My new senior cockatiel is untrusting. How do I bond with him?

Taming can take time, and doing it in several steps with a lot of patience can help. A good first step is to just offer/toss a favorite treat to both birds any time you approach their cage. Once they are used to you being around, you can then start placing your hand in the cage with the treat on it, letting them approach it and eat from your hand. Once they are comfortable with that, you can transition to petting them while offering a treat, and finally handling/asking them to step up while giving a treat. if at any time they become scared or try to get away, simply take a break and go back to the previous step once they've calmed down. It can take days to weeks depending on the bird, so patience is key!

Ten days is a bit soon to expect your new bird to trust you fully. It takes time and patience to get him used to you, and he is likely still settling into his new place. I would give him some more time to settle in and just spend time talking to him, or placing a treat in his cage every time you come by. Once Zucchini is more comfortable with you just being around, you can then start to offer food from your hands, and work up from there. If at any time he becomes too nervous or scared, giving him a break and trying again later can help.

I would recommend training Peri with lots of treats, whatever is his favorite fruit or veggie (you should use seeds in moderation). Make every interaction you have with Peri be a positive one, even if you are doing something as simple as cleaning his cage. Once he realized seeing/being with you results in a positive reward he will begin to grow more comfortable around you. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Copper. Training is more difficult as they age, as they are not as pliable to new situations. It is really de-sensitization to things that needs to be done. Start by scratching/petting, and offering a treat by hand. Then with the treat, try and train to reach his leg up, then to step up. Its a gradual process. The book "A Guide to a Well-behaved Parrot" is a good start. Good luck.

Unfortunately, time and treats are the best ways to try and tame a bird. If he's still not comfortable with you, he likely just needs more time and practice. It's possible you are doing too much too quickly and need to step back a step for a few days or even weeks until he is comfortable with that before attempting more handling. If you can't find a treat he enjoys, then a toy can be used instead, however this is something that just takes time and patience, and each bird is going to be different in how long it takes.

Losing a mate or part of the flock can be traumatic. Try to gradually reacclimate him to you. Begin by simply sitting by his cage for ever increasing periods of time. Speak softly and move slowly around him. End each visit with a small treat. Once he is fine with that, place your hand in the cage for ever increasing periods of time. He may squawk and flap and move away at first. That's fine. Do not attempt to touch or pet him. Once he settles down, you can coax him closer to you using treats. It will take time and patience, but eventually you should be able to win him over and get him to per h on your finger.

I would give cookie time to acclimate to his new environment. Let him get to know you and gradually offer treats to gain his trust. Depending on how old he is and what he his previous experience and training is will help determine how quickly he may trust or learn your cues. Birds for dummies is a great book for beginning bird owners. There is lots of great behavior advice from an avian vet. Good luck! http://www.dummies.com/pets/birds/birds-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/