Do Budgies Love Their Owners? Some Tips For a Good Bonding!

Budgies are social birds that live and forage for food as a flock in the wild. They can differentiate among flock members and also show affection to their mates.

Do budgies love their owners? Yes, budgies can love their owners. Budgies that love their owners will recognize them by face and voice even after long periods of separation. They show love by flying to their owners, singing, snuggling, and resting on their shoulders. If a budgie loses its mother early in life, it forms a special bond with the owner.

Read on to learn how budgies recognize their owners, show affection, and how you can bond with your budgie.

Do Budgies Love Their Owners?

Budgies are social animals that live in flocks in the wild. If you spend a lot of time with your budgie, you can form a strong emotional bond by playing with it and feeding it. Sometimes this bond becomes so strong that the budgie shuns everyone besides the owner.

If a budgie is taken away from its mother before reaching 12 weeks, there’s a possibility it may imprint on its owner. When a budgie forms an imprint, it views the owner as crucial to its life. The bird also gives the owner the love and importance of a mother.

Some common ways that budgies show affection to their owners include;

1. Budgies often memorize their owner’s commonly used phrases. They will repeat these simple sentences or words when interacting with them to show affection.
2. They will happily react to your speech by chirping, singing, or screeching. Sometimes budgies will sing a song that they know when you play it.
3. They will fly around in their cages to get closer to you when you walk into the room.
4. A budgie that loves its owner is comfortable enough to perch on their shoulder or hand. If the bird perches on your shoulder for more than a few seconds, that’s a sign of affection. Sometimes when your budgie is comfortable, it will try to snuggle with your neck.

Here’s a video of a budgie showing affection.

Do Budgies Know Their Owners?

Budgies are some of the smartest birds around. Since they are social creatures, they can tell apart flock members and identify their mates by appearance and voice. Their ability to differentiate appearances and voice tones enables them to distinguish different human voices and faces. Hence, they can identify their owners.

It takes time before your budgie can recognize you because you need to develop trust and familiarity. Budgies use the same methods they use to familiarize themselves with members of their flock in the wild to get used to their owners. Hence, once the bird trusts you and memorizes your face, it doesn’t forget even after months apart.

Do Budgies Miss Their Owners Once They’re Gone?

Budgies familiarize themselves with their owners the same way they would familiarize themselves with flock members, so they form a strong bond. Bonding can take a long time, but once the bird bonds with you, it forms a strong attachment.

If you disappear for a short time, your budgie will notice that and miss you, but it will continue to act normally. However, a long absence can lead to the bird experiencing separation anxiety. Some symptoms of separation anxiety include;

1. Loss of appetite – If your budgie experiences separation anxiety, it may eat less food due to stress.
2. Voice change – If you notice that the tone of a budgie’s voice has changed, that may be because the bird gets anxious when you leave. The change can be a higher or lower tone which indicates that the bird tries to communicate when you’re away.
3. Feather plucking – A budgie that experiences extreme separation anxiety can resort to self-harm. One of the most common ways birds harm themselves is by feather plucking, so if you notice it, your pet bird is most likely missing you.

If you notice one of these signs and are unsure if it’s because of separation anxiety, you can install a camera to monitor the bird’s behavior.

Sometimes budgies exhibit separation anxiety if they’ve recently changed homes and owners. In that case, you should try to make the bird feel comfortable in its new home and with you as the new owner.

How Can You Bond With Your Budgie?

Bonding with your new budgie is important because it helps to prevent separation anxiety. However, the process takes time and cannot be rushed, so you must be patient. Here are a few tips you can use to smooth the process of bonding;

1. Make its home comfortable

Your new budgie must feel welcome and comfortable in its new home. It’s only when relaxed that a budgie can begin to bond with you, so ensure you eliminate anything that could cause anxiety, such as;

• Extreme temperatures
• Troublesome pets
• Startling noises
• Vibrant colors

2. Offer the bird treats regularly

Feeding your budgie with snacks is one of the easiest ways to earn its affection. Since a new budgie won’t eat directly from your hand, begin by feeding it using a bowl. After some time, you can feed it through the cage’s bars from your palm.

After some time, the budgie will associate your presence with treats and pleasure. Once you notice the bird is comfortable eating from your palm, try to convince it to hop onto your hand. You’ll know you’ve made progress with bonding when it hops onto your palm to eat. You can also eat your food when offering snacks.

Snacks can provide a great incentive when you’re starting to handle your budgie. Reward the bird with a snack whenever it allows you to handle it.

3. Talk to the bird

Budgies love singing and chirping, so talking to them can strengthen your bond. Use soft tones and avoid being too loud since that’s terrifying for them. Birds love music, so singing to your budgie is also a great way to bond with it.

Will A Budgie Recognize Their Name When Called?

Yes, budgies can realize that you’re calling them. Budgie mothers give their chicks names in the wild, so these birds already use names. Typically, your budgie will bob its tail and come toward you after you call out its name.

Naming a budgie is easy; make a routine of calling it by that name whenever you interact. Over time, they get used to how you say their name and learn to recognize it.

FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about budgies’ love for their owners.

Conclusion

Budgies know their owners and love them. They show affection by snuggling, singing, chirping, and behaving excitedly around their owners. Although building a relationship with a budgie takes time and effort, the bird doesn’t forget you easily, even when you’re separated for a long time.