Last updated on April 22nd, 2022 at 11:38 pm
When you bring a new budgie home, you’ll want to pay close attention to its health and behavior as it adjusts. In many cases, you’ll find that the budgie doesn’t move for at least a day when moved into a new home.
Your new budgie is not moving because it’s scared. Budgies take some time to adapt to a new environment, and so when you take one home for the first time, it will show certain signs of fear, such as not moving, not eating, or not making noise. Just give your budgie a day or so to grow comfortable.
Understand Normal Budgie Behavior
It’s completely normal for a new budgie to be still on the first day in a new home.
Sitting quietly is a sign of fear and discomfort, and a certain amount of that is to be expected when a budgie’s routine is disrupted.
You may even find that your new budgie refuses to eat, drink, or make noise on that first day.
Should I Be Concerned if My Budgie Isn’t Moving?
You shouldn’t be concerned if your budgie isn’t moving as long as it doesn’t last too long.
A chronically fearful budgie may develop malnutrition or other health problems, but if it’s only a day or so, you don’t need to be concerned.
Just make sure that you do what you can to help your budgie settle in if it’s new to your home.
If you can, keep the budgie’s routine as similar as possible throughout the change, and settle into a daily rhythm as quickly as possible.
Things like consistent diet and sleep can make a big difference in how comfortable a budgie feels in your home.
If your budgie is suddenly unresponsive but you haven’t had any recent changes in the environment, however, then you might want to take your bird to the veterinarian.
Your budgie could be feeling sick.
Tips for Moving a Budgie Into a New Home
You can do several things to make your new budgie more comfortable in your home and ease the transition into a new space.
These include limiting transition time, separating the bird from the commotion of moving, and more.
Limit Transition Time
One of the best things you can do for your new budgie is limit the time spent transitioning from one place to another.
Have a dedicated part of your house set up for your bird before you bring it home, and make sure that you don’t move it around too much once it’s in place.
The longer the bird is experiencing change, the longer it will take to settle into a comfortable state.
Separate the Bird From Commotion
Also important is keeping your budgie away from the main commotion of the move.
You’ll want to dedicate a part of the house where there will be minimal noise and movement and keep your bird there, as difficult as that might be in the middle of a move.
Remember that excess noise and traffic can be very stressful for a budgie.
Cover the Cage
Another way to help your budgie grow more comfortable in your new home is to cover the cage.
You can use a towel if you have one handy or purchase a cage cover like Colorday Bird Cage Cover (available at Amazon.com).
Made of 100% non-toxic, breathable materials, this cover is ideal for a new bird trying to adjust to new and potentially disruptive surroundings.
If your bird responds well to the cage being covered, you might try continuing to cover the cage each night when putting the bird to bed.
Having a cover can lower the chances that something will suddenly wake up your bird and get in the way of sleep.
Avoid Touching
During transition times, too much contact can be stressful for your bird. This is especially true if you’re adopting a budgie and bringing it home for the first time.
It takes a while to build up trust with a new owner, and trying to handle your bird too much too quickly can be overwhelming.
Try speaking to your bird in soft tones only, and avoid reaching into the cage.
How To Read Your Budgie’s Body Language
Part of getting to know your budgie is knowing its body language. Budgies use their bodies to communicate with other birds and humans alike.
Sitting Upright With Smoothed Down Feathers
A budgie sitting upright may be fearful or wary, especially if its feathers are also smoothed down.
When a budgie is happy, its feathers are more likely to be loose and ruffled, and its stature is more likely to be bent with some movement.
However, this is different from having its feathers puffed all the way out, which is a different signal altogether.
Puffed-Out Feathers
There are several different things that puffed-out feathers can mean in budgies.
If the room is cold, it could just be the budgie trying to get warm, which, in this case, the budgie will typically stand on one foot.
However, puffed-out feathers can also be a sign of aggression or a sign of courtship.
Signs That Your Budgie Will Bite
There are several ways that a budgie hints that it’s about to bite with its body language.
One of the things it will do is open its beak while maintaining eye contact with its target.
Also, it will spread its legs apart on its perch to get a more stable stance in preparation for the bite. Finally, a budgie may even charge toward its subject before biting.
Slow Stretching and Tail Wagging
Slow stretching and tail wagging are both signs of happiness in budgies.
You may notice your budgie stretching each of its legs and wings out one at a time, which signifies that your budgie is calm.
Tail wagging, also a sign of happiness, is more likely to come out when your budgie is greeting you or entertained.
Wing Twitching
Budgies sometimes twitch their wings out of nervousness, but it could also be a positive form of excitement.
Sometimes budgies will twitch their wings in anticipation of mating.
If your budgie keeps twitching its wings for a prolonged period, however, it could be a symptom of a seizure, in which case you should call a veterinarian.