1. Do not show your excitement to the bird.
If you start doing a family dance around the bird's cage and poring over how pretty he is and talking over the phone to your aunt Sally about his feathers, your bird will get upset. Put yourself in their place: you've been taken from your home, the birds you knew, and placed in an unfamiliar place with lots of excited people who are talking loudly and moving around and gawking at you through your not-so-safe feeling cage bars. You're gonna be a little nervous and scared. Once you get your bird home, just leave him/her alone in their room for several minutes. This way, they can get used to the room a little and have time to be certain that there is no danger in the room. After this time, have one family member come into the room and sit with the bird. If you bring in more than this, the bird may feel stressed because he has to watch two or more potential threats pacing around his cage or sitting at different spots in the room. Have this family member sit close to the cage, but not up against it. Talk slowly and softly, keeping your voice calm and relaxed. Think of it as calming a child who just broke a favorite toy or dropped their ice cream cone. You have to tread lightly, because if you suddenly make noise or even stretch, you could stress out the bird. Your goal is to make certain that the bird is getting accustomed to his surroundings while being reassured that he will not be treated poorly in your home. After thirty minutes to an hour of talking to them, leave the room quietly and stay away for a couple of hours. Give the bird plenty of time to adjust, but also give him some attention and let him know he is safe and will be cared for.
2. Don't try to touch the bird.
Going along with number one, your bird is very uncertain of his situation. You will likely not be able to touch him for at least two to three weeks. You can, however, get him accustomed to your presence in his vicinity. When you refill his food and water dish, do it slowly and carefully so as not to alarm him. If you are comfortable, you can also try this trick to get your bird used to your hands in his cage. Reach into the cage and hold your hand there, not moving it for 30 seconds, then remove it. At first, your bird will probably run away from your hand, or frantically climb the cage bars to escape this perceived threat. This is normal, but with time and repeated exposure to this gesture, he will begin to understand that even when his space is invaded, nothing bad happens to him. Over time, he will stop running and simply watch your hand to see what it does. Once your bird is comfortable with this, put your hand in his cage and move one item around. For example, reach into the cage and hold your hand there for 30 seconds, then pick up a toy, turn it over or move it to a different spot, and then retreat your hand. This adds to the trust element between you and your bird. They will learn that not only can you put your hand in their cage, but you can shuffle things and he still will not be hurt by you. Just knowing that he is safe allows him to trust you much more than he did before. Rather than going on the side of caution, he is slowly but surely learning that caution is not always a must around you.
3. Feed him what he ate before.
Before you try a major diet change, you should let your bird adjust to you and your family. Your bird may seem to be shivering at first. This is because he is nervous and stressed. Once he is calm and adjusted to your family and his new lifestyle, it is easier and safer to change their diet. This is because their stress level from moving to your home has gone down and they are now calm around you. Because they are more relaxed, it will be easier on their bodies to accept a new diet, especially if they have been fed an all-seed diet or aren't open to trying new food. Your best bet is to wait and leave diet changes for later on, rather than take him home and scrap his unhealthy seed diet on the spot.
4. Next steps...
Once your bird is accustomed to your hand and no longer is avoiding your presence, try getting them to step up. This is one of the bigger events in a bird owners life, when their bird begins to trust them enough to sit on their hand. To start this process, get your hand close to your bird and gently press against his abdomen, just above the legs. If he gets panicky or lunges at you, leave him alone for several minutes to calm down before trying again. If he lets you touch his abdomen, press backwards into it and he should step up. Note that your bird may appear to be preparing to bite you. If he looks calm and doesn't squabble, he probably won't. For birds, the beak is a third leg. It aids balance and climbing. If you've seen your bird climb his cage bars, you will notice this. When they reach towards your finger with their beak, it is only to test if your hand is steady enough to support their weight, the same way they would test a branch in the wild. When your bird is stepping up after you press on his belly, it is because he is losing his balance and choosing to hop onto your available, steady hand over the perch or table that he is being pushed from. This alone shows that your bird trusts you, because rather than choosing to turn and flee both the hand and the perch, they are choosing to trust you to hold them up. It is important that you hold your end of the bargain and don't shake or wiggle them about on your hand. This can be stressful and your bird may stop wanting to step up if he is jostled about whenever he does.
5. Forever onwards!
Once your bird has become used to your hand and allows you to hold him, you are well on your way to having a happy, trusting relationship with your bird. He may become upset or angry, and you as well, but it is important that you not punish your bird. He will let you know when he is not feeling comfortable, and it is only right that you go at his pace. It is a long road, and not always lined with flowers, but in the end if you try hard and respect your bird, you will receive only love and loyalty in response.
