Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an English budgie that gets spooked very easily. If he's sitting comfortably on my shoulder and someone walks into the room or I change position he flies to the floor. Then I have to crawl around on my hands and knees trying to pick him back up.

Does anyone know of some way to cure this? Or is it just the way he's always going to be?

I would try rewarding him every time he doesn`t spook. You can set up situations where you know he`s going to spook (for example, having someone walk into the room or slam a door). Before the `spook` even happens, take out a millet spray and let him get really into it, and then when the scary event happens he might stay put. Purposefully cause spooky events like this several times, always making sure he`s distracted by food or a toy, and praise him when he fails to spook.

Then you can try doing things like presenting the millet/toy just an instant before the spooky event, then at the same time as the spooky event, and eventually... after the spooky event. At this point you`re rewarding him for not spooking. If he knows he`ll get a reward (like food, toys, or praise) if he doesn`t spook, he might be able to learn to stay put.

Thanks so much!! That's a great idea--my only concern is that he'll learn to expect the treat every time. If I stop offering him the reward, will he stop being good?

As long as you don't stop the reward too soon, he should still go along with the "new" behavior. Every once in a while they will regress but usually once a behavior is learned they will not "unlearn" it. Even after you stop giving him the reward every time, giving it to him once in a while when he is behaving the way you want is still a good idea. Then you can use the reward for learning other new things and he should look forward to spending time with you and learning.

Stephanie

Thanks so much everyone! I'll try this and let you know how it goes.

Also: don`t underestimate the usefulness of plain, old-fashioned praise as a reward. If you don`t have a treat at hand, you can at least tell him what a good bird he is.

I`ve actually trained my cockatiels to not startle at earthquakes by rewarding them for staying calm whenever we have one. ...I think they actually look forward to quakes now... (Tells you something about where I live, that we have quakes often enough for me to accomplish THAT!)