comments:
Unfortunately since they are "cheap" birds budgies aren't typically bred and raised in a way that makes them comfortable to humans from an early age. Larger, pricier parrots are often either hand-fed (considered a controversial technique to some) or handled often by a human breeder/trainer starting from a young age so that they're already accustomed to people and hands by the time they are adolescents/young adults. Like if you were to get something like a young Golden Conure or an African Grey or even a colorful Quaker morph from a good breeder or someone who trains their birds, they will likely step up to you and actively want to hang all over you from the very beginning. Way long ago we got an young albino quaker and it was completely different from all the other parakeets they had for sale. I reached into its open pen and it surprisingly climbed up all the way onto our coats and immediately wanted to preen and investigate us. Turns out the staff there all loved this little bird and everyone hung out with it constantly so it was super comfortable with literally anyone. That doesn't mean that they'll never become affectionate and cuddly, though. It just means that YOU have to be the one that trains them. The other posters are not kidding, budgies really require patience. We also got one and it took quite some time and active work before it would step up and want to be with us. We bought this cage and assembled it to single height. It's an awesome modular cage and very easy to move around. From there we basically just sat the budgie in the cage next to us whereever we were - while working in the office, watching tv, eating dinner, etc. Eventually we would do that and leave the cage door open - at some point the budgie would just sit at the door. We also offered the budgie millet sprays by hand. At first we started holding the longer spray from one end so that it could eat at the other end and not feel threatened. Every time I would move my hand closer and closer until I started leaving a millet spray on my open palm. Once the budgie was willing to step onto my hand to eat the millet that basically sealed the deal. After that was step-up training onto a finger and it didn't take long to get from that to shoulder perching, preening my face, and allowing head scritches.