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How To Hold a Budgie For The First Time? How To Avoid Being Bitten

How To Hold a Budgie For The First Time

Handling a pet bird can be challenging, especially during the first days. The bird is not used to you, and you likely don’t know how to handle it well. But how do you do it?

So, how to hold a budgie for the first time? To hold your pet budgie, approach the cage steadily while calling its name in a soothing voice. Make sure the pet is fed and in a good playful mood. Open the cage and slide your hand in, and let the pet perch on your finger.

Despite holding your budgie looking so easy, several factors contribute to the success. Read on to learn how to hold your pet bird and avoid being bitten.

How Do You Hold a Budgie for The First Time?

The first experience can either build or destroy your relationship with your pet. If you’re not gentle when holding the bird, it might perceive you as violent. From then on, the bird will always peck your fingers when you try to grab it.

How Do You Hold a Budgie for The First Time

Budgies are social creatures, also known as parakeets, belonging to the order psittaciformes. In nature, they live in flocks, which contributes to their affable personality. However, holding a budgie is not that simple. The following section shows the steps you can follow to hold your budgie successfully.

Step 1. Bond With Your Parakeet

Most new pet owners wish to hold their pets as soon as they get home. This is not always successful. You must first earn their trust, which you can build through bonding.

Bond With Your Parakeet

Bonding involves communicating with your bird and letting them study you. For the first few days, sit by the cage, offer snacks, and interact with your new pet bird.

Step 2. Feed Your Pet

Feed your pet a balanced diet and water before holding it. A hungry pet will not only be in a foul mood but likely bite you. When feeding it foods like millet spray, hand feed it to elevate its confidence. 

Feed Your Budgie

Step 3. Approach The Cage

When the pet is fed and perching or playing, approach the cage while calling it softly. This will minimize the chances of startling your pet or appearing threatening. As prey animals, budgies are easily startled, especially in new environments.

Step 4. Open The Cage Door

Open the cage door gently and observe your budgie’s body language. If the bird looks defensive, it might require more time to build confidence. During the bonding period, it’s best to open the cage’s door regularly to get the pet more comfortable.

Step 5. Place Your Hand

If the bird looks relaxed when you open the door, place your hand inside the cage. The bird may first be hesitant to perch on it but soon will after more bonding. Stretch one finger as close as possible to the bird and wait for it to perch.

Place Your Hand Budgie

Step 6. Take It Out

Make sure that the bird is perched steadily on your finger before taking it out of the cage. At first, the bird might fly back to the cage or away into the room, so keep the windows and doors closed.

See also:  Why Is Your Budgie Sneezing? How To Help?

Some rare budgie birds might dislike being held, which it’s okay. You can bond more with it until it’s confident enough to perch on you.

How To Grab a Budgie with a Towel

Luckily, if you’re not confident enough to hold your budgie bare-handed, you can use a towel. You must follow all the steps above to ensure you successfully hold it. However, it might take more time for the bird to perch on you.

How To Grab a Budgie with a Towel

Also, trim the bird’s nails to avoid getting scratched when you hold it.  The budgie will try to get a steady grip on the towel using its nails and might scratch you. You can use a nail clipper to trim its nails after you’re bonded or get an avian vet to do it.

How To Catch a Budgie in a Cage?

Sometimes, your pet budgie will refuse to get back to its cage after getting out. Remember to keep all your outlets closed and stop the fan until you recapture it. Following are some ways to catch a budgie in a cage.

How To Catch a Budgie in a Cage
  1. Lure the bird using their favorite treats.
  2. Wait for the bird to get hungry and place some food in its cage. Make sure the bird sees you doing it.
  3. If your bird is bonded, place your fingers near it to get it to perch on you.

Dim the lights on other parts of the room except where the cage is.

How To Avoid Being Bitten by A Budgie When You Hold it

One of the fears of new budgie owners is getting pecked or scratched by the bird’s nails. While their bite is not usually painful, they hurt, especially if on a soft part. Luckily, there are various ways you can prevent yourself from being bitten.

How To Avoid Being Bitten by A Budgie When You Hold it
  1.  Give the bird time to get used to its surroundings before attempting to hold it. During the first days, the bird might be more aggressive and bite.
  2.  Avoid holding its wings or legs because it can hurt. In defense, the bird will likely bite your fingers to get you to let it free.
  3.  Avoid holding your pet invertedly which can also make it bite you. Budgies use their beaks to support themselves and it might bite you in the process.
  4.  Don’t try to hold your pet when it is time to sleep, and it’s already sleeping on its perch in the cage.
  5.  Avoid holding your pet when it is not properly fed. A budgie with a nutritional deficiency from nutrients like calcium is also likely to bite. Bird owners are urged to include liquid calcium products in the pet’s diet as a source of calcium and keep the diet balanced. 
How To Avoid Being Bitten by A Budgie

Also, remember only after taming your bird you’ll have a better chance of holding it. Cover your hand with a towel if you’re uncomfortable holding your pet bird for the first time. Thus, trim the bird’s nails to avoid getting scratched when they perch on you.

See also:  Overweight Budgie: How to Help It Lose Weight?

How Do You Hold a Budgie to Give It Medicine?

Holding your bird for medication is different from when petting it. The bird must be cooperative to be successfully medicated and avoid getting injured. Follow the following steps to hold your budgie for medication.

How Do You Hold a Budgie to Give It Medicine

Step 1. Pick the bird with either a towel or using surgical gloves

Step 2. Hold it on the pam while supporting its neck with your fingers

Step 3. Don’t hold its chest because you might restrict it from breathing

Step 4. Tilt its head at an angle such that the beak is on the side

Step 5. Use the dropper and place two drops on the top corner of its mouth

Step 6. Turn it right back up and tilt its head backward for the medication to run down

If you’re holding a budgie for whatever reason, be tender and gentle to avoid frightening it. You also don’t want to cause unnecessary damage to its delicate body parts. 

Video

FAQs

The following section covers some frequently asked questions related to this topic. We trust you will find it useful. 

Q: Do Budgies Like to Be Held?

Budgies love perching near or on a person’s finger but dislike being held. It’s best to let your budgie choose what they like and then follow that.

Q: Do I Need to Wait Before Holding My New Parakeet?

A budgie can take more than two weeks to settle at home and gain confidence. However, hand-taming the bird can speed up the timeline.

Q: Can I Hold a Baby Budgie?

You can hold a baby budgie if it’s more than two weeks old. However, baby budgies are delicate and require special care while being handled. 

Bottom Line

One of the joys of keeping these colorful birds is holding them. While it might be difficult to hold them immediately after you buy them, with time, you can. To speed up the process, you can bond with them by engaging them as much as possible.

Holding your budgie includes following a few steps to ensure they’re comfortable. Also, hold your pet as guided in the article when applying medication. Remember to be gentle to avoid breaking your bird’s delicate parts, especially if the pet bird is young.

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Peter Kaestner

Hi there, my name is Peter Kaestner and I am the owner of Birdsauthority.com. As a avid bird watcher and enthusiast with a passion for ornithology, I want to share my knowledge and experience with other bird lovers through this blog. As someone who regularly participates in bird-related forums and groups online, I am dedicated to helping others learn more about these amazing creatures. However, it's important to note that while I am happy to share my expertise and advice, it is always crucial to consult with an avian veterinarian before making any decisions that could potentially impact your bird's health or well-being. Your bird's health and happiness should always be your top priority, and consulting with a professional is the best way to ensure that you are making informed decisions on their behalf. I hope that through my blog, I can help make a positive difference in the lives of birds and the people who care for them. Whether you are an experienced bird owner or just starting out, I encourage you to use this resource as a way to learn more about these fascinating animals and how to provide them with the best possible care.View Author posts