Trust Training Rescue Budgies?

Hello,
I have four male parakeets which haven't been mine for more than a month. It started with one parakeet (Articuno), then a friend gave me Sheldon because she thought he'd be happier with a friend, and finally I got two others from a lady who knew I had two parakeets and couldn't take care of her two.

They originally were not tame at all and I had to use a stick to get them to step up on (after much chasing). While they still aren't preferential to my hand, they step up with ease and respond to their names. If they try to fly and fail (wings clipped) they will walk to me and chirp so I can pick them up and return them to their flock. I didn't follow any set system for this -- they will not take treats from my hand, but usually are on close standby for me to set it down. Because the three older boys were seen as "mean", they weren't let out of their cage much at all. Now, their cages are only ever shut if I'm not home to keep them safe. They have free-roam of my bedroom, but nothing else as I cannot carry them. They usually hang out on top of or beside their cages and do not venture to the other areas (They have two cages, a flight cage and a cockatiel cage, with a playpen hooked between so they can get to both and they sleep in whichever or sometimes on the playpen).
I would love to get to the point with them where they will perch on my finger happily, so I can let them roam the house more. As it is now, they don't leave my room. I also think they are more hesitant and less curious than other budgies I've met. I think this comes with trust.
What should I be doing next? My boyfriend says with time we'll grow closer, and thinks I should start pushing their limits a little.
I have tried taking them one-by-one to another room on my finger and softly petting them and praising them. However, Articuno usually spends the hour after that acting as if I'm a predator and will nibble at my fingers (nonpainfully) and Blueberry straight squaks at me until I back off. Sheldon wants nothing to do with it and flies off. If I should keep doing this, does it matter if it is just me or can I get others to help? I had heard budgies are the type to bond closely to set members of their flock (of which I'm trying to join), so I didn't know if using my boyfriend to tame one while I tamed another would be counterproductive for them being tame for me.
If nothing can be done, I'm fine staying at this stage because I honestly believe my boys to be happy, healthy, and playful. We live together and function just fine on our schedules, I just wish I could offer them a bit more.
Thanks!

I don't have experience with budgies, but have hands-on experience with 4 sun conure siblings that had never been handled.....I ended up having to work with each on an individual basis, and always away from the rest, in a room they normally were not in.....that gave me the edge of being the only familiar thing in the room & our privacy pretty much insured I had their attention during our training sessions.....it also took a year to get them all to the point where they would step-up for most anyone who asked.....

Be patient, it just takes time.....

Good luck.....

Wrote this for someone else... (and things have since changed) I've copied and pasted it a few times now... I did this with 5 adult budgies (no longer have them) that ages ranged from 2-8 years old in the photos... and am now handfeeding 5 adult cockatiels (strangely, same ratio of sexes!), ages probably 9+ years old, and the tiels are cage-free. I don't know how well it would work for other species.




If you want to tame them, I'd suggest start out by feeding them from your hand. Give them enough food to last one day (or feed themm and remove thier food at bedtime). First thing in the morning, put food in your hand, sit next to the cage with your hand inside, and don't look directly at the birds. Just kind of ignore them, but leave your hand inside the cage as long as you can or at least 15 minutes (you can use regular seed or millet in your hand).

After you remove your hand, give them his regular food again, and repeat. Once they are comfortable eating from your hand (should take at least a few days once they are actually eating from you), you can try having your hand just on the outside of the cage. This will encourage them to come out and eat from your hand. The braver they get, and more comfortable, you can then go on to being a few feet away from the cage. If they are flighted, I'd suggest leaving them flighted. Once they will fly to you to eat from your hand, then I'd suggest getting a gym for them to fly to, and put food and water there. Show them food is there so they will become accustomed to the idea that they can eat there. If they learn to eat from the gym (preferably placed near where you are sitting) then they can be in the same room and become accustomed to you (I've actually found my non-tame birds easier to handle because they are cage-free in a room, which makes it easier to feed and water them, and they don't get the feeling of being trapped inside a cage).

I wouldn't chase them with the stick , as they would start to fear you . You want them to trust you to have a lasting relationship . First I would let them get used to you around the outside of the cage . If the barely flinch as you walk by your done with the first trust step . Second is to buy millet and stick it through the cage bars with you holding the other end of millet . This will take patience. When they readily run up to the cage bars for food you are done with the second trust step . Millet is the best training tool for me , but you could use seed for this one . Now SLOWLY put your hand in with millet / seed in it . If they flap around SLOWLY take your hand out . When they calm down after a minute put your hand in slowly back in and keep repeating until they are calm and stay on their perch . When they do , keep your hand their for 10 minutes then take it out . Soon they will start coming around and will dance when your hand goes near the cage . When they're unflinchingly familiar with your hand form your hand into a perch and stick a millet in there . Slowly go to a budgie and press LIGHTLY under his breast . Remember , LIGHTLY
. They may flap around . Then take your hand out slowly and let them calm down and repeat . Slowly they will start stepping up . Then you could add a command . Remember , it's the budgies choice to trust you , and since we have two eyes on the front of our face we are predators to them . Slowness is key and always announce yourself when you come near the cage and talk softly during training sessions . This worked for my two budgies and they now sit on my head and started mimicking !