Rainbow Loris

[picklesandjesse]

Hi, Just joined here as we have 2 rainbow lorikeets Bosley and Molly. We live in Australia in a coastal village. Bosley and Molly are siblings and are now 11 months old. Turns out that Molly is a male we think. Anyhow they are great friends and amazing fliers. They fly all round the house and make a hell of a mess. They get put in their very large cage when we are cooking though.

They are currently away with the wild birds as it's 9am here and I just let them out, should be back with the wild birds about 4.30 to 6pm. These 2 took a while to get used to being in the wild with the other birds but they are extremely happy and well adjusted. I take them to the door and let them look out with the door open and if they want to go then they can. Some days they choose to stay inside and other times Molly will go without Bosley. I can normally find them down by the river hanging out in some big trees or feeding on the smaller ones but they never fly down to me or anyone else, they come home for that.

I've had many birds over the years but these 2 are the most challenging as they are so messy and inquisitive. if we go away overnight I leave them in the house with music on and they have total freedom. We come back to a bit of a mess.

Some of the wild lorikeets are allowed in the house and I have their feet painted with nail polish so we know who they are. That way they can be separated and fed away from each other where they won't fight. Some of these are very good friends that we have known for 3 years. Bosley and Molly will sometimes be flying with them in the afternoons and call out to us as they fly over, later they come home for their evening meal.

That's it for now. Hope your birds are having as much fun as our 2.

 

[cornybabies2005]

That’s pretty cool that they can go outside and come back to you!! Did you purchase them as pets or did they come from the wild?


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[itzjbean]

You said if you leave overnight you will just leave the birds out and let them have total freedom of the house and come home to a mess...

Please don't do this. They could so easily injure themselves or get into something they aren't supposed to. On top of that, if you kept them in their cage while away, you will come home to no mess

We are advocates of responsible parrot ownership here, which means providing them a safe environment. It's great that they get to spend time with the wild birds but they should be caged when unsupervised.

 

[picklesandjesse]

That’s pretty cool that they can go outside and come back to you!! Did you purchase them as pets or did they come from the wild?


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They were bought from a breeder in Sydney.

 

[picklesandjesse]

You said if you leave overnight you will just leave the birds out and let them have total freedom of the house and come home to a mess...

Please don't do this. They could so easily injure themselves or get into something they aren't supposed to. On top of that, if you kept them in their cage while away, you will come home to no mess

We are advocates of responsible parrot ownership here, which means providing them a safe environment. It's great that they get to spend time with the wild birds but they should be caged when unsupervised.

Might try this next weekend as we have to go to Brisbane overnight. There's a possible problem that Bosley can't get away from Molly if they have a fight though. They are great friends but Molly is very dominant at times in their cage and we have to let Bosley out till Molly ( he ) cools down. Feathers fly sometimes. We see major fights with the wild birds at times too. They are small birds but they attack the cockatoos and magpies. We were looking after a Major Mitchel Cockatoo a couple of weeks ago and a pair of wild birds had it on the ground and beat it up.... feathers everwhere.

 

[Teddscau]

Yeah, I heard nectarivores can be very aggressive. It's definitely recommended that you keep nectarivores separate from other species. I'm kind of surprised they would take on cockatoos, though. It's nice that your two can feed in the wild, as I'm not convinced their diet in captivity is all that good for them.

 

[picklesandjesse]

Yeah, I heard nectarivores can be very aggressive. It's definitely recommended that you keep nectarivores separate from other species. I'm kind of surprised they would take on cockatoos, though. It's nice that your two can feed in the wild, as I'm not convinced their diet in captivity is all that good for them.

Yes, they come home with pollen on their beaks and other stuff that takes a bath to get off. I think our 2 have picked up their aggressive behavior from being with the other birds. These are not cuddly birds !! But still very friendly to us but it's on their terms not ours. They love laying on their backs and having a fight. The cockatoos around here only come around after the rainbows have finished eating.

 

[itzjbean]

You said if you leave overnight you will just leave the birds out and let them have total freedom of the house and come home to a mess...

Please don't do this. They could so easily injure themselves or get into something they aren't supposed to. On top of that, if you kept them in their cage while away, you will come home to no mess

We are advocates of responsible parrot ownership here, which means providing them a safe environment. It's great that they get to spend time with the wild birds but they should be caged when unsupervised.

Might try this next weekend as we have to go to Brisbane overnight. There's a possible problem that Bosley can't get away from Molly if they have a fight though. They are great friends but Molly is very dominant at times in their cage and we have to let Bosley out till Molly ( he ) cools down. Feathers fly sometimes. We see major fights with the wild birds at times too. They are small birds but they attack the cockatoos and magpies. We were looking after a Major Mitchel Cockatoo a couple of weeks ago and a pair of wild birds had it on the ground and beat it up.... feathers everwhere.

If they're attacking each other, it would be wise to get two cages so both can eat, sleep and play in safety. Please consider getting another cage and separating them so they don't cause each other harm. It's what I would recommend to any two fighting birds kept in the same cage. They should each have their own safe space, and failure to provide them that is not responsible ownership.

 

[Flboy]

Wow, got your hands full! Welcome!

 

[bigfellasdad]

Amazing, truly amazing... Your birds are wild but treat you and your house as home. Perfect way to keep a parrot id imagine. In the UK for sure, my african grey would last only a few hours before the hawks got her

 

[Scott]

What an interesting lifestyle! Allowing Bosley and Molly to live in two worlds is a fascinating concept. There are of course risks involved and the notion is something most of us could never consider because of predation.

I assume you feed them a store-bought nectar mix? Please take precautions to avoid their contact with hazards in your home such as wiring, treated wood trims, possible leaded materials such as paints, window coverings, etc!

 

[picklesandjesse]

Amazing, truly amazing... Your birds are wild but treat you and your house as home. Perfect way to keep a parrot id imagine. In the UK for sure, my african grey would last only a few hours before the hawks got her

Yes, lot's of hawks here too but the rainbows tend to fly low and fast. However last week I saw 4 rainbows flying up at about 200 feet and having fun and a hawk came down at about 100 mph and got one. I always give them the choice to go outside or not and some days they choose to stay.