Cockatiel "playing" when he's nervous?

Hello! As we all know i've been searching and searching for a conure to bring home. WELL in quest of doing so i ran into a sweet little cockatiel who was in a horrible condition! My friends mother had him and he was in a cage with only 2 perches that came with the cage. one GINORMOUS pile of poop where he sat all day because he had no toys and I was told that every time he decided to sing that they would yell at him to shut up and cover him. he also was in a garage! i mean cmon! it at 100 degrees this time of year and you have him in a garage?!?! omg i was in absolute in shock. I couldn't leave him there knowing i have the resources and time to save his little life.

but any who on to more positive notes. i put on Jessie J when we got home and low and behold! i learned my first thing about his personality. He's a dancer!! it was the cutest thing lol so there i was dancing with him looking crazy as we all do haha. but today i was working with him at the very very beginning steps of hand taming(he was tamed at one point but they stopped giving him any attention, no idea why). my hand was in the cage in a fist at the bottom of his cage which he doesn't mind to much actually. if i move too fast he throws a nervous hiss but its nothing aggressive. he's also started preening while I'm sitting next to the cage! Like he doesn't have a care in the world( another step forward!

But today i got to about 2 inches from his toe and he started playing with a toy that was next to him and then would immediately stare back at my hand? is he just doing it because he's nervous or something else?? i've never owned a cockatiel before(besides when i was younger)

Think about it, you're in a situation that you cannot control and you are terrified. I think your birdie is showing fantastic coping skills! I think you have a real winner there with great potential!

Hmm I'm not sure I can say exactly about the playing thing. Folger my cockatoo will literally take his toys and bash and shake them around when people he doesn't like are nearby (which is basically everyone but me). He will do this while having a fluffed up head, saying hi Folgie and then will do a full body lung across the cage hanging off the side and biting the bars....sometimes this last part is accompanied by demonic laughter....good old Folger....

I think he is just trying to figure you out and might be distracting himself with playing with toys a bit while also contemplating you.

Yes he's definitely doing great with the move and setting in nicely. I agree it might be him just kinda not knowing what to do so he just grabs the nearest toy lol! But it's not bashing it or anything I'll see if I can get a video of it. I think he has great potential because he does show a lot of interest when I baby talk him<3 I haven't heard a peep out of him yet so he's not that comfortable around me for the time being. Even one of my good friends actually opened the door and whispered to him with her hand in the cage and he just stared at her. He did move away when she moved a little too close for his comfort lol but he didn't panic or anything I'm really excited for him when he realises he's no longer going to be yelled at and covered but encouraged to be a bird!! ☺️☺️☺️