and you thought petstores were bad for the darkside....

[zlatushka]

Hey yall

We had a great weekend up in Portland, and alot of fun when we visited the zoo up there. They have an exhibit called "Lorikeet Landing", which is a huge outdoor enclosure set up to look like some kind of tropicalish forest, and filled with Lorikeets. I am assuming after doing a little websearching that most of them were rainbow Lorikeets, but there were a couple other kinds as well. You could buy nectar and the birds would jump right on you and start eating; Well many of them would jump right on you if you held out a hand anyway Eden loved it. We were hoping for some pictures with birds on her, but she was way to excited and kept shrieking back to them and waving her arms and legs everywhere anytime one would get close.

ah the darkside is strong.... hehehhe really tempting to go out and look for a lorikeet or two now. Anyone know any more about these birds or breeders?

The really good thing about going there is that it seems that the dark side works on Ray too, or maybe its that subliminal messaging system.... Cause Ray was asking about the birds and being able to procure them as well.. hehehe AND he started talking about how he could see being able to build a similar (if not quite so enormous) enclosure for me in the future, even adding better features... So it looks like his brain is working on that, and an outdoor-ish aviary will be in my future when we start building


rachel

[bellarains]

Rachel,

They are gorgous aren't they. The only thing I know other than that is that they poop very strategically :eek: , and they have a special diet, other than that I am clueless, I just know that they are absolutely gorgeous.

Sounds like your hubby has some good ideas. You just tell him how smart he is, and how awesome his ideas are and you will have that aviary before you know it

[zlatushka]

they poop very strategically

Lori

I noticed that... and they have some big poopins! The zoo actually had a sign posted at the entrance that said

"Any presents the Lorikeets may leave on you can be easily cleaned with soap and water"

[jknezek]

When I was looking for a larger bird I did some research on lorikeets. They are wonderful birds and very, very beautiful. However, there are some...idiosyncrasies.
First, because of their diet (heavy on nector although there is a lot of debate about the amount of nectar vs mashed fruits and veggies they should be served) they have watery poops. actually, it's better describe as urinate and it can travel long distances and be very, very, very messy. without getting too in depth, squirting, is the term most commonly applied. many owners suggest bird proofing any area with a lorikeet with plastic sheets as floors, walls and even ceilings tend to get sloppy.
Also, they tend to bond and be protective of one person, similar to a cockatoo, unless they are very well socialized. I would suggest reading Mattie Sue Atlans "Guide to Companion Parrots" and her description of lorries and lorikeets. I don't agree with everything she writes about the different species in her book, I have an eclectus and would take issue with some of the things she writes, but it is, in general, a good basic description.
Good luck. I know the rainbow lorikeet I looked at was very reasonably priced and very friendly, granted he was in awful, neglected condition is a very miserable bird store, and was starving for food and attention. But I ultimately decided that a lorikeet was not the larger parrot for me.

Jeremy

[zlatushka]

Very good points, Jeremy... I will look around for that book and see if I can find it anywhere closeby. One thing I was very glad of, given that a huge number of people pass through that exhibit of beauties, is that the zoo had a large info-ish sign prominently displayed withing the enclosure. It talked about parrots as pets, although not specifically Lorikeets... Talked about the long life-span of parrots, and the high degree of care required etc etc. Not exactly discouraging keeping parrots, but warning people to think very hard before getting one.

[jknezek]

Yes. That is a good idea. Many of the most popular species have been devastated in the wild by a combination of loss of habitat and the pet trade. It's very sad. Down here in South Florida there is a group that runs an advertisement in the pets classified section of the major newspapers warning people that parrots are wild, not domesticated, animals. they live a long time, they are not "tame" by the canine or feline definition, and most large parrots end up being rehomed many times throughout their lifetimes. the ad is very powerful.

My own, very much loved, young eclectus is now on his third home in his short 13 months. I have had him for 4 months and very much intend to have him the rest of my life. But owning a larger parrot, anything from a quaker to a macaw, is a very different experience from owning lovebirds. the demands on time and energy are enormous. not to mention the daily training, interaction, feeding and just plain attention. my lovebirds are wild, however, so i'm probably comparing apples and oranges. my lovebireds are quite happy playing with each other inside and outside their cage and only tolerate my feeding, watering, and cleaning after they have either a) moved as far from me as possible or b) nipped me several times to show who is boss. my eclectus... well, he needs to be in the same room with me when i am home 75-80% of the time at least. and he prefers to be on my arm or in eye contact with me 50% of the time i'm home. although i've been told this will diminish as he grows older.

good luck with your decision. I love my eclectus and would recommend one to any qualified bird person. but i know many other bird owners who would recommend species that, quite frankly, scare the heck out of me. cockatoos, military macaws, patagonian conures... each has things that scared me off but each also has owners that swear by them.

Jeremy

[Buy A Paper Doll]

floors, walls and even ceilings tend to get sloppy

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
This is not the bird for me!!!

[Jezz]

Lorikeets are great birds. I have had Red Collared Lorikeets and Rainbow Lorikeets and they are both a joy to have in an aviary.
Yes, because of their diet their dropping are very watery so i keep my Lorikeets in a suspended aviary, that way, the droppings go straight through the wire and they can't get bacterial infections. I never give my Lorikeets seed, it wears away the bristles on their tongues and once those bristles are gone, they can't eat nectar.
Lorikeets are very intelligent birds, one of mine learnt to talk when he was 2 years old and the only human contact he got was when i went down to feed them.
Lorikeets can get noisy if housed in a colony but if you only have a couple of pairs housed next to each other they aren't that noisy, but having said that, they do have their moments.