Hello everyone. I am new here. I found this group because I am desperate to find a way to help my lorikeet. I bought this parrot a year ago from a pet store. I was told he is a 3 year old male. Ever since I got him I have managed to get him to dance daily and take an apple or grape from my hand. Last winter I managed to get him to step onto my hand by placing the fruit on my palm instead of taking it from my fingers. He would only sit and eat on it and then jump back onto his cage. I then slowly managed to get him to walk up my arm and take food from my hand on the floor. I had to be very gentle and careful with him as the minute he was done eating he would rush back to his cage or walk away from Me. I never pushed him to go further. He never steps up and is terrified of the clicker. Then one day everything changed he refused to take food from my hand even thought he had not only taken food from me but from family members too. I tried daily to try and work with him but he went back to sitting on his cage dancing on his perch and then very quickly taking food from my hand and rushing back to the corner of the cage. I did notice that he remembers the training and now actively avoids letting us train him anything that resembles the training I did before he avoids it entirely. I even empty his bowl before he sleeps because he is more likely to wake up and want to come to my hand and snatch a fruit and run back verses when his belly is full. I read something about getting a cage that is lower than my head and that can help but I would love any advice on any tip regarding lorikeet behavior and how to manage it. In my research I found that mine is not a rainbow lorikeet but a coconut lorikeet. Please help
I am sorry for responding to this question late. But hopefully i can add some help or insight.
With all my birds I take them to the vet. This is so I know they have a clean bill of health, as if they have any underlying issues, no training will help regardless until the bird has a clean bill of health.
Next is diet. Very important, a poor diet can lead to all sorts of issues, and when they feel like crap, they lose all sorts of interest. There are a ton of links in these forums that can guide you to a healthy diet for your Lory.
You have a couple of challenges here. One, the bird wasn't a baby when you got him, so whatever habits the bird got before you got him is something you will need to adjust, for not just you, but for the bird.
You did well trying to coach with food, however, it's much harder to try and train a bird with a full belly. Repetition is key and challenging. I would suggest to train twice daily. make it a routine. before you feed him in the morning, try training with some of his favorite treats. After training, then fill his bowl. same in the late afternoon, or whenever the schedule is good for you, take time to train before you feed him. If he gets resistive, dont feed him and continue to train with food.
This also leads me to a healthy schedule for you and your bird. If you smother the bird with attention, then the bird will always know the attention is there, or may expect the attention. I got all my birds on a schedule. I play/train and feed them in the AM before I head to work. At times I will come home for lunch and do the same, if not, it's in the late afternoon. same process, play/train, clean and feed.
Some challenges (one of which I am working through right now with my Lory) are hormones. Fall/Spring timeframe they may or may not break out into their hormonal stages. My amazon is a male and my Lory is a female. both react differently but its very important to get educated quick as to when they break out into the hormonal stages and what to do, if you have a female or a male.
This moves on to the next suggestion, which is handling your bird. When cuddling with your bird or when you are petting your bird, keep it from the neck on up. Do not pet under the wings or along the breast..it's very easy for them to see you as their mate and will want to play the dominant roll. Try and avoid having your bird play on your shoulders. It's a dominant standpoint, so naturally they want to be in a controlling situation and at times they could get aggressive when you would try and get them down from this point. Keep them on your hand or arm..and kisses are fine, but again, on the head only and make sure you aren't wearing any chapstick or anything that can stick to to their feathers. its always a good idea to wash your hands before handling your bird.
Sunlight, when NOT in their hormonal stages, sunlight is very good for your bird. Mine tend to love it a ton, they will dance, sing, squawk, and it's a great time to give your bird a bath.
Bathing, differs from some to others. I give my birds a bath every 2 to 3 days. Some do it daily, some dont. I figure in the wild they dont bath daily..so 2 to 3 times a week will reduce the dander but also doesn't seem too excessive.
House keeping. This is also important, as their environment can change their behavior as well, especially when it comes to hormones. I dont suggest places where they can climb in and sleep. Nice natural perches, toys are good enough. anything more they may want to nest. during hormonal situations, you may even want to reduce considering. Clean their cages once a day or once every 2 days. Lorys make a mess, and it's important to keep their living areas clean.
If you have any specific questions, ask them here, if I dont know, hopefully someone else will. They are VERY active and fun loving birds! dont be afraid to make training fun! if its fun for them, they will pick up on it quick! My girl LOVES flight training. I will grab a grape and before I even make the command poof, off she goes to fly onto my hand. Socialization is another big factor.
I also encourage my birds to go to daycare every other month or so. This helps for when the time comes, and you want to go on a cruise, your birds will know its routine and you will be back home.
Best of luck to you and the Lory.
Jesse