Food aggressive Princess

[Talven]

So I have an 8 month old hand raised Princess parrot called Salem. He has some issues with behaviour that I have never encountered before.

First and foremost is the food aggression. If I get close to his food dish he will shriek and bite. He will straddle the dish and defend it even when empty. I thought maybe worms and being super hungry so I have wormed him. Any thoughts on why the food aggression and how to correct the behaviour?

He also loathes fingers. If you offer a finger for him to step up again shrieking and biting. Offer your forearm or a fist? Steps on happily. To get him off the floor I have to scoop him up with both hands. One hand and he again shrieks and bites. Both hands and he is as sweet as can be.

Hopefully time and perseverance will help with the finger\hand issues but I am uncertain as to what to do about the food aggression.

 

[fiddlejen]

So I have an 8 month old hand raised Princess parrot called Salem. He has some issues with behaviour that I have never encountered before.

First and foremost is the food aggression. If I get close to his food dish he will shriek and bite. He will straddle the dish and defend it even when empty. I thought maybe worms and being super hungry so I have wormed him. Any thoughts on why the food aggression and how to correct the behaviour?
...

This is 100% only a Thought, since I am not in any way experienced more than a few months. BUT. For my budgies and my parrot each I have multiple food dishes (and several water locations), and in addition I clip random veggies and/or treats in various places around the cage daily. The budgies like to ground-forage so I actually put a paper plate on the bottom of their cage as well with finely diced radish, or lettuce, or another day millet, etc.

Well I have not have any problem with food aggression but I am not saying this is why. Only, as Only a Suggestion, if your birdie is defending his food dish when Empty, well, leave it empty, and put another or couple-nother, food dishes elsewhere in the cage instead.

(Again, this is just my reflexive thought of, "that's what I would try." YMMV entirely!)

 

[Talven]

That's a good idea and one I didn't even think to try. Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

 

[Talven]

UPDATE: Adding extra food dishes hasn't helped at all. It's just given him more things to defend. He was VERY skinny when we got him. I could clearly feel his keel bone when I had to scoop him off the floor. He may have had to fight for food with siblings/other birds or just wasn't given enough/right food. It would go a long way to explain his food issues.

Personally I think he wasn't fed enough. First few days he was with us he ate more than my other 4 indoor birds combined. I also thought worms so he has been wormed. Still eats a lot but it is easing as he has constant access to appropriate seed. Princess are a predominately seed eating parrot which is why he has seed and not pellets. Closer to natural diet.

Any other thoughts would be welcome at this point. Sometimes you miss the obvious by being too close to a situation