Flying is a natural activity for highly active and playful budgies. The truth is that they need to fly, but their safety is more critical. Therefore, many owners wonder if letting an untamed budgie out of its cage is a good idea. Let’s find out how to solve this issue.
Budgies get bored when left alone without regular activity, which leads to depression. Flying is a physical necessity for these birds to stay healthy, keep regular heart rates, and maintain a good body condition. Therefore, it is crucial to let even untamed budgies fly after proper preparations.
This article will show you why flying is essential for budgies and help you find a few solutions for handling an untamed bird adequately.
Should You Allow Your Budgie to Fly Freely Before Taming It?
Releasing an untamed budgie from a cage is controversial, and expert opinions are divided. Plus, people are typically uninformed about the captive parrot care complexity.
Most owners regularly let their parrots out of the cage after preparing the space and conditions for flight without fear of injury. Remember that flying keeps birds in the mood, healthy, and fit. It will also improve your budgie’s muscular strength and prevent problems with wings or legs injuries that require veterinary care and physical therapy.
Besides, budgies are curious and social creatures, so they enjoy wandering and spending time out of the cage. This daily exercise is vital for your pet, but your approach should differ depending on its tame levels.
While you can let a trained budgie leave the cage whenever it wants, an untamed bird will require your presence and proper preparations before going outside. One of the excellent tactics is to purchase a cage with a removable roof. That way, you can remove the top cage half and let your budgie choose to sit inside or fly.
Each bird will prefer staying in the cage or coming out straight away, depending on its personality. Forcing it to come out will make it frustrated and scared, so you will have problems with trust and taming afterward.
Basically, there are no time limits for your budgie to spend out of the cage, but you should be prepared that your bird will probably poop everywhere. Limiting its time at freedom will prevent such inconvenience.
What Are the Pros and Cons?
There are numerous reasons why you should let your budgie fly freely regardless of whether it is tamed or not.
Pros
- It is a way to prevent stress, anxiety, and overweight in your bird
- Flying is a required daily exercise for the bird
- It is the only way to let your budgie spread its wings, keeping it healthy
- Only the bird that flies freely can be happy
- It is an excellent opportunity to spend time with your budgie and let it play or sit on your shoulder, palm, or finger
Cons
- Letting an untimed budgie outside the cage can be dangerous because it can hurt itself
- You should be present all the time while the bird is outside the cage
- It is necessary to prepare the room before letting your pet out
- It can be challenging putting your bird back into the cage
Safety Measures You Should Take Before Letting an Untamed Budgie Out of Its Cage
It is always necessary to take appropriate safety measures before letting your budgie out of its cage, but you should be more careful if your bird is untamed.
The crucial thing is to be in the same room and offer some help when needed. Plus, such an attitude will help you establish a connection with your bird and strengthen it over time.
Plan regular time out of the cage
According to bird vet Dr. Rob Marshall, routine is crucial for your budgie, so you should always plan your time for this activity. The best option is to pick out the particular time of day and stick to it as much as possible.
In the ideal case, you should let your budgie fly for at least an hour a day. It is a better solution than allowing a bird to leave the cage a few times for ten to fifteen minutes.
Prepare the room
When the budgie is untrained, you should pay particular attention to the room before letting it fly. It is crucial to provide enough space without many obstacles that can hurt it. Take care to:
- Pick out the room without a stove and furniture with sharp edges
- Ensure that windows are closed and adequately covered
- Close the door and switch off the fan, TV, and heater
- Cover the fireplace and mirror
Finally, keep other pets, particularly cats and dogs, out of the room and remove an aquarium and indoor plants if you have some.
Let your budgie come out
An untrained budgie can be a bit shy after coming to a new home. Therefore, you should consider letting it slowly adjust to unknown circumstances. In fact, the best option is to keep it in the cage for a couple of days before letting it out for the first time.
Once you decide it is time for flying, it will be enough to open the cage door and allow the bird to come out on its own.
Be prepared for contact
Budgies are friendly birds, but not each one will be ready to approach you right away. Give your pet time and be prepared to offer some treats, sing with it, or even play peek-a-boo if it decides to come close.
How to Get an Untamed Budgie Back Into Its Cage?
As you can guess, getting an untamed parrot back into the cage can be pretty tricky. Luckily, you have a few proven techniques to do that in the right way.
Create the bedtime
After spending a few days in the cage, your budgie will consider it a home. In such a case, you can solve the issue of coming back by bringing a little night light into the cage and darkening the room.
Your budgie’s first instinct is to prepare for sleep in such circumstances. So, it is very likely it will go inside the cage and sit on the favorite perch.
Use treats
If you have discovered which treat is a favorite for your new budgie, use it to lure it into the cage. Show it the treat and place it in the cage, but make sure it is aware of the process and keeps eyes on the treat in your hand. In most cases, it will be enough to walk away and wait for a while before your little bird goes for a bite.
Make your budgie hungry
This method is successful only if your pet has spent hours out of the cage. When the only available food is inside it, your budgie will get in sooner or later.
Let your budgie step up on a perch
Place a stick to the bird’s lower belly and apply light pressure. In that case, stepping forward will be the only option for your budgie to maintain the balance. Once it catches the stick, you should carefully transfer it inside the cage.
Catch your budgie
It is definitely the worst option you have since it is stressful for the bird and the sure way to lose faith in you.
If there is no other solution, do it, but never with the bare hands to prevent hurting your pet. It is better to throw a light towel over the bird, pick it up gently, and place it in the cage.
Is It Wise to Let a Budgie Sleeps Outside Its Cage If You Are Unable to Get It Back?
Most budgies consider their cages a secure zone, so most don’t want to sleep outside their homes. You will notice that your bird is comfortable sleeping in the same spot, so there is no reason to change that.
It is also possible to let your budgie sleep outside the cage, but you should have a safe, dark room for that purpose. The weird thing is that most budgies choose to come inside and sit on the perch during sleeping, although you allow it to spend the night out of the cage.
Keeping the budgie inside the cage while sleeping is a matter of safety since the bird’s instinct is to spend the night in a hidden place. Plus, any uncontrolled and unsupervised wandering throughout the house can be dangerous, so it is better to avoid such activity.
