Lorikeet nectar?

[Sulphiria]

The nectar we have for our lori was given to us by her previous owner and its hummingbird nectar. Ive read this isnt good for them. Does anyone know what the best nectar for them is? She gets the lori powder as well and he was feeding her the good stuff and gave us about 40lbs worth, plus she eats zupreem pellets soaked in water. I cant get her to eat any fruits or veggies even blended. Any ideas or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Enjru]

I don't have any experience with lorikeets, but since no one has answered your question, let me share with you what I learnt from a talk by Sylvie Aubin and Josee Birmingham at a parrot conference a few years ago. It was such news to me at the time that I started taking notes.

You are correct that nectar is no longer considered a significant part of the captive lorikeet's regular diet. This paradigm shift in lorikeet nutrition has taken place over the last decade and was pioneered by the Aubins in Canada. They noticed that a bird room full of lorikeets was like a room full of kids high on sugar, so they tried to reduce the sugar content in their lorikeets' diet, and they found the lorikeets' behavior much, much calmer.

The latest thinking is that lorikeets should be fed a regular diet of 75% normal pellets (Josee Birmingham and Sylvie Aubin recommended Tropican, but that would be expected, given the Hagen head office is in Canada) and 25% fruits and vegetables, supplemented by a few mealworms and/or crickets (apparently some lories catch insects in the wild!!), with nectar only offered as a treat every few days.

There was an article in Parrot Life magazine from 2007:
http://www.hagen.com/hari/pdf/ParrotLife_4.pdf

Hope this helps!

 

[FutureDVM]

I don't have any experience with lorikeets, but since no one has answered your question, let me share with you what I learnt from a talk by Sylvie Aubin and Josee Birmingham at a parrot conference a few years ago. It was such news to me at the time that I started taking notes.

You are correct that nectar is no longer considered a significant part of the captive lorikeet's regular diet. This paradigm shift in lorikeet nutrition has taken place over the last decade and was pioneered by the Aubins in Canada. They noticed that a bird room full of lorikeets was like a room full of kids high on sugar, so they tried to reduce the sugar content in their lorikeets' diet, and they found the lorikeets' behavior much, much calmer.

The latest thinking is that lorikeets should be fed a regular diet of 75% normal pellets (Josee Birmingham and Sylvie Aubin recommended Tropican, but that would be expected, given the Hagen head office is in Canada) and 25% fruits and vegetables, supplemented by a few mealworms and/or crickets (apparently some lories catch insects in the wild!!), with nectar only offered as a treat every few days.

There was an article in Parrot Life magazine from 2007:
http://www.hagen.com/hari/pdf/ParrotLife_4.pdf

Hope this helps!

Wow! I've never heard this info before. Thanks for sharing. I absolutely LOVE lorikeets, but I haven't wanted to own one because of their messy, liquidy poop. I'm assuming that if they have a more solid diet, the poop isn't as runny. If that's the case, maybe I'll try to get one some day!

 

[QuackQuack]

Wow! I had no idea! This information opens up a whole new world of Lory ownership to a lot of people, I bet! They always scared me because I heard the nectar made their poo very messy compared to a normal psittacine.

 

[Sulphiria]

Honestly? I think their easier to clean up after. If they poop on the ground its like water, so easy to wipe up. In the cage its easy to take a wet warm cloth and wipe it clean. I have to scrub the poop out of the other cages, and you can potty train them pretty easily. They have an extremely fast digestive system, so if you let them eat, wait 30 mins or so and you rarely have accidents. Its nowhere near the nightmare i expected.

 

[QuackQuack]

How would you describe a Lory personality?

 

[Sulphiria]

How would you describe a Lory personality?

Ive only encountered one lory, ours, but i did a LOT of research on them before getting one. They are very high energy, scared of nothing, extremely playful and affectionate. Im hoping a switch from the sugar nectar to another diet will help with some of that energy. A lot of zoos keep them around in their aviaries because they are so friendly. She took no time adjusting to our house, she was out and about on my shoulder her first day home. Mine does nip when she doesnt want off your shoulder and she seems to be a bit unpredictable with the kids. Most of the time she will play with them and kiss on them, but shes had a few moments where she just bit them, still trying to learn her body language and figure out why. Their beaks are softer so the bites are not much compared to other birds her size. She usually hops from one place to another, and her tongue is sooo soft. She is nothing like my other birds. She loves new toys, playing in water, licks everything and everyone, loves rolling on her back and wrestling with your hand or foot toys and boy does she have a voice. She can talk, but like ive read, its described as a cartoon character. Some things she says quite clearly, but most words are words only a mom or dad can decipher, lol. I spent hours laughing at videos on youtube with rainbow lorikeets, they were too cute to resist.

 

[QuackQuack]

Aw, she sounds really wonderful - someday for me :54:hehe

 

[MikeyTN]

A major Lory breeder told me differ! Nectar is considered their main diet along with fruits and veggies on a daily basis and given pellets once a week. So far my Lory have been very healthy and happy so I'm not about to change. We feed Roudybush #15nectar. We've also tried Zupreem and really like it as well. But there's several good brands that we've thought about trying. His great personality makes up for his messy poop.....lol....

 

[Rainbow.Landing]

Rainbow Landing Nectar is one of the best diets on the market for lorikeets. It is low in iron, contains no added vitamin A and is made in small batches with fresh bee pollen and natural banana flavor. Give it a try, www.rainbowlanding.com, your lorikeet will love it!