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The reason that she told you this was because you don't want to scare the bird. The bird has been through a lot- he was taken out of the place he had lived all his life to a new home without any of his friends, he needs some time to adjust. Just feed him, give him water, let him see you are the one who feeds him and cares for him- once you get to the stage where you can put your hand in the cage without him flying around madly you can start thinking about hand training him. Take it slowly, and read up on Parakeet training- you have to have patience. Good luck!

The lady at the pet shop is only looking out for the bird's health. It's very important to let a bird adjust to it's new environment before you begin handling it. It's probably really scared right now; taken away from everyone and everything it knows, put into a little dark box at first, and then shoved into a completely unfamiliar cage, with unfamiliar sounds, smells, and people.



By letting it sit in its cage for a day or two at first, the bird learns that the cage is a safe place. This is the first step in training the bird. During these first few days I'd recommend that you talk to your new pet often, so it gets to recognise you. Try not to make sudden movements or move the cage around unnecessarily. If you have to put your hands in the cage to change the water or fill the food dish, don't move towards the bird, this way you let it know you don't want to harm it.



For maybe the first week or two, don't try to grab the bird, or it will become distrustful of your hands. Let it get used to your hands by placing them on the outside of the cage near the bird, having them enter the cage for maintenance, or just hold your hands near the bird, but be careful not to make sudden movements, you want him to trust you, not be afraid of you.

If he doesn't freak out when you hold your hands close, try holding a treat in your hand and see if he comes to try it. (He won't at first, but when he does, you'll know you're making progress). Once he trusts your hands enough to take a treat from you, I'd say you can start to try and handle him. Don't grab him though, or he may not trust your hands anymore.. you may also get some nasty bites.



Just take it slow, he will come around once he gets to know you mean him no harm.



Good luck

Actually, according to this article, it is better to give your bird time to settle into their home FIRST, before attempting to tame/handle them. The recommended time is at least 3 to 4 days.

You may want to read some good articles from these websites: Good luck!



http://en.allexperts.com/q/Birds-General...



http://www.pet-parrots.com/Parakeets/par...

The reason you have been given this advice is because ,your bird has come into new and unfamiliar surrounds and has not yet got to know you .



Give it time(4-6 DAYS) and have a little patience,it will then settle and you can then begin to train it.



It would not do any harm to attempt to handle it but it may be frightened by too much attention too soon.

If the bird lets you, then I would touch it, hold it, teach it to jump on my hand/finger etc. Ask the pet store lady why she said that.



The more you communicate with the bird, the more comfortable it will become. Sit and talk to it while it is in the cage and let it settle into his/her new home.

Go to the library and get four books. One on just parakeets, one on parrots and other hookbills, one wih bright colors you can just flip through slowly and admire the pictures, and one for you to enjoy reading.



Now situate your bird's cage in a nice place in the house/room where you spend a lot of time and you can see him and he can see you doing the things you do all day. Not next to a door you will be rushing past, but where he can see as much activity as possible from his cage. Make sure he has a least one solid wall behind his cage for his sense of security.



Now get a big soft cozy squishy chair and sit down with your books and maybe even some fruit and vegetable snacks. Sit there next to his cage for most of the day, reading and looking at the books. When you see something you like make a sound like "Oh, that's interesting!" or "ahhh". Let him ge used to your movements. Look at him occasionally and smile. Don't stare at him like you intend to eat him. Look at the bright pictures in the picture book and show him the bright pictures. Eat your snacks happily and noisily and offer him some. You will probably notice that he will be hanging out at the side of the cage closest to your chair within a very few hours. Look for him to settle in and wag his tail. That's a sign that he feels comfortable and happy. You give him this kind of time and attention and proper cage placement n the home and he will your wee pal for years to come.



You will feel like a fool talking to him at first, but don't worry, it will pay off in the long run, especiallly if he turns out to be a talker and many parakeets do talk.



Good luck!