Need Lory advice

[holmx314]

I am looking to adopt a Lory and I need some really good advice on how to make cleaning as easy as possible. My boyfriend and I own a house together and he is one of those people that have a hard time dealing with poop.

I've read about some foods targeted to Lorys that help firm up the stool and I am thinking of covering all 4 sides of the cage with removable plexi-glass.

 

[MonicaMc]

The cage will need air flow so covering all four sides may not be recommended at all.

You can always get plastic desk mats for underneath the cage, use melamine wood (best not allow your bird to chew it), cover the wall behind the cage with plexi-glas or a shower curtain, etc.

Using a vinegar to clean up the poop messes and/or using a steam cleaner can help make it quicker.


I've heard that it's not a good idea to feed lories pellets as it can lead to nutritional deficiencies and rub off the tiny hairs on their tongue. I have heard that it is best to keep them on a wet and dry mix diet made specifically for lories, though. I don't know of anything else that would 'firm up' a lories droppings.

 

[Pedro]

I am looking to adopt a Lory and I need some really good advice on how to make cleaning as easy as possible. My boyfriend and I own a house together and he is one of those people that have a hard time dealing with poop.

I've read about some foods targeted to Lorys that help firm up the stool and I am thinking of covering all 4 sides of the cage with removable plexi-glass.

I don't know if you can buy Vetafarm Lorikeet Pellets by it is supposed to be the ideal food for your situation. It made & sold in Australia.

Some info i have copied & pasted.

Vetafarm Nectar Pellets for Lorikeets

Why should nature's treat of nectar be limited to insects? Don't your birds deserve it too? Vetafarm Nectar Pellets provide everything that your Australian or Exotic Lori/Lorikeet needs for tremendous health, and can also be used for other aviary birds, keeping them at their very best. Better still, the unique apple taste makes them particularly popular with birds – you can be assured that they'll be grateful to you! Yet they're still low in sugar. And, as if that weren't enough, the pellets will dramatically reduce the mess in cages, both by stopping messy sprayed droppings, and dramatically reducing waste from unwanted food. Recommended for: Australian and Exotic Loris/Lorikeets, especially suited to pet birds in mess sensitive areas but is also used in aviary birds to reduce mess and waste.
Can use with: Vetafarm Nectar Pellets are a complete diet; no additional dietary supplementation is necessary. Blossom Nectar, Fruits and Vegetables can be given as behavioural enrichment.
Feeding: Nectar Pellets have been designed to provide a total feed for Loris and Lorikeets. The unique apple flavoured pellets are readily accepted by all Loris and Lorikeets. They may be fed with the addition of fruits and vegetables or a wet mix (Golden Lori Rice Formula is ideal to make a wet mix).
General Analysis:
Crude Protein 17%
Crude Fat 8%
Crude Fibre 3.5%
Max Salt 0.5%

 

[freelucky14]

Feeding them stuff that firms up their droppings is not a good idea because it is totally not natural. It would be like forcing a person to eat stuff that made them have really hard stools- can you imagine how aweful that feel? Their bodies are not meant to deal with a lack of liquids in their diet.

The best way(s) to deal with keeping a clean area:

Get a good quality cage that is as large as possible. A small cage will get dirtier more quickly and you will have to worry about them getting into their droppings (and potentially getting sick) more often. Cheap cages often have lots of annoying nooks and crannies that are hard to clean. A good quality cage has a drawer that opens from the front so you can change the newspapers on the bottom easily. Get one with wheels (you will see why below).

As mentioned above, buy one of plastic desk mats to keep under the cage. You can wipe it down easily and keeps the majority of the nectar and droppings off your carpet.

Attach a sheet or shower curtain to the wall. I find a cloth one works the best. Get two so that you can throw one in the wash when it gets gross. I attached mine using shower curtains.

Buy Poop-Off!!! For lory messes there is no better product! It is non-toxic and removes those droppings really well... Seriously, it is well worth the price.

INVEST IN A PRESSURE WASHER! You don't have to get a fancy one, but I guarantee you that it is worth the $100 or so that you spend on one. When the cage needs a good clean you can roll the cage outside, spray it down with poop-off and then give it a good spray down with no scrubbing required. I would recommend getting some bird-safe disinfectant to use at this stage. Spray it on, let it sit for the required time and then rinse off. Be sure to rinse all the cleaning stuff off really well (no suds left)!

Try to look for plastic toys that you can throw in the dishwasher. You can spot clean a lot of things, but there is nothing like being able give something a quick thorough clean. Be prepared to have to throw away toys that you can't wash when they get covered in poop! That's not to say don't get things that they can chew up, of course!

Lots of luck - lories are WONDERFUL! What kind are you getting?

 

[MikeyTN]

I would get a cage that can get in and out of the house easy! My cage is like 32"Lx21"Wx35"H so it can be taken outside easily for a good scrub down. Much bigger cage isn't gonna help you to keep it cleaner longer. Just remember they shoot their poo quite a ways. I have Velcro a shower curtain to my walls and we painted the walls with glossy paint as well. I also hanged a thick towel around the cage but I leave the front side open. We put down pergo flooring to make clean up easy in the bird room so I can just wipe it up if he makes a mess on the floor. It can go as far as 4'-6' away from the cage so you want to keep the cage pointed to somewhere there's no curtains, furniture, etc.

Our Lory's main diet is nectar! He gets fresh fruits and veggies daily but we do occasionally give him Lory nuggets but very rare! Lory are brought up on nectar and if you want him to live a long healthy life, deal with nectar and the mess....

 

[LoryLover]

Hi, I have been taking care of a lory for 20 years now. I've tried a variety of different ways. Convenient clean up is what I strive for. Position the perches so the lory directs its poop in an area easy to clean up. Attaching squares of acrylic in certain areas helps. I also use small binder clips to attach a cloth to the outside of the cage in certain areas to help against the poop from landing on floor outside of the cage.

The absolutely best food is a powdered nektar that can be ordered from a company in Florida - they get it directly from Germany where it was created. It is complete in nutrients for the bird. We feed our lory in a clean kitchen sink - placing two cups side by side - one with water and one with the powdered nektar. The lory will grab some powder with her beak and then dip her beak in water, and back and forth. In the cage she just gets water. We work all day, and feed her in the kitchen in the morning before work, and then as soon as we get home from work, and a couple more times during the evening. She is very healthy and happy, playing constantly. We used to mix nektar powder with water in one cup and place into her cage. Most of the nektar would settle to the bottom of the cup and she'd have to drink all that water to get to the good stuff at the bottom. So she is getting much healthier fed the way we do it now. You can get metal skewers that screw into a base that hangs from the cage and put an apple on it. The lories love that. Never feed seeds to the lory, but they can eat practically anything else. Never avocados - I've heard that is poison to birds.

Let me know if you have any questions, I will be happy to help.

 

[MikeyTN]

LoryLover,

Most nectar can be fed dry or wet. I do both as mine loves warm nectar as we warm up the water first then mix. Yes they settle to the bottom and that's the reason we make just small amounts to give him cause he loves it.

 

[MonicaMc]

I've heard of some people feeding lories out of a bottle with a spout. This helps to reduce mess. i.e. the Lixit water bottles

Lixit Bowls and Water Bottles

The only concern here is bacteria growth if not kept clean and if the wet nectar doesn't settle... but I recall someone saying that one brand of lory food mixes well and doesn't leave any sediment.... although I don't recall what brand it was. Think it was an Australian brand not available in the USA?


Thought of the bottles thanks to LoryLover.

 

[LoryLover]

I've heard of some people feeding lories out of a bottle with a spout. This helps to reduce mess. i.e. the Lixit water bottles

Lixit Bowls and Water Bottles

The only concern here is bacteria growth if not kept clean and if the wet nectar doesn't settle... but I recall someone saying that one brand of lory food mixes well and doesn't leave any sediment.... although I don't recall what brand it was. Think it was an Australian brand not available in the USA?


Thought of the bottles thanks to LoryLover.

I tried the water bottle a few years ago. I could never tell if my Lory even used it. And cleaning it and reattaching it just became a pain for me. Now I buy a package of plastic clear cups and fill with water and place into the ceramic cup in the cage.

 

[Jlong1989]

At the store I work at we recommend and use on our birds a wet/dry mix. We use a brand called blessings. Customers seem to like it. Unfortunately I can't give you any advice about the poop other that what everyone said.

 

[Beak334]

Toilet train him.
Try this. As soon as you take him out of the cage hold him over the kitchen bin and say "POOP!"
Our lori instantly poops into the bin and will stay poop free for about 20 minutes. Regularly return to the bin and repeat.
After a while he will learn to hold on. He very rarely leaves a mess anywhere.