Scared cockatiel? But only when not being held?!

[Chikenshiken]

Ok, strange problem. I adopted this older cockatiel, age unknown and male who’s already been in 2 other homes or as far as I know. He’s a very sweet boy. My problem is he’s very scared of being picked up which is usually very normal for me in bird training. But this is unique because the moment I do hold him he doesn’t want me to put him down!! Then it becomes impossible to get him off of me. And the only way I get to hold him is when he’s trapped somewhere and I’m his only option to get back to his cage perch. The moment I hold him he begs for pets and plays with my piercing so I’m unsure how to go about his training. He’s very scared of the action of being picked up but the moment he’s picked up he’s fine? Any suggestions for his training? He’s, besides that, for the most part fully tamed

 

[sourland]

Give him time. Sounds as if he is still adapting to his new home, and you have no idea how he may have been treated in his previous homes.