How to train a fearful cockatiel to step up without flying away?

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.

Be patient with him and always move slowly. Try having a treat you know he likes close at hand and ask him to step up by putting your finger under his chest in front of his feet like a ladder rung and push back gently. This will encourage him to step onto your hand rather than have to step back. Use the treat to reward him or, if he's still very flighty, distract him with it when you offer your hand to step up. If he likes being petted, use that as a reward for him too, always moving slowly to avoid startling him. Make sure his cage is located in a quiet, draft-free area so he feels secure and hopefully less nervous.

You are doing fine. Do not rush him or force him to step up. Use other high value treats. This can include grapes, scrambled egg, a bit of a peanut or sunflower seeds. Move slowly and talk softly around him. Be patient. Eventually, he will step up on your finger. When he does, praise and reward him. When he is doing it regularly, you can slowly remove him from the cage. Be sure all windows and doors are closed, fans are off and nobody is cooking.

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.

Time and patience are key to helping your parakeets get used to you, and each individual bird may bond differently to you due to their individual personalities. If your birds have a favorite treat, you can also use that by giving it to them every time you visit their cage or interact. I'm also including an in-depth article on teaching your bird to step up which can help with the bonding process as well: https://www.petcoach.co/article/basic-bird-training-how-to-train-your-bird-to-step-up/

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!