1) Ah, I think you've misunderstood me a little. I'm not saying that you should work with him with the cage open now. I just mean that is something you can do once you and your bird are ready. See how you said that you weren't ready to go that far yet? That's good! Listen to that instinct. You don't want too rush. You don't need to rush.
Remember, this takes as long as it takes. You haven't had him very long. If it takes you weeks or even months to earn his trust, that's fine. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
As for the target training, once he approaches the stick to bite it you can withdraw it and give him a treat. If you do it right, it won't take long for him to understand that going toward the stick = yummy treat.
As for the food and him following your lead, remember that the point here is not for you to keep putting the food near him and then pulling it away to draw him forward. You want him to come all the way to you. He gets rewarded for coming to you. If he refuses to come all the way to you, so you meet him halfway, you're rewarding him for not doing what you wanted. In fact, at that point he's training you. See what I mean?
But he doesn't trust you enough yet where you should be sticking your hand into the cage with him anyway. Take baby steps. Don't rush.
And no, don't limit yourself to just one week. Remember, it takes as long as it takes.
2) Thank you. I'm glad you're finding this stuff helpful.
Yes, indirectly target training does help keep you from being bitten. For several reasons. First, obviously, since you're using a targeting stick your fingers aren't really in biting range. Second, much of the reason you are being bitten at the moment is fear. He's biting you out for a fear response. Because he doesn't trust you yet. So by using a pointer you are giving a bit of distance from your hand. Which is less scary for him. And third, once he makes the association in his mind that going toward the stick earns him a treat, he will come to enjoy the interaction and start looking forward to seeing you. But all this takes time.
Again, with the plastic spoon you may be causing a fear response in him. He might be attacking it because he feels threatened. Of course, he might also just like striking at it, like it's a toy. Hard to tell without seeing the behavior. But it's more likely a fear response, so you should stop pushing the spoon toward him. Introduce one strange thing at a time. Targeting stick first. Let him get completely comfortable with that first. (Well, not counting the toy. Once you get him a toy you can try putting it in his cage right away. If he seems afraid of it, though, make the introduction more gradual. Even if you have to bring it closer and closer to the cage over a matter of days.)
When putting your hand near the cage, he is opening his mouth to warn you that he is not comfortable with your hand being that close. Pushing that boundary anyway just stresses him out and chips away at the trust you're trying to build. That's why you only get as close as you can without putting him on alert and then stay at that distance while talking to him. And then treats. It's you're job to convince him that you are not looking to eat him.
3) No, if you're talking about the wood of his perch or one of his toys, you don't have to worry. His beak will be just fine. Birds use those hard surfaces to keep their beaks noice, healthy and sharp. It's a natural behavior.
