My 1.5 year old male Indian Ringneck Parrot, Devi, had his first full molt this summer and molted out the feathers that had been clipped by the breeder. I have had him since he was 3 months old, and he was generally well-behaved when he was clipped. He loved to cuddle and would allow me to scratch his feathers, would step up practically 100% of the time with no struggle, would do tricks for sunflower seeds (I used clicker training), and very rarely bit me.
After his molt, he is able to fly. I had read how good flight was for parrots and told myself I would let him keep his full wings with every intention of doing indoor flight and recall training. I purchased an aviator harness and everything! But as soon has he had the ability to fly, he became very unruly, refusing to step up (or stepping up only to launch himself away from me), lunging at my hand, refusing to go nicely into his cage, flying laps around the room to avoid me, landing on lampshades and curtain rods, etc. I have recieved several nasty bites, and as frustrated as I am with getting bitten, mostly I am sad that my bird that was once so loving now hates being near me.
He will tolerate some trick training, or commands like "target" to a perch or his cage. But I haven't been able to pet my bird in months!
What can I do to correct this behavior?