Interested...

[Vincent_The_Bird]

So I am noticing that there arent so many posts on Lories and Lorikeets and I'm wondering if that relates to the fact they are difficult birds to keep?

I saw one in a store the other day that was an absolute darling, and definitly beautiful too! I also noticed their "messyness", which I must say detures me only in the fact that I must wait for a house of my own.

But really, what are they like, personality and all???

Anyway, Guess I'll be digging for info, take care guys : )

[jamieo]

I'm not a lory owner yet, but I think I can answer a few of your questions. Lories are very playful and active birds. They like to explore, climb and hop about their homes. They are not quite as destructive as other parrots, but they do like to lick and taste everything.

I think that since they have a specialized diet, they are not as popular as other species of parrots. You just can't sit back and feed them seeds or a normal pellted diet as you can other parrots. There are some lory-specific pellets on the market, but I am not sure that a lot of people are using them. Nearly everyone I have had contact with feeds their birds primarily a powdered lory diet supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables or a nectar based diet also supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables.

All birds are messy in one way or another, but due to their diet, lories generally have runnier droppings. Those on a primarily powdered diet will have drier droppings, but since they do eat a lot of fruit, their droppings will gernerally always be runnier than a typical parrot's.

I think that they are misunderstood by a lot of people and are overlooked as great companion birds. A friend of mine has a scaly breasted lorikeet and would not give him up for the world.

It took me a while to find a breeder within a reasonable distance of my home but once I did I felt very lucky that she had a chick available. I'll be getting her in mid to late April once she is fully weaned.

[Vincent_The_Bird]

Wow, I bet your excited! Thanks for the response.

[The Outlaw]

The reason they aren't kept by more folks is because of the way they poop. They tend to hang on the side of their cages and produce a lot of very liquid poop that gets expelled into the surrounding areas. Consequently, they are messier than even larger birds. Toucans are another bird that have extremely liquid poop.

[Lori L]

In addition I might ad that the necter powder is extremely expensive. They sure are beautiful though...And named after ME!

[Ringneckmom]

Lories are wonderful birds. I have not met a bird yet that can out play a lory. When I had my green nape, he would play in his cage and roll around on the bottom of the cage with a toy in each foot.
Lories do have what I refer to as jet propelled poop - they can squirt it almost completely across the room. THeir diet is also very specialized; it is very easy for them to get iron storage disease. It also does not help that trying to find lory powder in the pet store. Most lories do not do well with a pelleted diet.

My lory was like a dog and would follow me around all over the place - I had to put him up when I was trying to do something so I would not step on him.
Lories are definitely not for everyone, but if you can deal with mess all over your walls and on the floor, a highly specialized diet and a bird that is on uppers 24/7 then you will really enjoy them.
I know I would love to get another some day.

[Vincent_The_Bird]

All the way across the room - Wow!

Oh I am sure I would love tohave a bird like that one day when I have more time to dedicate! I don't mind messes so long as I have a way to clean them...just as you all have told me, they are so enchanting, I just couldn't believe that was the main reason *most* people wouldn't buy if they are looking for a neat bird. I first got Vincent (not long ago either) thinking a parakeet is simple to take care of, and 'easy' (etc etc) and hearing that they COULD be cuddly and petted. However in retrospect I am not sure it was as good of a choice as my conure because the GC is so much more active and interested in its surroundings. The more I read and interact with birds I find the yes's and the no's with bird ownership and I start to wonder if they really are the best 'starter' birds after all. (I have to admit though, I absolutly adore Vincent for all he is!), but the activity level as you all state (and some muttling around on the net) is exactly why I started this thread. I was just making sure that this wasn't an exception to the rule of Lories or something. Gosh - so neat. Thanks all! o..o

[Ringneckmom]

I don't think you see as many of the lories in places as you do some of the other birds which could also explain why not too many people have them.
They really are neat birds, but they definitely aren't for everybody. They can get a little nippy at times just like most birds but their beaks are what I refer to as slice and dice. They can really put a hurting on you if they want to, but the personality...... :) I like birds that are into everything and are "troublemakers" so a lory fits very well into my house. THe only thing is making sure they are in area where you can easily clean around them.

[Monica]

IMO, budgies are not good 'starter birds', unless handraised, but who's going to buy a handraised bird if they just want one as a pet? (i.e. the average joe who does no research before hand)... I'd have to say the same for cockatiels, unless handraised, many people may not want to take the time to tame a bird down... even at that, some birds are very "aggressive" even if handraised, all because the bird wanted to use it's beak to step up... That's why I recommend bourkes!

As far as lories go, they are quite intriguing birds that are basically, to put simple, on a sugar high! Very clownish birds! If you've ever heard how clownish a caique is, well think double that if not more! I too, would recommend a lory, IF you could put up with the diet and mess as well as the hyperactivity! I have heard of ways for people to make home-made lory diets... one can do a search here for 'lory diet' or even 'homemade lory diet' and get a coupel results!

[Ringneckmom]

I would not really recommend a homemade lory diet unless you have had an avian nutritionist look at it.
One of my good friends just had her black lory die from iron storage disease and he had a very good variety of food that she gave to him. Through her research and also talking with several Avian vets that specialize with lories and talking with Dick Shroeder on the phone, she has found that the best lory diet out there so far is the Lory Life powder as it is the lowest in iron content. Some lories are more susceptible to iron storage so it is better to go with one that is very low in iron. Personally, I would rather go with someone that has done the research on this than to try to be the nutritionist myself as they have done alot more studying and research on nutrition than I would be able to do or have resources for.
Besides, lory powder is not really that expensive a large container of lory life for one bird will last at least a month to a month and a half or more and 30 some odd dollars is not any more expensive than some of the other foods out there that we feed our birds especially since it is the main portion of their diet.
JMHO