A Maximilian Pionus called Larry

He is young yet, just get into a routine of him stepping up then stand and talking gently to him then place him back on his cage. As times goes on try walking a couple of steps further away so the same talk to him then go place him back onto his cage. Maybe give him a treat - something he likes to eat,maybe a piece of fruit or unsalted nut.
It just takes time and a lot of patience.
 
He is young yet, just get into a routine of him stepping up then stand and talking gently to him then place him back on his cage. As times goes on try walking a couple of steps further away so the same talk to him then go place him back onto his cage. Maybe give him a treat - something he likes to eat,maybe a piece of fruit or unsalted nut.
It just takes time and a lot of patience.
Whilst on the formula topic, I am unsure whether my technique is correct.
I try to hold his beak between my thumb and index fingers and push a little bit of formula in his mouth from the side of the beak.
Then let him off, settle/swallow and get his beak again.
He does look a bit frustrated and has chewed/destroyed the syringe by the end of the feeding.
Is this the right way?
I have seen videos on YouTube where the bird just opens its beak and sucks the formula without stopping..
 
When we hand reared we only used a small teaspoon and the chicks as they got older would eat it off the spoon rather than us making it so runny that we had to hold the beak and help .
 
When we hand reared we only used a small teaspoon and the chicks as they got older would eat it off the spoon rather than us making it so runny that we had to hold the beak and help .
He doesn’t look like he knows what to do with the spoon (although I bought a funnelled one), he must have been fed with a syringe.
I am just a bit cautious because I don’t want to put much pressure on his beak or potentially hurt his eyes with my fingers..
 
2.We have four canaries but their cages are in our spare bedroom.
Would it make sense to put a cage for Larry there too for when we are not at home? Do they count as company for him or doesn’t it make any difference since they are in different cages?

In the wild, prey animals go quiet when a predator approaches, so a noisy environment is a comfortable environment. Birds like noise, be it the sound of other birds, a radio, media player, TV, etc. If it is not possible of you to keep Larry and the canaries together when you are not around, some background noise will make him feel more comfortable. Giving them something to focus on can help with some common issues like feather plucking - stress and boredom can trigger things like that.
 
In the wild, prey animals go quiet when a predator approaches, so a noisy environment is a comfortable environment. Birds like noise, be it the sound of other birds, a radio, media player, TV, etc. If it is not possible of you to keep Larry and the canaries together when you are not around, some background noise will make him feel more comfortable. Giving them something to focus on can help with some common issues like feather plucking - stress and boredom can trigger things like that.
I already have the radio on all the time, I just thought that being able to see them jumping around would offer him some comfort.
The spare bedroom is quite isolated so I would not want to move his cage there yet.
I was thinking, when his Java tree arrives, I could put it in the family room where he can see us moving around during the day and at night or when nobody is at home, he could spend cage time in the spare room with the little canaries..
 
He should of been fully weaned before you got him. ok I do use a syringe with most of my flock filled with nice feed but I only do this so it will be easy for me to administer medication if ever need be. I am pleased you keep a close eye on his weight but I think you need patients to get him eating off the spoon and getting him to like new tastes and textures. chick feeds are too rich I would certainly look at the Harrison feeds that can be turned it to a mash and fed by a spoon and then try the pellets
 
Thank you, I will look into this first thing tomorrow!


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Behaviour wise, be careful of forcing him to do things that he's really not comfortable with... ie. making him step up and taking him away from his cage. You know he is uncomfortable with this as he tries to fly back every time. Instead of inadvertently making yourself an aversive/someone to avoid, make sure to associate yourself with good feelings only for him (food and whatever else he shows relaxed body behaviour with) - that way he will look forward to your presence. He will step up and accompany you when he is ready. Note that if he is constantly hungry or stressed he is not going to learn... he's too busy feeling stressed or hungry.

Experiment with covering the back and side(s) of the cage to make it more nest like.... so that he feels safer.
 
Experiment with covering the back and side(s) of the cage to make it more nest like.... so that he feels safer.[/QUOTE]

His cage is already at a corner and he likes hanging out at the top rather than inside so I am not sure whether this is going to work..I am still happy to give it a go.
I am also happy to stay away from him if needed, I only fear that if I don’t handle him regularly he might become untamed?
This is one of the reasons I am happy to hand feed him for a bit, I think of it as a bonding exercise.


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You don't have to stay away from him, just do all you can to keep his body language relaxed when you are around him.

If he is willing to step up, have him step up and then put him straight down again so that he is in control of what happens to him. Then you can gradually increase the time he is on you before setting him down again. 1 second. Put him down. Next time 2 seconds and put him down again, etc.

When he's happy with this, then you can try moving him very slightly and put him back down again. Very gradually you'll be able to move him further distances. 1 centimeter, 2, 3 etc. But always put him back BEFORE he shows any sign of discomfort. Having control is a primary reinforcer - it's incredibly important to an animal or person.
 
Fully agree with Roz please don't make him step up it has to be his choice to which you reward with jackpot titbit i.e. pine nut.
You will come to know when he's ready to step up he'll lift one of his feet when you present your hand close by, reward that, when he gets confident the hand isn't going to hurt the other foot will follow and reward that.
 
Just to echo the above, you lose nothing by going slowly but can get into terrible difficulties if you rush him. In my experience (admittedly largely with African greys) parrots basically tame themselves if you treat them gently and offer plenty of good food. Keep it up with the veg - he'll get there eventually.

It baffles me that some breeders don't even bother to wean their babies onto a varied diet!

I always say this but offering soaked/sprouted sunflower and hemp seat will help him a lot, both in terms of nutrition and getting him used to fresher foods, veg etc. Also try soaked millet sprays. Just soak for 12 hours (overnight basically) and also leave some of the surplus in a seive under a cloth for a day or two, rinsing now and then, and you'll have sprouts. Also try soaked walnut halves.
 
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