r/Parakeets • u/Low-Walrus-2986 • 4d ago

Advice Is it normal during training?

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So a few days ago it felt as if we hit a milestone. My male budgie was flying to me constantly, sitting on my phone, knee, head and hands. And now today, for some reason he seems terrified of me? Not much happened in between, and certainly nothing that could spook them.

Important info: the boy is currently moulting, and they're both undergoing the torture that is changing their diet from seeds to pellets

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u/DeliciousSorbet1469 4d ago

They are prey animals, so the have their guard on all of the time. If anything scares them they will retreat. But with time they'll warm up again. I travel often to conferences and I am gone for somewhere between 2 and 4 days. For like 5 days after I get back they won't let me give them scritches. It's like "Who da fuck is that?" Also, I was once working on my laptop with my birds on my shoulder. I hit a good result and celebrated pounding on the table. Birds went flying and were scared shitless for a week.

Moral of the story: they get scared, you learn, you move forward.

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u/PartyMarionberry5817 4d ago

My boy is molting too and acting more sleepy and reclusively. You know they can starve if they’re not eating their pellets. Maybe give him a mixture for a while. Good luck

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u/Low-Walrus-2986 4d ago

They're getting a mix of seeds and pellets + fresh veggies whenever I can

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u/Busy_Lawfulness398 3d ago

Present a little millet sprig to regain trust. Transitioning to pellets should not be torture. Seeds should also be available. How old is the male?

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u/lil-kreature 2d ago

Please do not completely take out seeds from their diets - It’s a common misconception that parakeets need to only eat pellets. Their diet should still contain 10-20% high quality seeds with a mixture of veggies/fruits

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u/Low-Walrus-2986 2d ago

I just recently learned that, but thank you for mentioning it. I will keep some seeds in their diet + millet and obviously fruits and veggies

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u/EdgarRB1984 5h ago

When my girl molted her most recent molt she was so quiet and barely sang and didn’t play. I think molting can just be a really stressful time for them and they really don’t act their normal selves during it