Getting a New Parakeet
Before bringing your parakeet home, there are several things you need to do. First, make sure you have a cage in good condition. It should not be very small; it should be at least 12x12x12 inches and twice that big if you are getting two keets. Also, make sure all the metal bars are painted over. Bars running horizontally are preferred because budgies like to climb. Make sure you have a food and water dish, a gravel dish, some perches, a swing, a cuttlebone, newspaper to cover the bottom of the cage (don't use the shiny or colored kind), and a few toys, but not so many that it crowds your budgie's home.
When picking out a parakeet, it is best to choose a young one. That way she will learn faster and be easier to train. Look on the bird's head for stripes that go all the way down to the cere (the fleshy "nose" right above her beak). The cere should also be a whitish-pink to a whitish-blue color (as you can see in the picture). The eyes should also be dark. In an older "grown-up" bird, the stripes on the forehead are faded, the cere is either blue or brown (blue indicates a male while brown indicates a female), and the irises of the eyes are usually gray. Also, look for a healthy bird; one that is happily chirping and interacting with the other birds. Her eyes should be bright, and her nostrils should be clean and dry.
When you bring your new pet home, she will most likely be in a traveling pet box. If you have had previous experience, you may clip her wings if you prefer (do NOT do this if you have never done it before!) or take her to the vet to have it done. Carefully place your budgie in her cage. It is best to leave her alone for the first day or two so she can settle in her new home. You may even want to put a blanket over her cage if your house has a lot of action.
The very first step of training is to simply place your hands near or on your budgie's cage and talk to her in a soft voice. Do not make loud noises or sudden movements while around your parakeet. It will only frighten her and she will learn not to trust you. After a few days when she seems comfortable with your hand near her, you can move on to the next step. However, do NOT move on until you are sure your parakeet is completely ready. Trying to speed training will not work and will only cause your parakeet to lose trust in you.
After your parakeet learns that human hands will not hurt her, it is time to start perch-training. It may take a while before your keet catches on, but this step is very important. While softly talking to your budgie, use a dowel with a width of about 1/4 to 1/2 inch and slowly move it towards her. Your keet may run away from it at first because she is not used to a perch moving towards her. When she is to the point where she doesn't run away, gently push the perch against her belly to encourage her to step up. It may take a few tries, but be patient with her. She may try to squeeze herself under the perch or simply stand her ground, refusing to step up. But when she does finally step up, praise her for being such a good bird. This step may take up to a week, but do not move on until your budgie has completely mastered this step.
After your budgie has learned to step up on a moving perch and is comfortable with it, finger-perch training is the next step. When holding the perch, stretch your index finger across it so that is creates a "finger-perch." Slowly move the "finger-perch" towards your keet and gently press against her belly just like you did with perch training. Your keet may or may not notice that her perch is slightly thicker than normal. Depending on the keet, it may take a few days before she is completely comfortable with stepping up on a finger-perch.
When your budgie steps up on a finger-perch with no objections, it is time to start finger training. Be sure to talk to your budgie softly before starting and during the training and praise her when she does what you want her to do. (you should be doing this for all the steps). Without using the perch, push only your finger against your parakeet's belly. She may object at first, but after a day or two she should get the hang of it.
When your parakeet is comfortable hopping on and off your finger, you can start to let her out of her cage for short periods of time. A word of warning, however, do NOT let your budgie out of her cage until you are sure that she is fully hand-trained. Start by opening up her cage door and talking to her to encourage her to come out. You may place your hand in the cage for your keet to hop on, but it is best to let her come out herself, for some budgies are very protective of their cage. Don't try to grab her and force her to come out, or you will only frighten her. At first, your parakeet may be a little intimidated by the outside world, but eventually she will learn to like being out of her cage. Encourage her with a treat to climb up your arm and sit on your shoulder. Only leave your keet outside of the cage for short amounts of time; she will need to go back inside for food and water eventually.
Congratulations! You have just finished hand-training your new parakeet! The whole process usually takes from 2-4 weeks, but can take shorter or longer depending on the parakeet. Younger birds train faster than older birds; Clarabelle was trained in only 5 days, but she was not much older than a baby when I got her. The important thing is not to rush your parakeet while training. Patience is a very crucial thing and your bird will eventually become hand-trained as long as you keep working with her. If you want more information on how to hand-train a parakeet, click here.