My new cockatiel won't eat from my hand. How can I build trust?

You will need to gradually acclimate him to you. This will take time and patience but is not impossible. Begin by sitting next to the cage for ever increasing periods of time. At the end, provide a small treat or reward. Once he accepts you nearby, place your hand IN the cage for ever increasing periods of time. Simply leave it there. Do not move or try to touch him. Again, leave a treat or reward when you are done. Move your hand closer each time. Eventually, he will acclimate and begin to show curiosity. At this point you can try getting him to perch on a finger. Don't force it and don't grab at him. Move slowly and speak softly. Always provide a reward or treat as he progresses.

Without knowing how long you've had your bird, it would be hard to give more tailored recommendations. Birds can be very picky and afraid of new things at first, especially if you've recently purchased it. I would continue to offer a variety of items to let your bird get used to seeing them, etc, and give it a chance to finally sample some. Be sure to pick up anything spoiled and keep trying!

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!

Hi, and thank you for this question, Two weeks are not always enough to train a bird. Most cockatiels don't speak at all, some will imitate noises but will usually not speak. As to perching on a shoulder or a hand, if the bird was not hand-fed at as a baby it may not be adjusted to humans at all, and may never get really tame. If it is tame and just doesn't want to perch on you, try offering rewards (treats) when he does.

It may take time and patience. You can begin by simply sitting next to the cage for short periods of time initially and increasing it as they acclimate. They will flutter about and move to the far side of the cage at first. Eventually, they will settle down and accept your presence. Move slowly and speak softly around the cage. Once they have completely acclimated, you can progress to placing your hand in the cage. Make no attempt to touch or hold them. Again, they will flutter, panic and move to the far side of the cage. Leave your hand inside the cage for ever increasing periods of time. Use small treats as rewards after each session. Eventually, they will become curious and may hop onto your hand if you have treats. You can teach the 'step up' command by extending a finger and gently pressing it against the chest while saying "Perch" or "Step up". From this point, you can work with them to teach additional tricks or whistles.

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/

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.