He loved rough-housing and wrestling, wild rides on the belt of my bathrobe or me tossing him and swinging him around with my hands. He'd perch contentedly on my knee while I read a book. Or we'd take naps together. My point is that Max wasn't an anxious little bird afraid of everyone, he just didn't want to interact with Howard. Howard decided that he was going to be the one to give Max his favorite food treats.
Toast is a great favorite.
One day I watched Howard give Max a treat. As Howard approached Max he held out the toast to him. While Max was reaching for the treat, I saw something that gave me pause. Howard turned away to say something to our dog, Sarah. While Max took the treat from his hand, Howard was already engaged with the dog.