Budgies are sociable birds and when they are happy, they chirp, sing and interact with other birds and their human owners.
In fact, budgies are rarely quiet- except when they are eating and sleeping!
It can be disappointing if you have brought your new budgie home and you find that he is being very quiet – the good news is that there is probably nothing wrong….
Healthy, happy budgies love to chirp, sing, and interact with other budgies and human friends.
They are quiet when they are eating, sleeping, or taking naps.
If you just brought your budgie home, it will take a few weeks before he fully adjusts to his new surroundings.
Are Budgies Quiet When You First Get Them?
It is not unusual for budgies to be a little quiet when they are in new surroundings or meeting new people.
It could well take a few weeks for your new pet to feel comfortable in his new home.
Young budgies may well sit on the edge of his food bowl or on the bottom of the cage as this will make him feel more secure than sitting and feeling exposed on a perch.
The food bowl and floor will remind him of how secure he felt in the nesting box.
Your budgie may well feel very uncomfortable if he is on his own as he will have been used to being around other birds.
If you have bought a pair of young budgies, they should settle more easily as they have the security and comfort of each other.
If after a few weeks, your budgie still doesn’t seem happier or noisier, he could be sick, injured or depressed and it is well worth seeking the advice of an avian Vet.
Related Article – New Budgie Not Eating (& How You Can Help)
How Long Does It Take For a New Budgie To Settle In?
The usual length of time that it takes a new budgie to feel completely settled in their new surroundings is a few weeks.
Your budgie should show signs of settling in within a couple of days and after a few weeks should be demonstrating that he has settled, with lots of chirping and singing.
If is important to give your budgie time to settle in, but if you find that after a few weeks he is still very quiet, it will be worth checking that your budgie is healthy.
One problem is, you don’t know if a budgie is unwell or just shy and quiet
So let’s look at what the signs are of a budgie that is unwell
What Are The Signs My Budgie Is Unwell?
Signs that your new budgie could be unwell are that he is sitting quietly in a corner of the cage, fluffed up and exceptionally quiet.
Watch him carefully as he may well not be drinking either.
Take a good look at your new budgie for any signs of an injured leg or wing – usually this is easy to spot as the budgie is holding his limb at a strange angle.
If your budgie seems to be behaving normally in every way but is just exceptionally quiet, this could be a sign of depression.
It’s always a good idea to take your budgie to the avian vet if you are concerned
Better to be safe than sorry!
How To Help Your New Budgie Settle In
Budgies are naturally sociable and love to interact with other birds and humans and truly dislike being left in their cage on their own for endless hours.
In the early days, you need to take care not to cause him any alarm as he will be on his guard as he is somewhere strange.
Awesome Tips To Help Your Budgie Settle In
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- Place your budgie’s cage against a wall, rather than in the middle of a room, as this will make them feel safer and he won’t be looking in all directions all the time for danger.
- Cover the roof and sides of the cage with a sheet or towel as this will create a secure feeling for your budgie. This is particularly important at night time.
- Sit quietly close to the cage and talk to your budgie or read to him from a book. If you are working by the cage, do so calmly and quietly so your budgie does not get scared.
- Until you are confident that your budgie has settled in, do not try and touch him or lift him out of his cage to fly around as he will find this really scary.
- Do not make lots of noise near the cage, don’t shout or even speak loudly and don’t play loud music.
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Budgies are creatures of habit and your new bird would appreciate socializing with you at the same time every day.
If you don’t have much time to take your budgie out of his cage to play and to keep him company, it could be very beneficial to get him a feathered friend!
Signs Your Budgie Is Settling
During the first week with your new budgie, you should see signs that your budgie is getting used to his new home and is feeling more comfortable.
Signs of this include
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- Your budgie will now be happy to eat and drink water when you are n the room
- Your budgie will be relaxed enough to sleep with you in the room
- Your budgie is confident and feeling safe enough to preen while you are in the room.
- Your budgie has started to play with his toys and is ignoring you.
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Once you are seeing these different signs, you can be confident that your budgie is feeling relaxed and comfortable in his new home.
Once you have reached this stage, you can start work on taming your budgie which can be really successful – as long as you don’t try to hurry things!