How to Finger Train a Parakeet

Are you one those who'd love to have a few colorful, playful parakeets (also called budgies) in the house, but can't stand the sad sight of them sitting in a cage their whole lives? If so, learning how to finger train a parakeet is the solution. Once finger trained, your parakeet can come out of the cage to fly around the house, survey his terratory from the chandelier, or ride around on your shoulder (and chew your hair). This also makes a parakeet more like a "real" pet you can interact with, instead of something like a fish in a bowl.

As someone who's had parakeets since childhood, I've hand quite a bit of hands-on experience with finger training them. Here are some guidelines for how to finger train a parakeet based on what's worked for me and my birds.

Parakeets, like any species of bird, have their own unqiue needs when it comes to training. Some larger birds, such as parrots, are so fearless around people that they actually attack, while small species, like finches, are too fearful and flighty to accept much training. Parakeets are somewhere in the middle. Parakeets generally don't attack or bite, but they're often a little timid around people at first.

To finger train a parakeet, the first step is to gain the bird's trust. If you've had your parakeet for a few months or longer already, he's probably already used to you having your hands in the cage from time to time, so you're standing nearby won't bother him.

If the parakeet is brand new in your home, though, he'll probably be a little skittish around you. In that case, avoid the cage for a few days while the bird gets settled in. After this, you can slowly aproach the cage and, when the bird starts to look nervous, stop at that point and gently talk to him for a few minutes. Do this a few times a day for a week or so and eventually, you'll be able to come right up to the cage without startling the parakeet.