Please help new Lorikeet "parent" - anxious!

[LorikeetNovice]

Hello. My 14 yo son and I brought our first Lorikeet home yesterday afternoon.

It seemed to be going well but I must say that both my son and I are struck with anxiety about the bird's well being. I think it is because we don't know how to read our bird's body language yet and also, we're not confident of anything really.

I have a few questions:

Cage & perches

We set up the cage which is about 66cm wide x 95cm tall x 55cm deep with three perches. And the new Lorikeet was climbing all over the place but has fallen down to bottom of cage a couple of times which terrifies us. He got right back up but I fetched some native gum tree branches to give him some more things to climb around on. The pet shop guy said he wasn't used to climbing because they keep their birds in perspex units not cages or on display so he needs to learn how to climb. His wings are clipped but he's not that flash at flying either (12 weeks old approx.). BTW, we don't know the gender - I am using "he" for convenience.

The cage now has four perches in there roughly even spaced and tried to off-set them. I find it hard to arrange them. One is a thick (commercially made to be bird friendly) "rope", the other is a wooden dowel, the third is only half length across the cage but thick and has a rough surface and the last is the gum tree branch. But we are struggling to secure the branch - it is thicker than the space between the bars and we have chiselled out the ends but it is still prone to slipping which could be dangerous - any tips?

Sore claw?
I've noticed today too that the bird is pulling up one leg (mostly the left) and resting with weight on the other leg. Is this normal behaviour or does it mean one leg is sore? I worry he hurt it when he fell. When I had him out of the cage, he seemed to be using both legs but he is less grippy on the left claw - the right one grips around the perch or finger - the left claws are less clutched. He also seems a bit hesistant to jump from perch to water bowl. He stretches his wings out quite alot too; sometimes standing on one leg when he does that.

Grooming
I've heard of birds preening themselves - he does fluff himself up and seem to chew or nibble at himself. He's not pulling feathers out but he does it alot so again I am wondering if this is normal or a sign of something like mites? I believe he was getting mite prevention spray at the pet store and I can't see any evidence of them.

Vet visit - stress?

I contacted an Avian vet as the pet store said to take him to an avian vet within 72 hours of purchase for a check up. I made a tentative appointment on Monday (it is the weekend now and it is hard to get appointments at the best of times) but there aren't many Avian vets in Sydney so it will be about a 40 min drive each way and I am concerned about the stress of the trip after such a recent stress of coming home from shop in the car and then settling into a new cage and greater environment. What do you think?

Not into water bath?

He also doesn't seem that interested in his water bath - I thought lorikeets loved to bath so we got him a large dish to bath in but he hasn't shown any interest at all in hopping in. Is that weird or am I expecting too much too soon?

I gave him a cardboard toilet roll holder and bell but he wasn't that into them. He's quite verbal and is happy to come out of the cage and sit on our arms / hands / shirt and doesn't appear to be fearful of or upset by the dog (who has been very disinterested so far - just lies down near cage and rests but we are supervising them all the time).

We are worried!

I think I need a "chill pill" to relax into this! But my son is similar - just really concerned that the bird is okay. My experience with rescuing injured or sick wild birds (handing them to local vet or wildlife rescue person) has me worried about birds just dropping dead.

Thanks for hearing me! I appreciate any comments you have to help. I will try to post some pictures of the behaviours I am observing when I figure out how.

Kim

 

[Greycloud]

Hi Kim and welcome to AA! It is normal to be a bit worried when you bring a new bird home. I commend you on coming to our forum to ask your questions!
I do not own a Lorikeet but your questions pertain to many parrots. First, remember your baby is very new to this situation, just as you are! He will need some time to get use to his surroundings.

Perches:
It seems you have a good variety of perches. If he is not use to climbing he may be a bit clumsy at first. If you could post a photo of his cage it would help us give better advice.

Sore Claw:
Many birds sleep with one leg pulled up. It helps to maintain the body heat. You say his one foot seems a bit weaker, this may just be a baby thing but I suggest you mention it to the vet.

Grooming:
He sounds like he is doing his normal grooming. Remember that birds molt feathers, so they are constantly preening those down feathers and new feathers of the dead sheath that coats the feathers coming in. I highly doubt he has mites.
Some birds like to bath, some do not. My birds prefer to be misted with a fine mist from a water bottle. You can try that. Lorikeets are such silly birds! You can try wetting some lettuce and placing on a plate and see if he might want to roll around in that.

***Please be very careful with your dog. Dogs are natural predators of birds. Some dogs do very well and then unexpectantly attack a pet bird. It is wise to just keep them apart.

***Toys, Sometimes birds have never learned how to play as they are being raised. Lorikeets really like foot toys. For example, balls with bells, wicker balls, chewable toys.

Vet:
I highly recommend you get him into the vet. Have them run a blood panel to make sure all is OK. Discuss with the vet as to what disease testing may need to be done.
**Discuss diet of Lorikeets. This is very important! What diet are you feeding him now?
I am not familiar with Australia Avian vets but will tag @Stormcloud @JAM here to see if they can help.

Take a deep breath and relax. Your baby will need time to get use to his new cage, toys, sites, sounds and smells, you and your son. Baby steps!

 

[painesgrey]

For the gum tree branch, I would see if you can drill a hole for a stainless steel hanger bolt into it. Then put two washers on the bolt - one inside the cage, one outside, and tighten with a wing nut. This is the easiest way to safely secure the perch to the cage. These are what the materials look like. You can buy them at most hardware stores, just make sure you're getting stainless steel. Anything galvanized/zinc plated can be toxic.

I (personally) would ditch the dowel rod. They come with most bird cages, but are the worst kind of perch you can have in the cage.

Other than that, all of @Greycloud's advice is sound. Don't fret over too much just yet, and give the little one some time to settle in before worrying over behavior.

 

[TWR]

Hi and welcome.

I'm in Sydney too and 2 of my fids are lorikeets. Your little one is very young - did you say 12 weeks? Most young birds of this age can be clumsy and they do fall. If he seems to be falling more often than you'd like, try keeping his perches low. Natural gum tree branches make great perches and the foliage is a great natural toy - just be sure that the branches you've chosen have never had pesticides sprayed on them.

To keep the gum tree perches in place, you can cut grooves into the ends, exactly the width of the cage bar - much like is probably the case with the dowel perch the cage came with. Even better, order Parrot Rescue Centre Perch Adjustable Hardware Kit - Caring for Pet Parrots in Australia a few of these kits. They come with instructions and you'll be make your own perches like a champ. After you know what you're doing, keep the instructions and buy the hardware for cheaper at your local hardware. If you do that, make sure all hardware you buy is stainless steel.

Your perches do sound mostly good, but when you can I'd replace the dowel perch with a natural gum tree branch. Dowel perches really aren't the best.

What nectar are you feeding? I use Wombaroo Honey & Lorikeet, served as a wet mix. Recently I've heard good things about Nektin Lorikeet Nectar, but I haven't tried it yet. Might do so soon. Stay away from pellets (even those the pet store says are specifically made for lorikeets). Lorikeets really need a moist diet and those pellets claim to alter the way your lorikeet poops - we shouldn't be trying to alter the way nature intends their plumbing to work.

The preening sounds natural.

Who is your AV? I think a check with an AV is a wise move.

Good luck with your new baby. Lorikeets are such clowns, but remember he may still be nervous and unsure - so always go at his pace.

 

[LunaLovebird]

Congratulations on the new addition! I love watching the lorikeets here - they have such big personalities.

I wouldn't stress too much about not getting into toys or the water bath straight away. He's still young and getting used to his new home. It will come with time. You seem to have won his trust, which should help to make his adjustment smoother.

Please consider letting him grow back his flights and not clipping, also. It's much better for them mentally and physically to be able to fly, especially since you have a dog.

 

[LunaLovebird]

Even better, order Parrot Rescue Centre Perch Adjustable Hardware Kit - Caring for Pet Parrots in Australia a few of these kits.

Parrot Rescue Centre is a great place to buy from. We love their toys here.

 

[TWR]

Parrot Rescue Centre is a great place to buy from. We love their toys here.

So you're in Australia too?

I adopted one of my birds (Tinga, a Sun Conure) through the Parrot Rescue Centre, so I try to support them by always buying my pellets and lorikeet food from them, as well as great toys too. It's good to give them support.

 

[LunaLovebird]

So you're in Australia too?

I adopted one of my birds (Tinga, a Sun Conure) through the Parrot Rescue Centre, so I try to support them by always buying my pellets and lorikeet food from them, as well as great toys too. It's good to give them support.

In Brisbane, so not far from where they're based. I spent more time than I should have looking at toys, perches, etc., before I got my lovie and happened across them. I love their work and Luna has been obsessed with virtually everything we've received from them, so they tend to get most of my things-for-the-bird money, haha.

 

[TWR]

Yes, love their work too

 

[camelotshadow]

Great advice.

Your lorikeet sounds cute.

Please post pics when you can as we love them.

Good Luck

Never been sot Sydney...Maybe someday!

 

[Sylvi_]

Welcome to AA! Most of the advice has been said, but remember to give him time. Creating a relationship with a parrot is all about patience and earning trust.
I hope your "boy" and you both have many happy years together
Good luck!

 

[jh81]

The fact that you came here tells us you are doing fine you obviously have you new companion's health and safety at heart! And thats half the hard work!

Taking out your companion makes him climb and use his beak more often, so thats a good thing i think, but dont overdo it just yet! Give (whats his name?) time to adjust to this strange new world hes now in!

Other then that i have no advise that isnt allready given! I just wanted to compliment both you and your son for considering the bird's need as oposed to buying a bird for your own need!

 

[LorikeetNovice]

Hello Greycloud,

THANK YOU!

I am being super careful with my dog. He is a 13 yo Beagle. He is certainly curious - but he knows from my tone of voice that he is not to move when bird is out of cage. The bird however has no fear at all. Toby Beagle is well used to wild birds - his main interest is in the feed that we occasionally put out for them (where's mine?).

Rolling around in lettuce - who knew? Is lettuce okay for parrots? In case he eats it?

As far as feeding goes - I met up with a local breeder and parrot enthusiast and we have been discussing food at length. She has her own mix which she uses for both dry and wet applications. I will take a photo of the ingredient list and post it along with the cage pictures. But at the moment I give dry feed in bowl on offer all day. Wet feed in morning on offer for about 20 minutes and then I remove it. I also put cut up fruit and veg into another bowl and this is on offer all day. He is eating all three along with water. I agree

My AV is Dr Jim Gill at Canley Heights. There is another well reputed AV at Carlingford which is about 15 min from my home BUT he charges $350 per consult so I thought I would try the other AV whose standard consult fee is $60 since my bird is not sick as such but more needing an intro and health assess.

Thanks Painesgrey for those tips. Can't wait for my husband to come back from his weekend trip away to help me with the perches.

Hello TWR - so good to find you. I am near Hornsby - where are you?

Who is your AV? See above for the one I have chosen initially. There is a third AV on my radar - a lady (Kathy) who is at Normanhurst Vet practice but she went and had a baby so is on maternity leave. However I hope she comes back in a while and we can go there as it is like 5 min away.


Sorry for the slow reply - it's been quite full-on with the new baby.

Kim

 

[LorikeetNovice]

Thanks Sylvi and Lincee for your welcome and encouragement. We have two names "Rosy" for a girl or "Rory" for a boy - waiting for DNA test result so for now we are calling the bird Cinnamon or Birdie

Cinnamon has had a good day today - I am feeling slightly more at ease. We've had two sessions out of the cage and I also rolled the cage out onto front verandah for some outside time and some sunshine (not direct). I also gave him a bottle brush flower (Calistemon) and he enjoyed pulling it apart. He saw some wild rainbows and was VERY interested. They did not approach him.

Tomorrow we are off to the vet and I have got a little travel crate for him today. I'm still a bit nervous about stressing him so soon with travel and vet BUT I am concerned for his sore foot and want some reassurance that he is not about to perish.

Can I ask for thoughts on letting the parrots climbing over you. My boy (Ashley) read that you should not let the bird go above your eye level because then he feels dominant. But Cinnamon loves climbing up onto my shoulder and on to my head. He is much more stable there and it frees up my hands to say type on my laptop (being a working Mum of three human kids and 1 fur-kid and 1 feather-kid I am always doing something). He nibbles on my hair, my ears, my neck. Mostly he is not hurting me with his nibbles but if he bites too hard I insert my finger / finger nail between his beak and my skin and he releases. The pet shop guy said he doesn't mean to hurt me - but he has no idea if he is bearing down too hard. I am a bit worried that I am creating bad habits for future.

Also, when I try to put him down onto a surface e.g. table top he is not that keen - he just wants to step back up onto me. He's a bit clingy. I tried to tempt him onto the table to play with a toy but nope, he just wants to be on me. My son is at band camp for school this weekend and was not happy to be leaving the bird at all - hopefully Cinnamon will bond with him too. I have read that Lorikeets are good at relating to multiple family members - not one-person only birds.

I am beginning to think my dog is scared of the bird....he won't come anywhere near me when Cinnamon is on me. Useful but still not taking anything for granted.

Look forward to hearing from you all again when you can spare the time.

Kim & Ashley in Sydney Australia
with Rosy / Rory - Cinnamon Lorikeet

 

[TWR]

Dr Jim Gill is my AV too. I love him. He's semi retired now - sold his Canley Heights surgery to AV Dr Ian Hackworthy. I also really like Ian, but if i can make the appointment for a Saturday, I always do so that I can book in for Jim.

Ask Jim about the feed. I am fairly sure he's a fan of the Wambaroo - I recall something about him being on a board giving advice to the manufacturers as to what is suitable. I might have that wrong, but I'm sure he mentioned something about having some sort of involvement in determining its ingredients.

I find Jim (and Ian) but especially Jim, to be really down to earth. He seems to be in it for the love of the birds, not for the money. He has a lot of experience and knowledge, won't book you in for things that aren't needed and his price is really reasonable.

For instance, last Saturday he trimmed a lovebirds beak (required due to an injury roughly every 4 weeks) gave my SC a partial wing clip & trimmed his toenails and he charged me a total of $15 all up. In other words, he didn't charge me the consult fee - just decided $15 was enough for an AV's time to do those grooming tasks.

I will be really sad when he fully retires - but I have seen Dr Ian when I have to, for mid week visits that couldn't wait until the weekend.

There is one lady AV there that I am not a fan of, but I won't name her as that's not fair. I just didn't agree with her view on behaviour type matters. I can tell you over a PM, if you wish. It's just my opinion - you may love her.

Oh - I'm in Menai (in The Sutherland Shire).

 

[TWR]

I don't believe in the dominance issue. Most of my birds go on my shoulder. Preen my eyelashes, hair and ears. I think it's more of a trust issue and knowing of your bird can be trusted so near your eyes, rather than a dominance issue. I dont trust my female lorikeet quite as much, so I wouldn't let her preen my eyes lashes for instance.

It's probably true that a bird should earn your trust, before you let him near your eyes. Also, even shoulders can be a problem if you haven't figured out how to get them off your shoulder without being bitten. If you find shoulder time = being bitten when trying to remove her, that's when you should rethink the shoulder time. I used to struggle getting my SC to voluntarily get off my shoulder - but then I discovered an almond sliver does it every time. For my lorikeets, getting them back in the cage is as easy as adding some kale or some other leafy green (not spinach) into their buffet ball and they go running.

 

[TWR]

That's great about the bottle brush - I totally forgot to mention those, as well as grevillea flowers too. They are so good for them and they enjoy them so much. It's totally their natural food.

 

[LorikeetNovice]

Thanks TWR. I went to the vet today and thought I was booked to see Jim but there was some miscommunication and of course Jim was not there being a Monday so I saw Ian. He was pretty good. But I plan to see Jim next time. Bit frustrating as I rang on Saturday but they said I could only go on Monday. I think I saw the female vet you mean - did say hello to her and she reluctantly responded but she was not engaged at all.

I know Menai - my Mum and brother live in Oyster Bay so we sometimes go to Menai for dinner with them.

What's wrong with Spinach? So far my Lorikeet only plays w F & V - does seem to eat a bit of apple.

I am looking for Grevilleas around the place.

Thanks for the thoughts on the shoulder perching etc. Right now he/she is not causing any problems up there but others have warned that later he/she might bite and that it is hard to get them off the shoulder or head if they don't want to.

Will post some photos soon.

Thanks again, Kim

 

[TWR]

Thanks TWR. I went to the vet today and thought I was booked to see Jim but there was some miscommunication and of course Jim was not there being a Monday so I saw Ian. He was pretty good. But I plan to see Jim next time. Bit frustrating as I rang on Saturday but they said I could only go on Monday. I think I saw the female vet you mean - did say hello to her and she reluctantly responded but she was not engaged at all.

Ah, I wondered how come you were seeing Jim on a Monday. I sent you a PM re the AV.

I know Menai - my Mum and brother live in Oyster Bay so we sometimes go to Menai for dinner with them.

Small world

What's wrong with Spinach? So far my Lorikeet only plays w F & V - does seem to eat a bit of apple.

I think I may have this wrong - but I thought I read somewhere that it is too high in iron for Lorikeets. Mr Google just told me its fine for Lorikeets, although one hit said in moderation because of the high iron. Think I'll start feeding it again, in moderation, as my lorikeets loved it and it was one of the few veggies they will eat raw.

Apple and corn are favourites here - but expect a mess and for it to appear as if she is wasting most of on the floor of the cage. She will in fact be licking out the moisture with her cute brush tongue -the dry pulp you see will just be waste. In regard to other vegetables, I find the best way is to add cooked and pureed vegies to with their wet mix. Make sort of a vegetable / nectar smoothie for her. You will probably have more success with fruits and less success with vegetables (unless you do the smoothie trick). You probably already know, but no avocados for birds.

Thanks for the thoughts on the shoulder perching etc. Right now he/she is not causing any problems up there but others have warned that later he/she might bite and that it is hard to get them off the shoulder or head if they don't want to.

Best thing is if you can find a favourite treat that she LOVES enough to voluntarily leave your shoulder. Last thing you want to do is have to try and grab her to remove her. That can cause bites. Once you find this favourite treat - you should only use it for either training or as a bribe to have her do what you like. If she gets this favourite food all the time, it will lose its value to her. Luckily, my lorikeets always happily got off when I leant my shoulder down towards a safe perching spot - they simply hop off when I do that. Not all birds do this though - with my Sun Conure it was a problem until I discovered that she loved almonds even more than shoulder time. [/QUOTE]

Will post some photos soon.

Yes please

 

[LorikeetNovice]

Okay, so here at the pictures of Rosy / Rory. They aren't great photos - mostly because we are still lacking confidence in handling him/her and quite nervous so taking photos is a bit stressful while managing the bird. But we will get better.

Please if you think we are doing something wrong do tell us but please be kind - my son is reading this thread for information and he is very anxious about the bird's well-being.

Our first day home: