TAMING YOUNG BOURKE PARAKEETS

Two hand fed baby Bourke Parakeets

QUESTION:
Hello I have been watching your videos on YouTube. I have just adopted a baby bourke parakeet and I am wanting to bond. We got her from an established facility a few hours away that had been hand feeding her. I have had her since Groundhogs day. She is my first bird other than a chicken and a few budgies when j was a young child. The woman that j bought her from told me that I should be getting her out of her cage and holding her. Meaning i have to chase her around her cage corner her then grab her entire body. She bites me and struggles and it seems wrong and cruel. It also goes against what I have read elsewhere from many different sites and videos that I should go slow, putting my hand in the cage then go slowly until she is comfortable with me. I dont know what to do. I dont want her to be afraid of me but I also dont want to u do all of the handling that they have done. But if she has ever been comfortable with being grabbed and held like I was told to do today, then she certainly is not okay with me doing it. Can u please please help me? Any advice? She is only 8 weeks old btw  -- Chelsea

Tame parent Bourkes watch as babies are hand fed.

ANSWER ON TAMING:

It sounds to me like they lied about her being hand fed. She shouldn't be so frightened of being held if she was hand fed. Hand feeding requires some holding and instills confidence in the bird. That's the whole purpose of hand feeding. Otherwise, why do it?

You are right that chasing her is going to frighten her. Sometimes with Budgies it's the only way to get them. Bourkes are more gentle then Budgies. If she's really only 8 wks old she should tame down for you even if not hand fed. I hope they didn't exaggerate on her young age. and that she's really that young. Odd that she's biting at that young an age, however. Frightened Bourkes do bite, but babies less so. Keep in mind that she's away from her family and in a whole new environment, so be patient with her. Always be kind and speak softly and sweetly to her.  

I recommend finding something she really likes to eat and offer it to her from your hand in her cage. Spray millet is easiest for young birds to eat and all Bourkes love it. We only feed Calif. golden spray millet, not the ugly little gray stuff you find in pet or grocery stores. My birds also love rice chex cereal as a treat. You can crush it and hold it in your hand. Offer that to her from your hand while she is in her cage and always talk sweetly to her. Tell her how pretty and sweet she is and that you won't hurt her. She doesn't understand English (yet), but she does understand the tone of your voice and your intentions ... so voice them. Bourkes love to be talked to and she should not be an exception to this. Always talk to her every time you come into her room. Tell her good morning, and hello all the time. Your voice should become reassuring and hopefully you will overcome her initial fear of you. She's going to be lonely and unhappy for a while. She needs your attention.

 

Lady Gouldian finch hand fed babies.

Once you've tamed her, I recommend getting another bird. They are flock animals and people can't be present 24/7, so having a companion all the time is a kind thing to do for every bird.

Best of luck,

Gail

Some weaned young Bourkes that were hand fed.

Pale Fallow or blue-edged Cream Bourke Parakeet

Here is a photo of a new coloration for us. We've named him Sunset. He's not hand fed, but is extremely affectionate and tame anyway. It helped that I handled him a lot while still in the nest, simply because of his unusual coloration ... although he has a wonderful personality all his own. He is out of Blossom, a Lutino Bourke, and Songster, an Opaline Fallow Rosy Bourke.

Pale Fallow or blue-edged Cream Bourke.
Very young here, and color is more pale than it will be.

Pale wing edges, red eyes and rose on back.

Still very young here.

This bird could also be called a Fallow Normal or a Pale Fallow. All Fallow Bourkes have red eyes, or they are not Fallow. For instance, a Cinnamon Bourke is a lighter shade of Normal, but has dark eyes. They also have darker nails. This bird has very light nails or claws, true for Cream Bourkes. The photos below are of our sweet Sunset several months later after his coloration has darkened. Most Rosy Bourkes also darken in color as they mature, especially the males.

 

Back is not brown as with a Normal.
It is a dark shade of rose.

He doesn't want to leave our side and remains near us
even when others are out and about flying everywhere.

Scalloped edges along wings are pink, not yellow, like
some birds. Shoulders are brighter blue than shown in photos.





My favorite Bourke ... at least today. Smile.



Sunset climbed under my husband's shirt this morning ... just investigating, but so cute! Reminded him of the Budgie he had as a child that would ride around in his pocket. Might damage Sunset's long tail to put him in a pocket. Smile.

 

Love this guy, and all Bourke Parakeets.

 

 

Peace & Blessings!

 



 

Rosy Bourke Lutino hens Blossom & Starfire on Video

Sister Rosy Bourke Lutino hens: Blossom, hand-tamed, was hatched in 2015 and parent-raised by Stormy and Peaches. Starfire, hatched in 2016, was hand-fed from two weeks of age until weaned. She is also out of our Normal Bourke, Stormy, who also appears in the video below. Their mother is an Opaline Fallow Rosy Bourke, named Peaches. Both Stormy and Peaches were hand fed and very tame.

Although Blossom is not hand-fed, she became tame very easily. It probably helped that her parents are tame and she was handled in the nest as she grew up.

Be sure to enjoy our other Rosie Bird videos on You Tube.  

Peace & Blessings!

Bourke Parakeets For Sale: Babies, Hand fed, Very Tame; Rosies, Opalines and Opaline Fallows

Life is so busy lately that I've not posted recently. I want to, and have lots of questions sent to rosie.bird@gmail.com that were answered and I hope to share with Readers.

I've been hand feeding five baby Rosy Bourke parakeets. Prices range from $150 to $225, depending on color. All are very, very tame and sweet. Sorry, but I don't ship. Can meet buyers from Coquille to Reedsport. We are in North Bend, near Coos Bay, on the southern Oregon Coast. (Not Bend, which is in Eastern Oregon).  Three are $150 each and the Opaline Fallows with red eyes are $225. Contact us at rosie.birds@gmail.com

These darlings are $150 each. Hand fed and very sweet.

Pale pink, Opaline Fallow Rosy Bourke with red eyes.
This one is $225.

Hiding in a tissue box. These sweethearts are $150 each.

Just had a bath. Feathers are wet.

Contact us via email at: rosie.birds@gmail.com

PEACE & BLESSINGS!

WING CLIPPING: Question on Clipping Wings

QUESTION: "Someone has mentioned to me to clip their wings ... how do do feel about that?"

This question came in attached to my "Taming Parakeets" post. Thought I'd share the answer with everyone.

This isn't one of my birds. I've never
clipped their wings. This photo comes
from "Bourke's Parakeets" by
Doreen Haggard.

ANSWER: This depends more on a person's circumstances than on the bird's.

If there are cats or dogs in the house, I wouldn't clip them. If not, and you can't always retrieve the bird to put it back in its cage, then clipping might be appropriate. It doesn't hurt them if done correctly. Personally, I like to let my tame birds out to fly free, but they always go back into their cage for me. They consider it their home.

Most of my breeder pairs aren't finger tamed, but they're tame enough to come to the side of the cage and talk to me, nor do they go crazy when their cage is being cleaned. They like to fly in circles inside their long cage. It's healthy exercise that they shouldn't be deprived of. There would be no reason to clip their wings, plus the males use their wings for balance during breeding. So, if you plan to breed then don't clip their wings.

If you have a bird who isn't tame, and you want to work with them, then clipping can be an advantage. Their feathers eventually grow back, hopefully after the bird is now used to you and will sit on your finger or shoulder.

Birds that aren't tame are likely to still bite when caught, even if their wings are clipped.

I would never criticize anyone who feels a need to do this. It's done to larger parrots, cockatoos and macaws routinely to avoid losing them. I suppose parakeets can also fly outdoors given the chance, so there is a risk of losing them too if their wings aren't clipped. If someone in your house, possibly a young child, is likely to open the front door at an inopportune time, then clipping might be wise.

It's important not to cut the flight feathers too close, there are blood vessels in the lower part of the feathers. The photo above gives an idea of how far to cut. Better to not cut enough then too much. You can always go back again, if necessary. If you do cut too close, cornstarch will stop the bleeding. But, I hope you NEVER have to use it.

Again, each situation is different and needs your evaluation and decision.

Sending Splendid & Bourke Blessings Your Way.

Taming Bourke Parakeets

Hidden under my hand is a baby Bourke being fed,.

I spoke with a woman recently who wanted a hand fed Bourke so that it would already be tame. The two Bourkes on my arm at the left are equally as tame. Yet, the one closest to my shoulder was hand fed and the one by my elbow was not.

In fact, Pretty Boy, as I've started calling him was several months old before I decided to work to tame him. Generally, the younger they are, the easier to tame any bird. In spite of the fact that he wasn't newly weaned, he tamed down easily for me. There are exceptions, of course, but most Bourkes are gentle and sweet, so also easy to tame.  Success, however, largely depends on the person who is doing the handling.

Pretty Boy was in a cage with other Bourkes and Splendids scheduled to be sold. I looked at his deep rose color one day and decided he'd make a nice mate for one of my favorite young hens. So, he stayed and I started talking to him.

"Sweet" talking to Bourkes encourages them.

Talking softly to any bird frequently throughout the day is important. They are alert little ones and will listen to you. Honest. You can say almost anything, but I think they sense your intent. So, it's wise to tell them how much you care for them and want them to trust you. "Sweet" talk is as important to a bird you want to tame, as it would be to a newborn child. Talk to them as if they are a baby and they'll respond best.

Pretty Boy isn't hand fed, but he's tame.

Chasing a bird around in a cage will do more to frighten it then tame it. If you have a safe room, free of mirrors or uncovered windows, use it. Allow the bird to fly, and walk to it again and again until it's willing to get onto your hand or finger. It will tire. You may have to pick it up and put it on your hand, or open your hand and let it stand there. Once it sees it's not in danger, it will gradually begin to allow itself to sit on your finger. It can't hurt to offer it a treat that it likes. If the bird is panting (I hope it didn't get that tired), offer it a cup of cold water. A familiar container like it is used to in its cage is good. I like to offer the Bourkes spray millet...it's something they love.

Remember, all the time you work at taming any bird, never, never lose your temper or speak loudly at it. If your patience is wearing thin, give it up until another day. A soft, kind voice is the only way to tame a bird. Children are often good at taming birds ... but, only if they are sympathetic and kind to animals already. 



Pretty Boy would fly around the room until tired,
then would get on my hand or finger.
Gradually, he learned I was friend, not foe.

 


Another view of Pretty Boy ...
hand tamed, not hand fed.




Not all Bourkes like to be kissed, but some allow it.

Pretty Boy is fine with it, even though he's not hand fed.

Here he's more concerned about the photographer than me.

An important note: Never let your birds' beaks get into

your lips or mouth. Human saliva is full of germs that are

bad for birds!

 


Bourkes love to bathe and what's more fun than
 sharing it with an owner they love?

 



They keep me giggling with their cute antics.

 




Flame decided it was more fun to pick at my hair
while the others were elsewhere.

 



Flame is curious though.

 



Okay, I'm prejudiced in favor of Rosy Bourkes! Smile.

 

I find such pleasure in these small jewels. Better than any TV show!

If you let them, these are treasures that will give back,
not only entertainment, but also love.

Hope you had a wonderful, blessed Christmas
and will have a fabulous, safe New Year!

God Bless All of You!

Splendid Bourke Parakeets, or those Moody Bourkes & Splendids

Hello All,

Why are you so cranky today?

Seems like I've been posting a lot about wild birds lately. I could go on some more about the rowdy Steller's Jays outside ... those pretty dark blue birds, but it's about time I returned to the designated topic!

Splendid male keeping company with a Rosy Bourke hen.

This is about moody, or occasionally temperamental parakeets. I admit to naming one of my tame Bourke hens "Trouble." Probably haven't told you that before since it's not a positive name. Smile.

Trouble is a hand fed hen hatched early last year. Her brother is "Pastel" because in addition to pink, he has light yellow on his wings and blue on his rump ... three pastel shades. Trouble received her name after frequently refusing to go back into her cage. Of all my tame birds, she's always the last to go home. Catching her can be a lot of trouble.

Yet, she loves to fly onto me, take baths and eat from my hands. She's very tame. The trouble with Trouble is that she's probably TOO smart. They're all smart, but she's too smart for her own good. I had decided to sell my little trouble maker, but now changed my mind ... again. Very unusual for me...yea, right.

Most Bourke faces are darker than these two who have pink eyes.

This morning Trouble decided to stay with me almost the entire time she was out of her cage with the other tame birds ... six all together. She nibbled my hair and talked to me, being very loving. How can you sell one that does that? Silly, huh? Then when I decided they'd all been out long enough, I walked to Trouble's cage with her, Pastel and Flame on my shoulders. When I opened the door and leaned toward it ... all three went in! That was a first for Trouble. She was very mellow and sweet today.

Hand feeding makes any bird very tame. One baby being fed.
The others are older and occasionally like a taste of baby food.

Sometimes before I open the door and let everyone fly out, I will put my hand into the cage and invite them to ride out on my hand. Yesterday, for some reason Pastel refused to get on my hand. Now, this is unlike him. He's usually the first to jump aboard, but not yesterday. In fact, after everyone else was out, he still wouldn't get on my hand. After chasing him around the cage a couple of times, I told him he was welcome to stay home, that I wasn't going to open the door and let him fly out. He had to do it my way or stay put. So, he didn't get out yesterday. Today, however, he was very friendly and first to jump on my hand ... go figure.

What I'm leading up to with these stories is that birds have mood swings too ... just like we do.

Pink-eyed Rosy Bourke couple.
Some refer to the lighter shades as Pink Bourkes.

Snowbird, an albino budgie we had for 12 years was quite a character. She was very tame when out of her cage, but if you put your hand in her cage, watch out! She would attack the intruding hand and actually bite it, sometimes hard enough to break the skin. But, open the door and invite her out and she was gentle as could be. Pick her up and she wouldn't bite. There was something about her cage being her castle and she didn't want intruders. Cleaning her cage took place when she was out of it! Snowbird was purchased as a companion to Skybird, a tame, blue five-year-old budgie. A year after we bought Snowbird, our much sweeter Skybird, was dead on the floor at age six. He loved her too much, perhaps?

Splendid or Scarlet-chested Parakeet Pair. Hen is below.

As for Splendids ... well, every one of them is different too. Aging Rainbow isn't as tame as he was as a youngster. He doesn't bite, but he also prefers not to come out of his cage. His companions are my tame Bourkes and he gets along fine with them, but since his mate passed away over a year ago, he's lost his vim and vigor. Wish I could find him another mate.

Friendly Pair of Splendid or Scarlet-chested Parakeets.

His mother, Millet, was the sweetest Splendid I've ever owned ... well, maybe her daughter, Jewel, was just as sweet. I made no effort to tame Millet as she was purchased as a breeder. Yet, I could put my hand in her cage and she'd nibble my fingers or take treats from them. She was a wonderful little bird married to a terror ... her mate, Merlin, pulled her feathers and was abusive. Yet, he fathered and cared for his young. Fortunately, his sons and daughters all seemed to have their mother's personality.



Pair of Normal Bourkes in their wild color. Hen in front, male in back.

They say that Bourkes will never mate with any other species of parakeet. Yet, when Millet died and Merlin was alone, I put this male Splendid in a cage of single female Bourkes. One Normal hen (native color) decided she wanted to mate with him and gave him her "come-hither" behavior. Eventually, he paid attention.

Splendids have interbred with Turquisines and other small parakeet varieties, but never Bourkes. He decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, his normal behavior was to pull out a feather from his mate's back before lifting his second leg up. The first time he did it to Willow, the normal Bourke hen, she looked startled and moved away. The second time he pulled out one of her feathers during an attempted coitus, she attacked him! From then on he was terrified of her and kept his distance. That was fine with her! There's a lesson in that. Ladies don't accept abuse, or you may die young like poor, sweet Millet. Be a Willow! Willow eventually got a mate, younger than she, and they raised many, many baby Bourkes, both Normals and Rosies. She's now retired and he's still her loving companion.

Willow!

Bathing Bourke Parakeets. David and Bathsheba?

Morning bath time ...  My husband arrived in the kitchen this morning at an opportune time to snap these photos.  Rosie and Pastel are two handfed youngsters we decided to keep. They enjoy bathing in the sink. There were three birds bathing, but Flame finished before my husband arrived, and decided to stay on my shoulder to watch the other two.

Thinking about it.

We have a Splendid who used to do this, but I've learned from experience that you need to continue to give your tame birds lots of attention. If you ignore them for too long, they become less tame. He no longer trusts me enough to bath in the sink on my hand. So, these birds usually come outside their cages about once a day, most often in the morning - our favorite time together.

If you do, I will.

How does it feel?



How's this pose? Happy now!




Ahh...just the way I like it. Nice of them to install
this sink in the island bar just for us!




The others don't know what they're missing!