Taming and Training

This is the very first video I took of Apollo. After three months of trust building, taming, and "stepping up", we moved on to "come" and "target" which you can see here. I was stoked to get him to fly to me on command. (Well, on command might be stretching it, he understands what it means, but he only does it when he's in the mood.)

Building Trust

Taming and training a budgie is all about building trust. During the first couple of weeks it is important to take it slow, and show your little bird that he is safe in his new home.

Getting Out of the Cage

After a couple weeks of settling in, I wanted to let Apollo out of his cage to get some exercise. It was a bit of a gong show, but we both made it through more or less intact.

Learning to Fly, Again

Since Apollo's wings were clipped when I got him, he had a hard time controlling his flight for the first few months I had him. But as he molted and his new flight feathers grew in he became a pro once again, after only a few bumps and bruises.