New Budgie Behavior | What do Budgies Do on the First day at Home?

The new budgie is not eating or drinking anything. Even up to 3 or 4 days after being introduced into your home, you may believe the budgie is not eating or drinking anything.

Choosing and bringing home your first budgie is an exciting experience. Whether you have already carefully planned and organized an awesome cage for him, or you are winging it and buying it all at once, this is usually not a spontaneous decision. You have probably given considerable thought to what it will be like to welcome a new budgie into your home. Once you’ve put the budgie in his cage, you may notice that he is a completely different bird than he was in the shop, and some of his new behavior can be quite worrisome for you.

Your new feathery friend may sit at the bottom of the cage for a day or two, without making any sounds. Even though budgies are not difficult to tame, this process takes time, patience, and a gentle approach. Taming budgie can be a great entertainment experience for you and for your Budgie.

Here are some common questions, some tips, and what to expect during your first few days of adjustment.

Why is my new budgie not moving?

What you should expect will vary depending on the individual budgie, but most budgies will be frightened when you bring them home. Expect your budgie to sit very quietly in its new cage, not moving, not eating, not chirping, and trying to show that it is uncomfortable and afraid. This is completely normal, and most budgies will behave in this manner, especially if they are young or if you are bringing home a single budgie. Some of these behaviors may be alarming and concerning in normal circumstances, but when you bring your budgie home, those are completely normal ways for budgies to cope- but they should begin to settle in within the next 24 hours. It is important that you enable your budgie time to adjust to its unfamiliar setting.

There are a few tips that you can use to help your budgie to adjust easier like making sure your budgie’s cage is against a wall, not in the middle of a room, so they do not have to keep an eye out for dangers and can feel safe against the back corners of their cage.

To help them feel more secure, you can also place a towel over the back and top of their cage, leaving the sides and front uncovered. This is especially helpful at night.

Try to sit next to their cage, spend more time talking to them, you can even sing to them gently, just so your budgie can get used to you.

As they regain their confidence, they will begin to explore their new home. Things you should try to avoid doing while your budgie is settling are not trying to attempt to fly your budgie out of its cage, not touching, patting, or holding your budgie. Also try not to make loud noises, listen to loud music, or move quickly around their cage.

Place the cage of your budgie in a quiet area of your home, away from windows and loud sounds. If you have a dog or cat at home you should try to keep them out of the bird’s room to keep them from stressing out your budgie. Budgies are social birds and will not do well in a life of isolation. It takes a little time for them to become a loyal loving little friend to a patient owner.

Why is my new budgie not eating and drinking water?

The new budgie is not eating or drinking anything. Even up to 3 or 4 days after being introduced into your home, you may believe the budgie is not eating or drinking anything. This is most likely not the case; he will eat and drink when you are not present because it makes him feel safer. Eating and drinking put him in a vulnerable position to predator attacks, and because he is not completely convinced you are not a threat to him, he will eat and drink when you are gone.

If you are really worried you should check if there are seed hulls in the food bowl; it is an obvious sign that he is eating while you are not present. Make sure that their food and water are in reach and your new budgie can easily see it. It may take longer for you to notice your budgie drinking rather than eating. It is important to once again remember that moving into a new home is a big change for your new budgie; they will be exposed to new sights, sounds, and smells, some of which may appear threatening to them at first.

Most budgies will naturally adjust to their new surroundings and begin eating and drinking normally within a few days. During the first 24-48 hours, you should pay attention to them, observing how much or if any food they are eating. If your parrot has not begun eating or drinking properly by the third day, you should take them to a veterinarian to make sure there is not some serious problem.

New budgie not sleeping

While budgies can develop emotional attachments to their homes, it usually takes some time for them to get to be comfortable and familiar in a new place. As a result, if you buy a new budgie, it will be alert for the first few weeks. This can make it difficult for them to sleep peacefully at night. To help your budgie relax you might try to sit beside them and speak soothingly and quietly to them, just as you would to a baby or young child. Reassure them with the tone and soft volume of your voice, and try to be at eye level rather than standing over them, so they see you as a friend rather than a predator.

You should place a breathable cover over its cage. It will keep the cage environment dark and quiet. With the cage covered, your pet will feel more at ease and secure. Make sure to check the temperature. You should ensure that the temperature in the room with the cage is not too hot or too cold. Temperature changes or extreme temperatures will make your pet feel uneasy and may even make them sick.

How long does it take for a budgie to start eating or drinking water?

Your new budgie may refuse to eat or drink water when they first arrive in your home. It is a natural response to stress and fear and should fade with time. Some new budgies will drink water, but not if you watch them. You can easily check this by marking the water line on the bowl with a marker or by videotaping them alone. In any case, budgies must stay hydrated or they will die in 24 hours if not given water. You can try to move the bowl to encourage your budgie, using bottled water instead of hard water, or even flavoring the water.

It might take them 3 to 4 days to start eating or drinking in front of you and that is completely normal. You do not have to watch every time the budgie drinks as long as it stays hydrated. It can drink at its own pace if its cage is in a calm, secluded, and quiet environment.

How long does it take for your Budgie to settle in and begin taming in a new home?

Taming a new budgie can take somewhere between three to four weeks. Every budgie is unique and special, and how quickly it can adapt to you and your home is determined by a variety of factors such as its inherent temperament, previous experience with humans, and so on. As we already stated, it might be a quite stressful experience for them and it will take some time so they might appear upset or restless during this transitional period.

A few simple changes to your budgie’s environment and interactions that we mentioned can go a long way toward making your new budgie feel more at ease. You just need a little patience and a gentle approach to your feathered friend. Interact with him shortly a few times per day, but do not overstimulate him in the first few weeks.

Your budgie will slowly adapt to you and your home and relax, but it is best to not force him. Even though he may find your touch to be frightening now, he will eventually find your presence to be comforting and calming but let him do it at his own pace.

When your budgie gets to feeling more comfortable with your presence around them you will notice that they are eating and drinking water with you in the room, they fall asleep with you in the room, they play with toys, and move around their cage without taking much notice of you. If they are doing some or all of the above things you are now ready to move on to taming. Socializing with budgies makes them physically and mentally happier and healthier.