Thanks everyone.
I wasn't more "down" than usual when I tried today's "taming" effort, I was down when I posted.... There have been a lot of upsetting things with our members here.
I'd tried offering them food before, Doris had overcome her fears sometimes to have some, but mostly they'd do the "children escaping the velociraptor" scene. I decided to be a bit more assertive. I remembered with my budgies that you had to be a bit pushy and insistent, so I did that. I picked her up and held her for quite a long time, stroking her and talking to her. It was after that that she stayed on my hand. Tony doesn't do his "trying to scare me away" move any more (he'd do a kind of "I'm gonna bite you if you come at me" type thing with his beak open and when I talk to him from outside his cage, he moves TOWARDS me instead of away. I'll try to consolidate my progress with Doris first before it's "his turn". (It's funny, because he started out being the more friendly of the two, she was way more shy than he was, but she's less determined than he is to stay away from me.
I hope they get to the stage where they'll step up and see me as "one of them". Their nails are Cruella de Ville long, so I'd like to be able to give them a manicure.....
Doris is named after Doris Day. Doris Day is a big animal lover. She (or her son?) runs a hotel where you are allowed to bring your dog. I'd love to go on holidays and take my pets with me. In Australia, you can't take your dog most places (people places, that is). I love Doris Day. She is a terrific singer, I love her daggy movies, and I like what I hear of her as a person, given that she's such an animal person. In her movies she was often smiley, cheerful and cute, determined and smart, just like my beautiful little bird.....
(I've really no idea what sex either of them is, they could be anything....)
