Red lory company

[seattleboy]

Hi. I have a red lory whom I have owned for the last 2 years. He's my best friend and the light of my life. I really want to get him a friend but it's been near impossible to find another Red lory in Europe. We've looked far and wide but no one has had one. He's hand tame and a bit territorial, he had a friend who sadly had to move away due to not being able to live with each other in the same house.
So I'm wondering. Does it strictly need to be a red lory as friend, or can it be any other lory or lorikeet? What would people recommend? Does someone know about lory breeders in Europe? Please let me know. I want him to have a friend to play with. It doesn't matter if female or male I think, they wont share cage,

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

I believe that the birds as long as they are introduced well they should get along find regardless of species. Although some can be territorial. I do not recommend housing them together though. @minkylory @Pixiebeak @Zara should have more input on this. Hope this helps!

 

[Zara]

I believe that the birds as long as they are introduced well they should get along find regardless of species.

This is a very bold and vague statement.
Could my lovebird be pals with Shezbugs macaw? Never.
Perhaps they could enjoy each others company... but maybe one won´t like the other. Maybe it will stress one or both birds out.
It could even lead to aggressive displays and displaced aggression.
Each bird is unique. There are some instances where people have better success than others, for eg with budgies in large cages/aviaries and some small soft bills like finches. But no matter what the species of bird is, there will always be a risk of rejection when introducing them to another bird.

I really want to get him a friend

a bit territorial, he had a friend who sadly had to move away due to not being able to live with each other in the same house.

I want him to have a friend to play with.

I understand what you are saying. But what happens once you´ve searched the land, eventually found a hard to find bird, and then you bring him/her home and your birds don´t get along?
And I ask that question after I ended up with 6 lovebirds while on the search for a buddy for my first.

Does it strictly need to be a red lory as friend, or can it be any other lory or lorikeet?

Birds can (potentially) enjoy the company of other species. You shouldn´t mix old world birds with new world birds for the health of the new world bird. And you may have better luck with a species from the same genus or something very similar, but there´s no rule book. It will always be a gamble on whether the birds will enjoy each others company.

What would people recommend?

If you really want a friend for your bird, then bring home the bird of your choice, something with a similar beak size is good so that if the birds do get along, they could end up being able to have physical interaction out of the cage, some playtime, with less risk of one seriously hurting the other.

If there are any fostering programmes, you could sign up and trail out some options. Be sure to quarantine any and all new birds that come into your home and see if you find a good match. Even if unsuccessful, you will have still helped out fostering that bird for a short while.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

This is a very bold and vague statement.
Could my lovebird be pals with Shezbugs macaw? Never.
Perhaps they could enjoy each others company... but maybe one won´t like the other. Maybe it will stress one or both birds out.
It could even lead to aggressive displays and displaced aggression.
Each bird is unique. There are some instances where people have better success than others, for eg with budgies in large cages/aviaries and some small soft bills like finches. But no matter what the species of bird is, there will always be a risk of rejection when introducing them to another bird.

I'm so very sorry I worded it wrong. They COULD enjoy each other company.

 

[Zara]

They could enjoy each other company.

edit;
You don´t need to say sorry. It´s why we have the board - a collection of members to reply.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Sorry again

 

[Pixiebeak]

Ah no apologies! Questions are always important, crowd sourcing can have benefits even if people have different experiences.

This is a family of parrots I haven't had hands on experience with.

I've read plenty of stories on aggression in other posts. Enough to believe they are very territorial.

While I'm sure you can use Google as well as I can i will stick in this link.

Notes on Lory Aggression, Diet and Housing | AFA Watchbird

watchbird-ojs-tamu.tdl.org

So agree with advice, if you want a second parrot and are prepared to manage them separately, and are prepared for possible changes in yours behavior

 

[minkylory]

hi there, I would say that as long as the bird is in the lorikeet/lory family it should be alright. make sure they're similar size too. but as others have mentioned, they may not get along right away and they may never get along. I just wouldn't recommend any other kind of bird as lories/lorikeets have a history of killing other birds. in the past I have seen red lories with other types of lorikeets e.g. coconut lorikeets. here's a pic I found off google

 

[seattleboy]

Thank you for all the different answers! Bringing up both sides of the decision. He used to live with a rainbow lory before he came to me, and they got along well (sadly, the rainbow lory died before I brought my red boy home). I will continue looking for a potential friend for him.

 

[minkylory]

Thank you for all the different answers! Bringing up both sides of the decision. He used to live with a rainbow lory before he came to me, and they got along well (sadly, the rainbow lory died before I brought my red boy home). I will continue looking for a potential friend for him.

if he got along well with another bird then I wouldn't be too worried!