new here & have a weaning question

[mamakeith]

Hello,
I'm new here, and had a few questions I was hoping someone out there
I just got my 1st IRN last Thursday, he/she is appx three months old. I have been hand feeding 10cc two times a day (as directed by bird dealer), in hopes that my baby will begin to nibble on more solids. So far, he'll only eat a banana and a few bites of millet on his own.While he was in his cage, he's was active and ended up wearing a spot out on his beak, I took him to an avian vet for a check up, and she said to place him in a plastic bin until he's weaned and his beak heals/hardens.
He HATES the bin, and has now broken off his longer tail feathers (Will they grow back? How long?)
He seems thin, and the vet said he was slightly underweight, but that was normal right before weaning. (How skinny do they get?!)
I don't want to do anything harmful, and I hate to see him losing weight and breaking feathers, does anyone have any suggestions?
I've tried cooked soft veggies, mango, corn, mashed up pellets... nothing.
Do they just "get it" and start eating eventually? I don't want to force it, and I'm worried he's too thin.
Also, when he's out with me or on his perch he puffs his feathers, then once I pet him or hold him they go down; I know puffed feathers can be a sign of sickness; but he is extremely active otherwise....???

[Skyes_crew]

By three months your bird should have been fully weaned. At 6 weeks he should have been introduced to seed and cooked veggies. It's not too late, but you will have to do a couple if things to correct his eating behaviors. For one, forget about the syringe. He's too old for it and doesn't need it. Get a small spoon, I prefer a tea spoon. Mix the formula with some mashed bananas. Introduce it to him from the tip of the spoon, but let him take it on his own. Increase the feedings to 3 times a day until he learns to eat more effectively. As he becomes more used to chunky food, increase the size and variety of cooked or mashed foods. Second, spread some small seed, like cockatiel seed, on a flat surface and let him learn to forage. He's not going to know how to eat out of a bowl just yet. I would not put him in a plastic container at his age. Move all of the perches to the lowest level in the cage. Also check your bar spacing. If it is too wide and he can stick his beak in all the way to his lore, the bar spacing is too wide for him right now. Place a towel in the bottom of the cage and change it out daily. Place very shallow bowls that he can't destroy on the cage floor for him to learn to explore with, but these should not replace his feedings. Get a small gram scale and start weighing your bird daily. Birds can lose weight rapidly because of their fast metabolisms. Any other questions just let me know or PM me.