Cockatiel behavior question

[newbirdmom]

Hello! Whenever i put my hand up to my cockatiel he bites me/nibbles on my finger then rubs his head on me. I know that when they bend their head down like that it means they want head pets. The way i'm seeing it is that he wants head pets but he's unsure?? When he bites me its not hard at all. I'm a little confused by it because i have only had him for 2 weeks or so.

 

[ode.to.parrots]

Hmmmm. It might be that he asking you to pet his head because he sees you as a new potential friend, but he may be unsure of your hands. How does he do with stepping up on your hands?

The first time I pet Indy bird, I didn't use my hands. He was sitting on my collar bone with his face towards my chin, and so I used the bottom of my chin and the side of my face to rub his head.
He LOVES getting pets from my hands now! Now, in fact, I can't even convince him to sit on my shoulder because he'd rather be on my hands where he gets better pets! But that first time he let me pet him with my chin was a huge turning point in our relationship (silly as that sounds).

 

[newbirdmom]

He has no problem with getting on my hand sense the second day i got him (Out of the cage). He climbs on my shoulders, head and even my face a few times.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Three of my cockatiels like scratches in varying degrees, and they each do that all the time. Especially two of them. I think sometimes it takes a while for them to settle into it, or sometimes I'm just not doing it just right, or I hit a pin feather, or they changed their minds, or they're just showing me who's boss... sweet talking and kisses seems to help with my birds.

 

[Alien J]

Hi newbirdmom! I'm a New Bird Mom, too! I rescued TD from a very bad home! I think my TD looks almost identical to your cockatiel! This is his/her latest picture. You should have seen TD the first day! Actually, you can. I posted some progress report pictures on the thread "Update on Rescued dying baby cockatiel".

 

[newbirdmom]

Awww! How cute