Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, a little back story (please indulge me):

I had two birds, a male(4 years) and a female (3 years) ... the male was tame and the female (the 2nd bird in the mix) was not.

A few weeks ago, the male sadly passed away, leaving me with the untamed female.

My basic question is ... is it possible to tame a bird after it's been in this enviornment for 3 years?

It's not like a rescue bird which suddenly comes into my realm, it's a bird that's been here (and decidedly been distant) for 3 years already and has chosen to not bond with me.

A little background for this female budgie:

It was never totally "loving" towards either it's owner (me) or it's mate (the deceased "Eli", opting to angrily peck at the aforementioned male budgie whenever said male budgie was having fun. Basically, I feel that this budgie is a solitary bird who doesn't care for anyone/thing else but itself.

I've had budgies all my life (6 in total) and this is the most, for lack of a better word, reclusive one of the bunch.

I've tried repeatedly (and for hours a day) recently to bond with this bird, but to no avail. I've blinked to her. I've offered her millet from my hand. I've tried the universal "step up" routine. But, nothing. She doesn't bite, but when I approach her with an outstretched finger, she "tenses up" , leaning back from the perch which she's on like I'm the boogie man. It's like I'm back in elementary school and have the "cooties."

Ideally, I'd like to get a 2nd bird again (for myself and her), but I must say that I honestly believe that she's happier being solo. She was never one for vocalization, but I see her "bopping" her head more now than when she had Eli with her (by the way, Eli, who's in my avatar, was a totally selfless bird who always looked out for her, but got nothing but an angry peck in return). She's quiet now, as always .. living a seemingly boring life. I don't want to bring it another "loving" budgie into the mix, just to have him/her abused by this scoundrel. But, truth be told, I don't want this bird alone either. To me, it's nothing more than the dreaded "ornament" bird as it is.

So, what would you do?

Oh, goodness! We have a female just like you are describing. It took a number of tries to find a male that she would like to spend time with (no females. We tried that and it was disastrous. She was the dominent hen.)
It turned out that one of our males in another cage was her crush. Once we moved him in with her, she was happy. She was also prolific. She's now on her fourth clutch this year. She's an excellent mamabird.
(We currently have 11 budgies. We have three mated pairs who have been producing babies this year. We have sold 10 of the babies and given away 2 of them. The population explosion is rather baffling.)
My advice depends on how much space you have for budgies. If you can, buy a bunch of them and try them out with her either individually or as a group. Keep the 'rejects' in another cage.

If you are wanting another budgie for yourself as well as for her then I would suggest getting another one. But I would suggest that at least at first you plan on keeping them in separate cages. Birds do not have to be in the same cage to offer companionship to each other. The cages (after quarantine) could be set up beside each other, then if the female seemed interested in the new male you could introduce them in a neutral space or cage and see how it works, if she pecks at him instead of being receptive to his companionship then keep them separate and you can still have them both for feathered friends and as separate companions to each other.

If you are getting a new bird for your other bird only and not as a companion to yourself as well then I would not suggest getting another bird. If your female has not show interest in companions she may be quite happy without one. As you said she is showing more "happiness" since her mate is gone. It is possible that after being left alone without a mate and without real handling that if you approach slowly and patiently she may even be receptive to taming or training. Circumstances do change a birds personality and she may be much more content without a mate.

Unless you are a breeder and planning on having a houseful of birds or have homes to give babies to I would not suggest getting a large group of budgies as they will take more time to take care of and have less chance of becoming friendly to people. (I do realize some people have whole aviaries full of "tame" birds but this is rarer than having an aviary of breeder birds that are not as receptive to human contact.