When and how to train a 'tiel?

Not trying to rush anything on my baby bird, but when should I start trying to train him? Also how to start? Currently he seems very hand tame and has had no problem perching on the hand of any of the 4-5 people who have met him. But he doesn't seem to care much about eating so I'm a little stumped on the reward. Maybe some verbal encouragement and petting are enough? He does love his pets...

He's not quite 3 months old so I'm not expecting him to be ready for much yet, but I've read that it's good mental stimulation for them and I want to offer my birdy a happy and fun life. I don't want him to be bored waiting for me to do something fun with him. Right now his fun things seem to be flying around the apartment (he's good!) chewing any non-vegetable item he can get his beak on, and sitting on my shoulder getting his pets.

Things I've tried with him include sorting colored beads into small buckets, playing with straws in various ways, and playing guitar while whistling tunes I'd like him to learn. He likes to climb on me while I'm playing guitar but otherwise he doesn't seem to show any interest in any kind of play that I recognize.

All I can tell you is that my baby just shy of 5 weeks learned to step up in 1 day.

Good so far. Keep practicing, go at an even pace. Try introducing new treats. They also love millet. Since he's hand-tamed it shouldn't take long before he starts stepping up actually. Associate a word like "up up" when he steps on your finger(s) or hand, then reward that. When I got Baby at 12 weeks, a few days later I practiced step ups, but since he's hand-tamed it didn't take that long.

We still have step ups as "practice." As for games...they or at least my tiel loves playing peekaboo and says it as well. Good luck.

I dont know a whole lot about tiels though I did have them years ago and have now forgotten all I have learned about them but I remember with my hand tamed little girl Dolly she would train easily for a scratch and a word of praise and valued it far more highly than any treat...each bird is different and some respond to scratches while others do better with treats...they all seem to love millet though so you could play with him with some millet and see if he gets interested. When you say he is not interested in food do you mean treats or his food? If you are worried about him not eating enough you could weigh him daily and monitor his weight for a couple of days. If you notice a proble or even if you think he is thin then a visit to your Avian Vet might be a good place to start. Cockatiels can be fussy eaters so try and encourage him while hes young to eat a good variety of food especially fruit and veg . The whole purpose of training is that you and your bird enjoy it and share time together building a bond so find something he likes and work it into a little game...like playing your guitar and whistling your tunes and add in a little Peek a boo game and little things like that to begin with...hes already stepping up for you and socialising well so I think you are doing a Great job. Well done your little guy sounds like a real snuggly buddy

He likes millet but doesn't go bonkers over it or anything. If I put a piece of it near his usual foods he'll have a nibble of this, nibble of that so it's nothing special. I have been concerned about his weight and weigh him daily and have also discussed it with the vet as well as taken him to the shop where I got him and the head guy over there checked him out and said he's doing fine. I try different foods with him all the time and so far the only thing I've found with the fresh veggies is he definitely hates carrots! You can see the video in the Dusty/carrots thread if you're interested, lol. I also wedge leafy stuff between the bars near his food dish but I've never seen a bite mark on any of those yet. Tried broccoli, corn, cauliflower, rice, macaroni, peas, some cooked bird food, sweet potato, dry oatmeal and probably some other stuff be he won't have anything to to with any of that. He's ok with his seed mix and pellets though and he seems to really like the birdy bread I made for him with corn meal, some microscopic pieces of veggies, and a fair amount of his seed mix and pellets. He actually does eat ok but I feel like he mostly just eats while I'm there watching and if I'm also eating it seems to motivate him a bit.

My concern about training was partly that food isn't looking like much of a motivator, but he seems to care about praise and definitely loves getting pets so I'll work it that way. I tried some peekaboo this morning but he doesn't seem to get it yet. I'll keep at it though!

I would say your tiel is still really young. I got mine even at 12 weeks. Around 6-12 months they'll have their molt. That's also when I found out mine was a male.

Persistence and patience will pay off. He'll get used to eating his favorite foods and now is the best time to introduce the best kinds such as veggies. I wish I introduced them when mine was younger, but I find that mixing them in foods like brown rice or even baking them in birdie breads can hide them. Hanging them on the cage bars also helps.

Eventually I think they'll go for them. It just takes time. Tiels I don't think are really veggie/fruit eaters because of the seeds and pellets. And pellets (though that's a controversial topic) do provide the vitamins and minerals but of course offering veggies as well is good, definitely good if introduced early on. They are stubborn with their food especially as they get older.
And if he's fine weight-wise that's a good sign. As long as he's eating and acting normal.

They are really precious little guys. And even though they may not be the best talkers they can be the best whistlers and cuddle buddies. Even just having him around, petting him provides companionship. They even appreciate just that. Whistle a tune every so often and he'll pick it up too.