Biting after asking for attention

[Brighty199]

So as some of you know I rescued an Eclectus parrot recently. (He is doing so much better by the way.) He loves to talk to me, be near me and will follow me around the house, but lately if I am sitting in the chair, he will climb down and come over to me and squak. I'll pick him up and let him sit with me (or he will climb up to sit with me) but then he bites me. I dont know if I'm just misreading what he wants when he comes over and squaks at me or what, but I have no idea how to stop this behavior and his bites HURT lol. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Gokha]

can he go to his cage or food/water bowl on his own? Maybe he’s asking you to take him there? have you tried offering food or water when he squaks?
my cockatiel sometimes will keep calling me if she wants to eat/drink and since she’s not a good flyer, she needs me to take her back into the cage.

 

[Brighty199]

Yes he can go in and out of his cage as he pleases. I leave the cage door open for him during the day so he decides if/when he comes in or out of it. He isnt a good flyer, but I've made adjustments to his cage (such as a ladder from the floor up to the cage) to make it easily accessible

 

[Monaco]

Sometimes I miss responding to something Monaco wants, according to her time-line or misunderstand what it is she wants. When I arrive it's only looks friendly at first! She definitely tells me off before we get on with things. I would try looking for what he's doing or wants before he comes over to you for clues as to what it is he wants. It took me two months to figure out her antsy dance. I still misread it sometimes. In the meantime, I would change what you allow. Disrupt this behavior chain with something he likes. For example : Stand up or disallow contact in some way. Get a treat, and either give it to him after a few beats or ask for a behavior (trick or whatever you want to do). Maybe a step up, or move locations so he can follow you. Then go back to the chair or wherever and see if he still wants to communicate with a bite. A different method will be required if he still wants to bite to communicate there. Hopefully that will give you a plan to avoid the bite until you can figure out what's happening.

 

[JornsBergenson]

Great answers.
I still struggle sometimes with my 2-yo eclectus, and when I ask for help the question people ask is "what is your training regimen?". I usually say, "uhm, I've been slacking off lately". According many bird trainers, target training and step-up training should be #1 priority for establishing communication and trust for you and your bird.
That's my 2-cents, FWIW, YMMV.