Hiya everyone!

[SharlenaSharlena]

Good afternoon!
My name is Shar and my husband and I just became the proud parents of 2 baby Lorikeets (Skittles and Starburst). They are jewels of our family! They are both 9 and a half weeks (born 3 days apart) male and female from different nests.

It is so awesome to have them especially with what we have been through; in January I was diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and after completing Chemotherapy and Radiation, my husband and I decided to add to our family by getting to Lorikeets.

These are not my first birds (I have owned Pheasants, Pigeons and Parakeets but these are vastly different) but they are so different from what we have ever owned we are learning something new everyday. So anyone who has any tips or suggestions on good toys, foods and anything else they may like any advice is welcome!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hello Shar, and welcome to the forum. And CONGRATS on getting Skittles and Starburst! They sound like a bunch of fun. Do you have any pictures to share with us?

I am so sorry to hear about your cancer. Very best wishes to you!

 

[SharlenaSharlena]

Thank you thank you so much JerseyWendy! I posted some pics to my album, I am still getting the hang of the forums so I will link one!




I hope this works!

Thanks for well wishes! So far it is in remission! So we are very thankful! Definitely not the best way to start off the year!

 

[SharlenaSharlena]

In the first pic that is Skittles! in the second pic Skittles has his head up and Starburst is in front of him.

 

[aliray]

Hi Shar and welcome to the forum. So glad you are in remission. Are you handfeeding your babies? My God they are cute and I love the names. Can't wait to see pics as they grow

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Hi Sharlena,
Congrats on the new babies and the upswing in your being in remisison. They are so cute. Looks like Skittles is read to be a star by the way he is smiling for the camera.

Those are great names for loris. Keep us posted pics.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh my gosh are they SO cute!!!! NOTHING sweeter and cuter than a little fuzzy baby parrot! Thank you so much for sharing the pics with us!!!

 

[weco]

When I saw your signature/ID, an old Ray Peterson song, Corina, Corina popped into my head.....

Welcome to the forum & congrats on your new feathered friends.....you do realize that by keeping those two in the same cage, they'll bond & prefer each other's company than that of you & your husband.....

Those shavings look like pine, which, along with aspen are OK...actually aspen is better, but not always available.....just be careful & never use cedar, though it's sold as pet litter.....it can cause skin irritations, sometimes blisters, plucking & self mutilation in birds.....



You might already know, but just in case you don't, you might want to think about using vinyl carpet mats or even office chair mats under the cage(s) and clear shower curtains to cover the wall(s) behind their cage(s).....lorries have this propensity for decorating walls & curtains and pads go a long way to increasing the longevity of wall paint & carpet cleanings.....

 

[antoinette]

Welcome to our wonderful forum Shar
Glad you are in remission
I love the names Skittles and Starburst
They are so cute OMG and so small
Enjoy each and every day with your precious "cargo"

 

[MikeyTN]

I take it those pictures were taken at the breeders? Since there's multiple Lorikeets in there. So you must be waiting for them to wean? They're absolutely wonderful birds to have around, by the way congrats on being remission! Cancer runs in my family so I have a chance on getting it too as I get tested and checked when my doctors found out about my medical history.

Back to the birds, If your going to have their cage near a wall, be sure to have the wall covered with a shower curtain or you can hang them on their cage. What type of Lorikeets are they?? Certain ones don't play well with others, even with their own kind but having them raised together, it would help with the issue. Also be sure don't have their cage on a carpet, if you do, you should put towels on the floors around the cage. They're messy birds! LoL.....

 

[FeatherBrain]

Hello Shar! What adorable little babies! I too wanted to congratulate you on your remission (I am currently fighting a battle with the Hodge myself). Parrots can be such perfect little companions. Best wishes to both you and your feathered fam!

 

[SharlenaSharlena]

When I saw your signature/ID, an old Ray Peterson song, Corina, Corina popped into my head.....

Welcome to the forum & congrats on your new feathered friends.....you do realize that by keeping those two in the same cage, they'll bond & prefer each other's company than that of you & your husband.....

Those shavings look like pine, which, along with aspen are OK...actually aspen is better, but not always available.....just be careful & never use cedar, though it's sold as pet litter.....it can cause skin irritations, sometimes blisters, plucking & self mutilation in birds.....



You might already know, but just in case you don't, you might want to think about using vinyl carpet mats or even office chair mats under the cage(s) and clear shower curtains to cover the wall(s) behind their cage(s).....lorries have this propensity for decorating walls & curtains and pads go a long way to increasing the longevity of wall paint & carpet cleanings.....

Hi thanks for the suggestions, the bedding is ASPEN; its what they have been raised around and what the breeder suggested and they seem comfy with it. Also since having cancer I am with the birds 24/7 so as much as they bond with each other they bond with my husband and I as well equally as much. I used to work for a vet's office and Petco so I know to NEVER us cedar products. Just not very animal friendly. The larger cage we have for them once they grow is a bow front acrylic/metal cage so it protects against the poo. We are fully prepared for that part! Thanks for the suggestion about the vinyl carpet mats I will look into that for the larger cage, it would make cleaning much easier! Thanks so much Weco!

p.s. Thanks for noticing my tag! I love Corina, Corina!

 

[SharlenaSharlena]

Hi Shar and welcome to the forum. So glad you are in remission. Are you handfeeding your babies? My God they are cute and I love the names. Can't wait to see pics as they grow

Hi Aliray!
We are still handfeeding them but they are getting so big and feisty that it may be getting close to weaning time once we move and get settled in. I will post more pics this week they have their feathers coming in and they look so adorable! Thanks so much for being so sweet! I love them SO much!

 

[SharlenaSharlena]

I take it those pictures were taken at the breeders? Since there's multiple Lorikeets in there. So you must be waiting for them to wean? They're absolutely wonderful birds to have around, by the way congrats on being remission! Cancer runs in my family so I have a chance on getting it too as I get tested and checked when my doctors found out about my medical history.

Back to the birds, If your going to have their cage near a wall, be sure to have the wall covered with a shower curtain or you can hang them on their cage. What type of Lorikeets are they?? Certain ones don't play well with others, even with their own kind but having them raised together, it would help with the issue. Also be sure don't have their cage on a carpet, if you do, you should put towels on the floors around the cage. They're messy birds! LoL.....

The pic with him standing by himself I took, the one with multiple birds is the two of them a few days before we received them. We have had them a week now.
Thanks for the congrats! Cancer has not been the greatest experience but I don't regret it or wish it on anyone! It has definitely taught me a lot about life and people.

They aren't flinging their poo yet, they are actually very good about pooing only in the cage. Their adult cage is the Large Bow front acrylic Ez care cage so That will help with the poo issue I am hoping. But I am sure we will figure out the best solution as they begin to get messier and bigger lol. Our new house has wood floors so no carpet to worry about! That would be a disaster with these birds! But I may take you up on that shower curtain idea, that is brilliant!

They really are the most adorable birds! I was never really a parrot person before, but I have just really taken to them, they are so intelligent, I wish I could upload videos, in the last two days they have begun to perch, climb, play with toys, and flap their wings and try to fly lol. So adorable!

Thanks so much MikeyTN