My 7 week old lory

[Merv]

Hello everyone, since about a week i now have a rainbow lory. Its still a baby and is currently being handreared.
But i have a question about my little guy now refusing feedings.
I know that it is normal for a bird to start refusing food during weaning process but he was already eating some formula on his own when i put it in front of him and now he also stopped doing that, only a very small amount when he's hungry.
Now 7 weeks should normally be a normal weaning age for a lory but here's a little backstory about this one.
He was born outside in an aviary and the guy never had a nest before, he just let the parents do their thing while the babies where out in the cold and seems a bit underdeveloped, so even though my baby is 7 weeks, he's still not as covered in feathers as most other of his age.
Does this development affect the weaning process or should i just proceed with weaning? or stay with hand feedings a little while longer?

(this is not my first parrot i hand reared btw i've also got an eclectus, and i hand reared a macaw for a friend)


Here are pictures of him

 

[Animallover03]

I don't know anything about hand feeding, however your baby is beautiful!
I would love to be owned by a rainbow lorikeet someday, I absolutely love them and their crazy personalities.

 

[aooratrix]

Assuming he's got a clean bill of health, he'll wean when he's ready. Keep on feeding him as long as he wants. As you said, he's probably behind a bit. His plumage certainly supports that notion. If he were with his parents or in the wild, they'd feed him whenever he wanted it.

 

[Merv]

I cut back on the amount of feedings, instead of 3 x 12ml i'm now giving him 2 x 15ml and he seems to be eating better now. also started eating on his own a little again.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Don't have experience with lories but wanted to say Welcome to AA. Your baby is very cute.
Good that he is doing better with eating.

 

[Love My Zons]

Adorable! Maybe you can introduce some Lory nectar and see how that goes?

 

[zoo mom]

Welcome.

 

[Merv]

Thanks for the welcome!

I dont need to feed him with a syringe anymore becouse he can now eat out of a bowl on his own, I still watch him to see if he eats enough but so far so good. I'm amazed how easy this is all going with a lory... (i've spend 7 months weaning a macaw)
He also likes the nectar, but ever since i've given him nectar his poop got really liquid and smelly... Wrong / cheap nectar maybe? I've got 'CéDé Lori Food' as adviced by the breeder.

 

[aooratrix]

Are you weighing him?

 

[WallyLoopey]

His poop will be pure liquid. That’s normal.

Expect a bowel movement every 30 seconds.



You can puree low iron fruits and mix nectar in as well...or some plain black tea about once a week

Foods safe to feed daily- peeled apples, pears, watermelon and cucumber
Avoid citrus

Love your new baby

 

[WallyLoopey]

And yes..he will have a slight smell

 

[Merv]

Yes i'm weighing him, about 130gr now.
And about the poop being pure liquid, why is it that with his formula its not only liquid? It does not come even close to regular parrot poop but also not like water.

"Avoid citrus" Oops! i gave him oragne slices, he really likes them. Why is it bad?
Also my eclectus get raw sweet potato almost everyday (It's currently his favorite), but my lori also really likes the sweet potato, this is lori safe right? i know its not very moist but he should be able to handle it right?
If he sees the sweet potato on the table he'll jump towards it.

As for his eating / feeding habits, Sometimes he does not want to be fed and sometimes he really does. still his weight is pretty stable and he's still gaining little bits but not as much the past week, i think that soon he'll start loosing some weight in preperation of flight. i've seen him jump up and flapping his wings heavily a couple times now. he also climbs on stuff and jumps off.

 

[WallyLoopey]

Lorikeets need a low-iron diet and vitamin C helps absorb iron.
Avoid oranges and the like. They really love banana but that should only be given as a treat, probably no more than once a week.

He really doesn’t need many vegetables at all. In the wild he wouldn’t be eating any. The exception (you can offer)being cucumbers (daily) and sweet green peppers (treat).


I would offer fresh nectar twice daily (as much as he wants) and several safe pureed, blended, or juiced fruits. Watermelon can be given as is and carefully placed on a skewer to encourage foraging.

Peaches are another fruit that are safe to feed daily.

You can place a tiny bit of ‘plain’ black tea in a water bowl. Tea has tannins which are thought to block the absorption of iron. Be sure to provide plain drinking water as well.


-They love flowers in the cage-be sure none have pesticides.

Safe flowers-

Acacia
Christmas Cactus
Calendula
Carnation
Daisies
Dandelion
Eucalyptus
Hibiscus
Honeysuckles

This is all just a partial list to get you started

OH, and I’m sure you know..no seeds, no pellets (unless you want to offer a low-iron softbill pellet soaked occasionally)

 

[Merv]

Thanks WallyLoopey!
So they pretty much only drink juices from food as far as i understand. Okay then, will keep an eye on iron rich foods and will stop giving him oranges!
I'm trying to find food that both my eclectus and lori can eat now.
Some of my eclectus' favorites;
Pineapple, pear, grapes, lentils, beans.
Is this safe for the lori?
Giving it some thought i don't think the beans are good becouse they're high in iron?

Baby is doing great by the way! He does not want to be fed anymore and wants to eat on his own, i put a bowl of nectar next to his little nest box twice daily.

 

[WallyLoopey]

Pear are the only thing from your list they can both eat.

Stick to these foods listed for the lory

Watermelon
Peaches
Apples
Pear
Cucumber

Plus your nectar

Glad he is doing good! Other fruits can be offered as a treat only such as other melons, banana, plum etc