Taming Budgies?

[*Monica*]

hi everyone! http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif
Im going to get a new budgie from a pet store pretty soon and i was wondering, How old do they normally come in pet shops. Is that to old to start training them to talk? Can they learn how to talk? How old can you start to train them ANYTHING???
THANKS!!!

Ps: sorry for all the questions! but i need a reply soon! THANKS AGAIN!!!! http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif

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~*~Monica~*~

[carmy]

hi
most pet shop's sell baby budgies around 11mths or about that, that's a bit old to start tranning them so i think u should ask one of the people who work at the pet shop if u could have a number of a local budgie breeder and ask them if they have any new baby's. iv heard that u have to start pretty early to tame them if u wont them really tame.i brought a budgie that is 11mths old and i have to tame her and for older birds u have to take time to get there trust so i hope this help.

carmy

[*Monica*]

THANKS!!!! Ill think about that! http://petshub.com/ubb/smile.gif

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~*~Monica~*~

[TielLover2004]

budgie can not be train to talk. Unless you spend ALOT ALOT ALOT of time with them

[Canni]

^ Thats not true.. my friends budgie learnt to talk just from being exposed to the same words every day.

I'd look at getting one from a breeder not a petshop, and look for one that has been hand reared as they are much easier to train then.

[TielLover2004]

thats why i said u have to spend alot alot alot of time

[Canni]

lol.. no this was no time at all...they were lucky to get their owners attention for 10 minutes a day lol.. the males do make good talkers..

[Young]

Budgies can learn to talk, if you just repeat the same words or tunes when you walk in the room, or just whenever you get the chance. It wont be quite as clear as big parrots, but they'll usually pick it up. Espically boys, they tend to whistle and talk more that the girls.
I have a cockatiel that I got two months ago, and he is already starting to do the wolf whistle, and cockatiels and budgies learn talking at pretty much the same rate, so good luck!
And It depends on where you get them, if they'll be tame or not. But if not, just hold him/her daily as much as possible. When theyre babies they dont really know how to bite, so dont be afraid. And if they do bite, it wont be hard. Be sure not to jerk if they try and bite at you though, because that will teach them that youre afraid of them so then they will know that you have fear of them.
Well , good luck!

[honeythorn]

Hi I used to breed budgies when i was younger , and i agree with previous posters that the younger you start handling the better . I used to handle mine about 2-3 weeks after hatching or as soon as their eyes opened.that way they get very used to bieng picked up and handled/checked which comes in very useful if they have to visit a vet! although i doubt if most breeders will let you handle their birds this young, i suggest that you go to a reputable breeder and buy the youngest independent bird they can let you have ( i:e one thats feeding for itself and starting to really get the hang of flight within the confines of the cage) . you might have to pay a bit more for a good specimen particularly if its hand reared or already trained . on the other hand if you cant find a breeder or dont want to pay the extra, a shop bought bird will make just as good a pet, espescially if you can get one young enough. you might know this already but i'll tell you just in case, signs to look for when finding a young bird are:
lots of barred markings on the head
a completely black eye ( no grey iris showing yet)
short tail feathers ( check they're in good condition and not really tatty looking)
also buy at least two or more books on budgies, that way you can get a cross reference on various aspects of care and diseases( opinions will differ from author to author) anyway good luck in your search and sorry for rattling on ! hope this helps.

[Timmmmmy]

i got a young budgie this Friday and he's about 8 weeks old and he's going onto my finger already when i stroke his belly