New to Parrots - Trying to Understand my GCC's Behavior

[Captain]

So I have an 11 month old hand raised male GCC. I brought him home about 2.5 weeks ago. At first he was such a little doll, very snuggly, very quiet and a little bit shy. He has never been very bitey, well atleast not hard until a few days ago, he has always beaked very lightly and tongued around my hand before this. I am trying to understand his behavior and what he is wanting or not wanting me to do but its very confusing as everything I read seems to be the exact opposite of Conure behavior.

He loves to come out of the cage, whether that's to come out and play uptop of his cage or on his play stand in my office in a separate room. I usually feed him on the play stand and he hangs out there while I work from home.

Lately he has begun biting and being a little brat. He does not bite when Im in his cage or try to get him out (not territorial) he is actually the opposite and likes being scritched and snuggles into my palm when My hands are in his cage or playing with him up top. But what happens is while I'm scritching him or hand cuddling he will all of a sudden make a loud screech as if hes mad and bite me quite hard, not skin breaking hard but annoyingly hard but then go back to wanting scritches. I do not react and don't move my hand, I just been giving him the stink eye stare and firmly saying no. He will also do this little screech and bite if I'm hand cuddling him and try to take my hand away. Its as if hes possessive of my hand but can't decide if he wants it there or doesn't want it there. He also does this while attempting to step up on occasion. For the most part he will step up with no issues from finger to finger but sometimes when I have him step up from off his playstand or cage he will put one foot up, but not the other and if I move in any bit the slightest, he will screech and bite my finger. Other times during a step up, if he simply does not want to step up, he will just put his head down and push it against my finger for scritches...and I oblige because its clear he doesnt want to come up and just wants pets.

So with this, I'm having a hard time understanding what he wants and doesnt want. Its very confusing and I'm not sure how to handle it and if its me being the one leading to this behavior. I don't know if its that he has just become comfortable in his new home and is sorting out the flock master and testing me and if I should be more dominate or what it is.

Any input both negative and positive is welcomed! Thanks

[marie83]

Yep, GCCs are tempremental, they will tell you when your not scratching their heads exactly right. They want you, then they dont, then they want you again in a split second which makes it harder to pick up their body language and decide how to react.

Mine is an attention freak, what helped with mine is teaching him to be a bit more independant, therefore less demanding of constant attention and putting him down and walking away from him for a short time as I could guarentee that he would be trying to get attention from me again the next second. Saying no, evil eyes or any reaction at all did not work. I was at my wits end for quite some time before Ollie realised that biting meant he didn't get attention again. It took a while but he very very rarely bites me now, if he does its always my fault for not paying attention or accidently catching a pin feather.

Good luck with yours and keep us updated about him.

[pennyandrocky]

sounds like the normal nippy stage of a . i got through this like marie did they are velcro birds so to be put away from me gave him the idea that i don't like the bite and he loses my shoulder for a few seconds took about a week but he got it.