Lorikeet Aviary?

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"a colony aviary of lories looks wonderful-but can it work? is it practical and is it wise? the answer to the last question is usually 'NO.' of course there are exceptions, but due to the nature of lories, most are especially unsuited to being kept in this way. instant death for the unfortunate co-inhabitants would normally be the result of trying to keep other birds with Lorius lories"
-encyclopedia of the lories.

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had to do a repost, my computer stall on me.
anyway i did a bit of research and found the above quote from rosemary low's book.
different species of lories and lorikeets cannot be kept together.

[Starlit_rain]

okay. could i keep a pair of Lorikeets with a different species of birds? I have heard that they could be kept together with smaller song birds?

[Heather_Bird]

Hi There!

Your question depends very much on what type/s of lories you are intending to keep. Rainbows are the thugs of the lory world and do not do well in anything other than pairs unless you are having a very large non-breeding aviary. By large I mean 5-10metres x 2-4metres. The height is dependent on whether it is suspended or not but such a large suspended aviary would be incredibly difficult to maintain. I have both types and have found that lories do well in either but you need to be prepared for a fair bit of scrubbing if you have a solid floor. My main rainbow pair are in an aviary that is straight onto the earth and I have had no troubles apart from nothing wanting to grow due to the sugary droppings. I just bung down a new layer of bark chippings from time to time and clean all the other surfaces with a bucket of hot water and a scrubbing brush. The benefit of lory droppings being mainly sugar is that they are pretty easy to get off compared to normal poop.

If you are looking to have several birds (particularly if you are looking to breed them) then you would be better to start off with a divided aviary (double wired between enclosures) and place a pair of your chosen species in each section. That solves all the problems in one fell swoop and you won't have to worry. DO NOT put any other species of bird in with lories. Rainbows will even kill and disembowel button quail - I know, it happened to me! Small songbirds will be looked on as toys at best and a food-source if you're not careful. I do know of people who keep their younger birds together once they are weaned but they are generally of a similar size and maturity (rainbows, red-collars and green napes) and they are not breeding or even close. Once the hormones rear their ugly little heads all hell breaks loose. You also have to remember that lory species will inter-breed and that is probably something to be avoided IMHO.

Lories are wonderful birds and the more I get to know them the more I like them. They are pretty free-breeding if you get conditions right and are total clowns. Good luck with the enterprise and I hope you get it all worked out. Love to see a picture when you do.

All the best,

Heather

[Starlit_rain]

Thank you so much for helping me, but I think that i have decided to go with a more 'friendly flock' bird :) I will still possibly get a single/pair of lorikeets and put them in their own aviary though. If you have any suggestions as to what type of bird i should get for an aviary (something that could be kept in a flock) please voice them :) Thanks!

[swanwillow]

ohoh, that I can answer; I've always wanted to see a HUGE flock of budgies. I know it sounds kind of funny.. but think of all the colors!

and a rosella or two.. ohh, I like 'little' birds...

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Creating And Enjoying An Indoor Aviary - Pet Birds

[Starlit_rain]

Yeah, budgies are deffinately at the top for me...but what could i put with them?

[swanwillow]

budgies can be with 'grass parakeets' The rosella, princess, elegant, bourke, etc.
Visual Wings - Grass Parakeets

you may have to have a large flight, and watch the budgies for squabbling.

[Heather_Bird]

I do have a large budgie aviary and it is one of the nicest to sit and watch with my morning coffee. They are always busy and a great deal of fun. One thing to watch though is if you are intending to breed them. The hens can be extremely aggressive to each other and also to other chicks. I have lost quite a few this way and, in fact, this year will be my last colony breeding for that very reason. Any I want to breed will be taken out and put in separate breeder cages from now on as I can't cope with the carnage!

I have kept grass parakeets (turqs and bourkes) with budgies and they are ok together as long as you keep an eye on things. Also I keep the larger red rumps with my budgies as they are big enough to intimidate the budgies into good behaviour. The other thing that I have kept successfully with them is Java finches. They will even breed at the same time as the budgies and are feisty enough not to put up with any budgie nonsense. Tiels are ok with them too as long as you aren't breeding them. In my experience Rosellas aren't suitable as they are too aggressive when the hormones kick in.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

All the best,

Heather