rosa bourke
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Hi dee,
I have a rosey bourkes male. He is really my nine-year-old daughter's bird. He is an absolute joy. I understand most bourkes don't play with toys, but he plays with every toy we have ever given him.
Their normal tendancy is to freeze when they are in a new situation, so be prepared for your bird to be much more sedentary now than she will be once she is comfortable with you.
Lots of folks on this forum have bourkes. Skim through the old threads under small birds and you can read about them. If your bird is not as comfortable with you as you would like, some people have explained how they won their bourkes' confidence.
I love absolutely everything about our bourkes and am quite prejudiced for these birds.
Welcome to the forum.
I have several suggestions for setting up your cage so your bird will be able to use the whole space if you would like to hear some once your bird settles in. I would not chage things around much for the first few days you have her in a new cage, though.
I have a rosey bourkes male. He is really my nine-year-old daughter's bird. He is an absolute joy. I understand most bourkes don't play with toys, but he plays with every toy we have ever given him.
Their normal tendancy is to freeze when they are in a new situation, so be prepared for your bird to be much more sedentary now than she will be once she is comfortable with you.
Lots of folks on this forum have bourkes. Skim through the old threads under small birds and you can read about them. If your bird is not as comfortable with you as you would like, some people have explained how they won their bourkes' confidence.
I love absolutely everything about our bourkes and am quite prejudiced for these birds.
Welcome to the forum.
I have several suggestions for setting up your cage so your bird will be able to use the whole space if you would like to hear some once your bird settles in. I would not chage things around much for the first few days you have her in a new cage, though.
Thankyou very much she is alittle beauty she is very nervous when i go near her i put my hand in and she scarpers but with alittle patience i hope i can win her round i will have a good look through the forum i have also ordered a book from the library to read about these stunning little birds i can totally understand why you love these birds thankyou for welcoming me to the forum
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Hi! we have a female and she is a wonder. She is tame and we let her out and direct her in like guiding a plane! We don't handle her, she prefers not to be handled, although I have in the past and she is tame. Alot of folks have them tame enough to be shoulder birds. They need a flight cage or out time every day. They love flying. Our girl Rosey is our nurse bird. We moved some cages today and one keet was out when we did it and got lost. Rosey went and sat in her cage waited till she found her way home then left. When our cockatiel ewas on the floor one day she sat with him till he found his way. She is awesome. They are very smart. They make nice chirps and also worry noises. Thats what it sounds like to me. All in all a great companion for all involved. We keep her with two tiels and she is well able to fend off their sometimes agressive get off my perch behavior. I hope this helps. Also she prefers parakeet seed and pallets to tiel mix.
thankyou that is really helpful she sounds fantastic bless her im worried to let her out incase she flies into something she is used to being outside but when i got her she now lives in the house i keep putting my hand in daily but she just panics but i will keep trying thanks again
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Dee, many birds will not come to you when you put your hand in the cage. Try leaving the cage open and letting her decide when she wants to come out and if she does, you can use bribery here 
offer your arm or shoulder.
Our newly acquired linnie who is 10 weeks old has accepted climbing onto the arm after only a week. Patience and time and lots of love. :biggrin5:
offer your arm or shoulder. Our newly acquired linnie who is 10 weeks old has accepted climbing onto the arm after only a week. Patience and time and lots of love. :biggrin5:
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Taming the Bourke
Dee,
I tried a gentle approach with my Rosy Bourke - named Twitter. She was skittish when I got her but we gradually bonded. I used food to get her to come to me. She likes millet spray and hemp seeds, and cooked baby green peas.
I got her as an older handfed bird that was less than fully tame - but she would perch on my finger - for 15 seconds and then fly off back to her cage. This went on for a couple months. But I still worked with her every day - getting her to perch but letting her fly back to her cage. Then I gradually got her to eat from my hands away from her cage.
Then about 2 - 3 months after I got her, we had a breakthrough. I left her cage door open as usual and she flew into the other room and checked me out - and landed on my leg, while I was watching TV. We did this for a few weeks, and then she started coming to my shoulder and eventually got really tame. Now she wants to come out of her cage whenever she sees me. I still basically just open the cage and let her come to me - but now she comes to me right away and likes to hang out with me - and she explores a little on her own too - but always returns to me to hang out or goes back to her cage when she's tired.
p.s. I got the type of cage where the whole front opens like a big door - I think that is a big help in taming birds because they can come and go easily without dealing with a tiny door to go through.
Some photos...
Here is Twitter just after I got her - luckily, she would perch on my finger for a few seconds - but then would fly off to her cage. She was wing-clipped by the breeder but could fly pretty well when I got her (and I have since let her wing feathers grow back in - I plan to leave her fully-flighted):
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Then I got her out in my sunroom, away from her cage, and bribed her with food:
![]()
Over time, she just sort of got friendlier on her own. But, I generally let her come of her cage on her own time.
![]()
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Then about 3 months after I got her, she was suddenly getting much friendlier - here she landed on the head of the contractor renovating my kitchen.
![]()
Dee,
I tried a gentle approach with my Rosy Bourke - named Twitter. She was skittish when I got her but we gradually bonded. I used food to get her to come to me. She likes millet spray and hemp seeds, and cooked baby green peas.
I got her as an older handfed bird that was less than fully tame - but she would perch on my finger - for 15 seconds and then fly off back to her cage. This went on for a couple months. But I still worked with her every day - getting her to perch but letting her fly back to her cage. Then I gradually got her to eat from my hands away from her cage.
Then about 2 - 3 months after I got her, we had a breakthrough. I left her cage door open as usual and she flew into the other room and checked me out - and landed on my leg, while I was watching TV. We did this for a few weeks, and then she started coming to my shoulder and eventually got really tame. Now she wants to come out of her cage whenever she sees me. I still basically just open the cage and let her come to me - but now she comes to me right away and likes to hang out with me - and she explores a little on her own too - but always returns to me to hang out or goes back to her cage when she's tired.
p.s. I got the type of cage where the whole front opens like a big door - I think that is a big help in taming birds because they can come and go easily without dealing with a tiny door to go through.
Some photos...
Here is Twitter just after I got her - luckily, she would perch on my finger for a few seconds - but then would fly off to her cage. She was wing-clipped by the breeder but could fly pretty well when I got her (and I have since let her wing feathers grow back in - I plan to leave her fully-flighted):
Then I got her out in my sunroom, away from her cage, and bribed her with food:
Over time, she just sort of got friendlier on her own. But, I generally let her come of her cage on her own time.
Then about 3 months after I got her, she was suddenly getting much friendlier - here she landed on the head of the contractor renovating my kitchen.
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Bourkes are amazing! My Rosey has allowed me to hold her 2 times. She wanted me to as she allowed herself to be handled, actually let me pick her up! Since then she feels no need so we let her be and she is so sweet to have.
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Congratulations on your new Bourke. I have two Rosy Bourkes and they were hand fed and tame. They don't like to be touched but they do go on my hand. They love when I talk to them and they fly to me and land on me. They are very gentle birds. It will take time for her to trust you and get used to the new surroundings.
Talk to her and put some millet or something she really likes in your hand and eventually she will come to you.
Here are some pictures of my Bourkes, they are males and their names are Rosy and Ruby.
Talk to her and put some millet or something she really likes in your hand and eventually she will come to you.
Here are some pictures of my Bourkes, they are males and their names are Rosy and Ruby.
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