Training is done by slowly and repeatedly tipping the bird back into the cupped palm of one hand while he is perched on the other. You can also train your budgie to perch on your thumb; then wrap your hand around his body and tip him back. Unfortunately, many budgies are too excitable to accept this position and never will allow you to hold them with the belly up. You can try to teach your pet this position, but don't expect too much.
Some budgies enjoy having their bellies petted. Your bird may not be comfortable in the belly-up position, however, so don't push him if he repeatedly resists the training.
Other Tricks
Their small size prevents budgies from performing many physical tricks common to other parrots, such as roller-skating or skateboarding, but they have a good sense of balance and can learn to walk a tightrope, flip objects out of a spoon, ring a bell, and engage in other similar activities. Many pet stores sell books with suggestions and methods for simple tricks that can be taught to budgies, and some birds seem to enjoy learning to perform with their owners.
Sometimes, budgies teach what they have learned to their pals and cage mates.
Here is one very simple "trick": offer your budgie a small wad of paper. His first instinct, after juggling it around with his beak, will be to toss it to the floor. Each time your budgie sees you pick it up and hand it back to him, he begins to understand the cause and effect--and he enjoys it! If you place a large hoop of brightly colored plastic at the edge of the table where your budgie normally throws the paper, he will throw the paper through the hoop. With repetition (and a few treats), you can train your budgie to consistently throw the paper through smaller and smaller hoops at different heights. You can also switch to using a small, plastic Wiffle ball (available at most pet superstores). Eventually, you can teach your budgie to play a little game of basketball with you.
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