Tame Ringneck now being aggressive

[Peanut_power]

When he is with me he is usually involved in whatever I am doing - he even plays candy crush

[Wolf]

There is no dual personality in his actions, only your perception of what is happening.

It is normal and also more pronounced in some species of parrots than in others to be territorial concerning their nesting area, which in the case of captive birds is there cage. The easiest way to deal with this is to open the cage door, step back and let the bird come out on its own. This is a very ingrained behavior and in their natural habitat is needed to help insure survival. Trying to change this behavior instead of just working around it usually causes more problems than it is worth.

The birds increase in vocalness when in its cage is the birds bid for your attention. It wants to be with and on you most of the time. In their normal environment they are always with or very near their mates.

[Peanut_power]

Hmmm. Thanks. I guess I'll just have to practise a bit of patience. Been at it for a week already, hopefully things turn around soon.

[Wolf]

If your table is large enough to do so try placing him on the table in the travel cage at mealtimes and make sure that some of the foods that you are eating are prepared specifically for the bird and include him in you mealtime activities. The sharing of food is a social activity for a parrot and also an excellent bonding activity.
We fall down so often because we fail to recognize that parrots are intelligent and sentient creatures just as we are. This results in our treating them as a pet and not as a friend. We tend to treat them as if their behaviors are the result of instinct and not based on their intelligence. We demand rather than ask, we expect them to trust us without giving them reason to trust us.
Definitely, patience is required when dealing with a parrot as they don't view things quite the same way that we do and nowhere is this more apparent than with the idea of time. It seems that for many things a month is pretty much the same as a day as they don't have the same sense of urgency as we do.

[Pajarita]

He's is going into puberty and, same as young boys and girls, is a moody pain in the neck about it It will pass but you will have to be very vigilant about your spending time with him because this is the time when people 'lose' their bond with their birds.

Yes, birds out of their familiar territory (outside, running errands, visiting strangers homes, etc) are usually very quiet because, basically, they are worried about predators so, if I were you, I would try not to stress him out so much because, like I said, this is a difficult period for him.

[Peanut_power]

The owner of the pet shop where i get some toys also said that he thinks it's just Peanut going through a maturity phase and that he is trying to guard his turf, but that I shouldn't worry too much. Just keep spending time with him.

I'm also trying some of the negative reinforcement as per this article http://www.theparrotforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=227 where I just stand at his cage for a bit, letting him see that I don't pose any threat to his territory and then walk away for a bit.

We usually do include him in mealtimes, his cage is right next to our dining table and it opens up at the top, so we usually leave it like that all the time to allow him freedom to get out and explore when he wants to. We eat a pretty healthily, so there is always something bird friendly around and he's always eating from whatever we are having, even if just a slice of a bell pepper.

[Wolf]

I tend to enter a room about two or three steps in and watch to see what the bird does. Then when the bird is calm and relaxed I begin talking to them in a calm and reassuring manner and then if the bird is still calm and relaxed I begin a slow round about approach towards the bird and cage. If the bird starts to show nervousness then I stop my approach and take a step back while continuing to talk to the bird. My approach does not begin again until the bird is calm and relaxed again. This type of session never lasts more than 15 minutes before I end the session and leave the room. The rest of the time I spend time just hanging out in the same room with the bird reading, watching TV, whittling or something else where I am not actively doing anything with the bird other than just being there in the same manner as a chair is there.
Since I spend a great deal of time just hanging out with my birds, Micheal's method will not work for me, so I have replaced it with the method given above.

[Pajarita]

Well, Michael's recommendation is a flooding technique and there is a lot of people who don't agree with them. Me included - I use patience instead.

[Peanut_power]

Before coming across Michael's post I was also just approaching the cage and speaking to him. After a while I would just take my laptop and work at the table near his cage.

When I need to change his food it's a bit of a problem though. I need to take a couple of bites, get him out of the cage and then change the food.

[Wolf]

But it is not just talking and approaching him in the cage. It requires you to pay attention to the bird and not to approach until he is ready for you to do so. It is like asking if you can come a little closer and stopping when the bird says to stop. It also shows respect for the birds requests and its personal space. It allows the bird which is an intelligent being some control over that which occurs to them. This fosters trust as you begin to act in accord to the parrots desires and not just to your own agenda. It is a small step but it is an important one.
The hanging out with the parrot in the same room allows the bird to get accustomed to your presence in a non threatening manner as you are not doing anything with the parrot directly. Still speaking to the bird off and on while you are in the room acknowledges his presence and it helps him to learn the sound of your voice.
There is really much more going on that it appears from the outside, especially in the birds mind.