gender, trust

Question
 Hello, My name is michael. I bought 2 keets today, they have been doing nothing but stand there. They do sometime chirp about every hour. They are male and female. My question is, How long will it take them to trust me and for them to go on my finger and get out of the cage and walk around? I have been trying to put my hand in there for them to go on my finger but they reject to. What do i do? Will they get used to my hand in the cage and all of a sudden jump on my finger one day? if so, how long? One more question, one keet has a brownish color cere and the other has like a voilet cere. are they male and female or not?

Answer
Regarding the gender, the one with a brownish cere is definitely female.  Violets can be tricky because blue= male, purple= female.  If the violet is sort of bluish, it's a boy, but if it's more brownish, it's another girl.

Considering you just brought them home, it's not surprising that they're still nervous.  It often takes a few weeks for them to get comfortable with their new surroundings.  They'll slowly start exploring and feel like this is home before long.

Do you know how old they are?  It's easier to tame younger birds than ones that are over a year old.  Either way, it doesn't happen overnight.  It often takes about a month to get them tamed, but of course they all mature and at different rates.

A few tips:
*It's best to try to work with one bird at a time so they don't get distracted.
*You should probably get their wings clipped if they aren't already.  It makes taming easier because if they get away from you, you can catch them easily and get them back in the cage without them getting hurt or too stressed.
*Wait until they're settled in first, then start training.

Week 1- put your hand in the cage once or twice a day for a half-hour at a time.  Keep it still, but talk to them to help ease their nerves.

Week 2- slowly move your hand closer to them.  They might move away, and if they do, move back and let them settle down and try it again.  This is one of the trickiest parts of taming because it's so frustrating when they move away that some people give up.  Just keep trying.

Week 2-3- try to pet them.  They may be nervous about this at first, but eventually they start to like it.  Try not to corner them when you try to touch them, or they may bite or panic.  If they nip at you, don't jerk your hand away or you'll make them get scared and that can cause major setbacks.

Week 3-4- gently stroke their bellies near their feet.  They will instinctively grip your finger and perch.  For now, don't move, just let them sit there and get comfortable with your hand.

Week 4- slowly move your hand with the bird on it.  See if you can get him out of the cage.  Make sure that you do this in a closed room with nothing that could pose a danger to them: other pets, fish tanks with open tops, an open toilet, or windows.  That way, if they get spooked and fly off, you can catch them without them getting hurt.  To catch them, get a light towel or t-shirt and gently toss it over the bird.  This keeps the wings close to the body so that when you pick it up, you don't hurt the bird.