Who won’t be stunned by a lorikeet? By its feathers alone, you are already be captured by this bird’s beauty. But owning that beauty requires tedious hard work and patience, because taking care of this parrot is harder than most other types of parrots.
In fact, it is recommended that you don’t take care of a lorikeet if you’re a first-time bird owner. But if you really want it and you are really dedicated to taking care for this beautiful parrot, then there’s no stopping you from befriending a lorikeet. Your first step should be to pick up a copy of How to Care for Your Pet Bird; this great guide will teach you everything you need to know about basic bird care.
Here are some tips that will help you take care of a lorikeet properly:
- Consider young. If you are still planning to buy a lorikeet, it’s best that you get a young lorikeet. It will be easier for you to tame the bird if it hasn’t had its own way yet. A young lorikeet is easier to train and to develop trust to you.
- Learning language. A lorikeet is just like a baby. It can learn a language if it frequently hears words. So the best way to teach your bird how to talk is to talk to it. Everyday or as much as possible, talk to your bird. Don’t talk too fast, though. Talk slowly but clearly so that the words will be easily understood by the bird.
- Cage. A lorikeet needs a larger cage than most parrots. One lorikeet requires at least 2×3 feet cage. The cage should also have a replaceable bottom for easier bottom replacement.
- Bottom changing. One of the drawbacks in taking care of a lorikeet is its extreme watery droppings. That is why the bottom should be replaceable as much as possible. If not, newspapers on the bottom will do. Make sure you replace the newspaper at least two times a day or when it’s already messy. The lorikeet might eat the watery dropping, which will be bad for the bird.
- Feeding. Most parrots only need some seeds in their diet. But lorikeets are extra special that they cannot live by the seed diet alone. You should feed your bird with fresh nectar, if you are willing to clean up the possible mess. But this can be time consuming that other lorikeet owners tend to choose other alternatives like dry nectar or wet nectar. Pelleted diet containing nutrients for birds is great. Other great diet ideas for lorikeets are fresh fruits, applesauce, and vegetables. Don’t forget fresh water, too, even if you feed the bird with liquid nectar.
- Cage cleaning. As mentioned, a lorikeet is messier than most other types of parrots. That is why you must clean the bird’s cage everyday. This will ensure that no bird dropping is there for your bird to eat. This will also keep the bird’s environment clean, which is very helpful for keeping the lorikeet healthy.
These tips are only basic ideas on how you should take care of a lorikeet. You will know more by experience, though that will require making mistakes. You can avoid making mistakes by asking some friends or joining a group of lorikeet owners. They will be willing to guide you on how to properly take care of a lorikeet.