r/petbudgies

My mom recently passed and she was keeping two budgies which came to me. They're in this small white cage together and they have a toy, a bath, a treat stick, two food bowls, a water bowl and some kind of yellow perch/chalk like thing? I know they probably need a bigger cage which I will try to save up for but is there anything else they may need or would enjoy? I've never kept birds before and I really don't want to have to rehome them because they're all I have of her but I will if it's what is absolutely best for them. Any advice would be amazing.

Forgot to mention I live in a relatively small trailer and have no room for a hugely massive cage but could probably swing a few feet in length/height, I also don't make a whole lot and I'm now supporting a special needs brother and a minor brother so money is tight. Any tips on cheap upgrades would be amazing. Thank you in advance!

Not asking for medical advice, Mods!

I’m quite concerned about my two rescue budgies, M and F, both about 5 years old. We rescued them from a bad situation a little under a week ago. They don’t seem to be making progress as far as mental enrichment is concerned. I clipped a toy specifically for budgies in their cage, and they were petrified so I immediately took it out once I’d noticed a minute or two later that my girl was clutching onto the back bars, splayed out in fright, and my boy was hiding.

Today, I changed out the soiled paper at the bottom of the cage, and I clipped two toilet paper tubes to the side of the cage, underneath their water dish. I also placed another perch close by and a little ladder to make it more accessible for them. Considering the abuse and neglect they experienced in the past, they don’t like hands in their cage and usually react with terror, but then calm down a little. They still keep their distance, but they’re not thrilled. Their obvious stress indicators like being puffed up, lifting their wings and grabbing onto the bars subside after a while. I never reach for them or place my hand in their vicinity because I want to respect their boundaries, but housekeeping dictates I need to put my hands in at some point, and today was attempt two at enrichment. They’re very codependent so the tubes are next to one another. Inside I placed torn brown, untreated paper, a budgie ball in the middle of each, and sprinkled some seeds in. They’re not moving from their swing perch and my boy, who’s usually very food-motivated, is not going to eat. This concerns me, because the first time I gave their cage a proper cleaning, they were terrified but recovered far quicker than now. They even allowed my hand to come close to them to capture a short video (which I never usually do because I don’t want to startle them for the sake of just taking a picture or a video). And once I was done, my boy came to eat as soon as I replaced their food, and didn’t mind me standing right next to the cage, filming him as he ate with gusto. I know that prey animals won’t eat if they feel threatened, so I felt I made progress. This time, after MUCH less of an upheaval than the cleanup (just changing out the paper at the bottom and placing the ladder, perch and makeshift toys in the cage) they’re still on their perch, and my boy has not gone to eat, which is very unlike him as he usually rushes to eat when I replenish their food every day. They’re also not eating the fresh veggies and sometimes fruits we leave for them (as treats, not as their main food source), but they did before. I’m not sure what we’re doing wrong. I’m currently playing them budgie sounds on my phone, and they gradually started “making out” (they’ve been mating in the last three weeks) but they’re not going to their food or water. They have started chirping quietly, so I’m taking that as a sign they’re gradually calming down even more? But they’re not leaving the perch, which I’ve come to notice is their comfort spot when they want to feel safe. My little boy is the bolder of the two, and if he makes a move towards the toys, I’m sure my little girl would see they’re harmless and join him. But it’s worrying that he seems just as stressed about these toys as my girl, who’s a bit more timid. They simply can’t just live to eat, drink water, and sit together in a cage with no enrichment. LIVE UPDATE: my boy is now nibbling his cuttlefish bone.

Any advice is very welcome. We eventually want them to move into their new, improved cage with enrichment (not too much so as to not overwhelm them), more space and better utilities for their mental, physical and emotional health/support. It’s been almost a month and they’re still not comfortable with us, but I understand their trust issues and I’m taking things at their pace. Another live update: My boy is now eating and my girl is chirping loudly. Another live update: baby girl is now at food dish. I don’t want to watch her eat in case it intimidates her so I’m watching from the corner of my eye.

In last June When I was working at an animal shelter and heard that someone found Jellybean and brought it to the shelter. He was found on the street and got brought to the shelter. The owners didn't show up at all. Then I checked on him and fell in love with him, adopted him few days later. When I was filling up the application to adopt Jellybean and waited for the person to bring him to me. But I saw that he used the net and tried to catch Jellybean as he was flying frantically. I got very upset and wanted to say something but I couldn't because of my job at the shelter. Then I brought him home, he got so scared as I gently opened the cage door and he flew into the wall few times, and I had to be calm and scooped him then he bit my finger as he went in the cage. He was very timid and refused to get close to the hands. As my mom and I sometimes put our hands very slowly and gently to put the food and water dish in the cage. Jellybean got spooked few times. It took a month and half to earn his trust to be close to the hands. I sometimes put the millet on my hand and he actually picked it and ate but didn't sit on my hand or my moms. Other time, brought him to the bedroom where it was more safe for him to fly around and wouldn't get hurt. He got spooked but flew up and hung on the bedroom door frame then flew around for 4 or 5 hours. We didn't want to force him to go in the cage, let him do on his own and he did on his own! But he is still scared of hands. My mom and I had our suspicions that the previous owners might be too rough with Jellybean, like they might have kept grabbing him as his wings aren't clipped. I am still working to earn his trust to overcome the fear of hands. I used to own few budgies, lineolated parakeet, green cheek conure, black headed caique and white ringneck dove. They weren't really scared of my hands easily. I was wondering if you ever had experiences to handle untamed budgies that was fearful of hands for a long time. I'd love to hear about your experiences and suggestions to earn the trust of the fearful budgie.

I love the way they smell oh my god my birds literally smell like a dusty sweet popcorn and it radiates around the whole room 🥹🥹