It may be that he is going through a “testing” stage with you where he wants to determine who is the “head of the flock”. Though it is difficult to do, ignore the bites and do not reinforce them. If you haven’t read it, you may get some insight from the
Guide to Senegal Parrots and its Family by Mattie Sue Athan and Dianalee Deter.
Biting when he is returned to his cage is a normal behavior in many of our fids (feathered kids). Think about it, what child willingly wants to go to his room or to bed when others are around and fun can be enjoyed? This is exactly what your Meyer’s is demonstrating to you with his biting.
Here are two things that helped me with “return to the cage” biting. First, I made the cage for Pepper, my Senegal parrot, a fun place to be. I filled it with multiple perches, toys, foraging opportunities and food options. Here’s a link to images of his cage:
Pepper's Cage. With a fun cage he’s more willing to be returned there. Second, I tried not to condition Pepper to know how long he’ll be returned to his cage. There are times when he’ll be returned there for several hours and other times when it will only be for several minutes. In this way he’s accustomed to flexibility and much less “nippy” when returned to his cage. At the end of the day when I’m returning him to his cage for the night (7:00-9:00pm), we have a set routine. I’ll say, “It’s nite-nite time.” Pepper will either fluff and/or stretch his wings. I’ll then return him to his cage and he willingly steps off onto a perch.
I hope something I’ve shared will be of help to you with your Meyer’s.
