Lorikeets and Lori's

Apart from their comical and inquisitive nature, Lorikeets have other characteristics not like the average parrot. A common misconception about Lorikeets is that they can be fed on a seed based diet, in fact seed is detrimental to their health.

Lorikeets have small bristles on their tongue perfectly suited to eat their wild diet of nectar, pollen, fruit and vegetables, they do not possess the necessary equipment to break down and digest seed. Seed can cause great damage to their tongue and beak and give them an upset stomach.

Another major problem these birds face is being 'killed with kindness', unfortunately because of their bright and friendly nature people try to encourage the birds into their yards by offering sugary substances like biscuits, honey and bread, this possess' a threat to the birds as their digestive system doesn't cope with artificially refined sugar. Feeding these birds from you backyard also encourages them to rely more on being fed and abandon their foraging instinct.

If you wish to encourage these cheeky little guys to your neighbourhood try to create a safe and inviting environment for them in your backyard by making sure there is no threat from foxes, cats or dogs, providing hollow tree logs and planting such native plants as Eucalypt, Bottle Brush and Calistemon. While their hydration requirements are mainly met by the food that they eat providing a bird bath would also encourage them to your yard as they love to bathe!

If keeping Lorikeets as Pet or Aviary birds there are lots of diets on the market that are suitable to feed, I personally like to use Dr. Max's but this can sometimes be hard to get. I also like to use Paswell and Vetafarm Rice formula, Wombaroo is also suitable but is higher in sugar. In addition to commercial foods Lorikeets need to be fed fresh fruit and vegetables, Orange vegetables such as Carrots, Sweet Potato and Pumpkin are favoured, also feed a good mixture of Apple, Beans, Berries, Broccoli, Celery, Grapes, Mango, Melon, Pears, Parsley, Spinach, Fresh Sweet Corn, Oranges and Strawberries.

I find the easiest way to provide all the necessary nutrients is to throw Bananas, Apples, Pears, Grapes, Kiwi Fruit and Passionfruit into a blender with some Vetafarm Rice Formula, a small amount of calcium supplement and apple cidar vinegar and freeze into ice cube trays in large amounts. This way I can get out the required amount and let the birds play with the cubes as they defrost and as I only put a small amount in at a time there are no left overs - Wet food that is left out for a day or more is prone to fermentation and bacterial prolification.

If there is anything that I have left out and you would like to know feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible!