New Rainbow Lorikeet

[Gabriel]

Hello,

I have recently placed an order for a rainbow lorry from a breeder here in Australia. One of the staff told me it will hatch around one week from now and I can pick it up from the store when it's weaned, in about 10 -12 weeks time ( I have also been told these birds are hand raised from when they are babies, if that makes a difference). Since this will be my first bird, I have a few questions in mind:

For the first few days the lorikeet is in my house, should I leave it alone so it can get used to the new environment?

Also, once it is used to its new environment, should I go straight to training it (step ups e.t.c), or should I place my hand in the cage for a few minutes each days so it is used to me?

Another question, will the baby rainbow will be tame once I pick it up from the shop?

Finally, how do I tame it and make it trust me so I can begin training?

It would be great if anyone could reply with any information.
Many thanks, Gabriel

[Wolf]

It is too bad that you could not have found a bird rescue in Australia that you could have adopted from. Hopefully you can still find one that you could volunteer at to gain some hands on experience with parrots. Oh well, it is what it is and onward to bigger and better things.
It does make a difference in how tame your birds will be when you get it, if it is hand reared, parent reared or both. Also how much time the breeder takes to socialize the bird will make a difference. Regardless of how well the breeder does their job in these respects, make certain that you get some of the weaning formula from the breeder as well as getting them to teach you how to prepare it and how to feed it to your bird. This is for two primary reasons, the first being that it is quite common for the bird to regress when it is suddenly moved to a new environment with new people. And the second reason is that at this age the bird will need to be fed the formula at least twice a day until it is eating enough of its normal diet to no longer need the weaning formula. You are aware that Lorikeets require a special diet, which is a nectar that needs to be mixed fresh twice daily in addition to fruits and vegetables and a little bit of small seeds.
You will need to allow your new bird to acclimate to both you and its new environment. Although this does mean that except as needed for cleaning and replacing food and water that you don't go putting your hands in the cage, you don't want to leave the bird alone, it is much too social of a creature for that. It needs you to spend time with it talking and singing to it. It will be reassured by your presence, leaving the bird alone for any length of time is terrifying to them. When the bird starts coming to the side of the cage that you are on of it own free will, then you want to start offering it a treat of a long thin piece of fruit or perhaps a spring of millet that it can nibble on while you talk to it. When it will accept a treat through the cage bars then you open the cage door and offer the treat to the bird at the open door of the cage. Gradually move the treat back along your hand so that the bird begins to step onto your hand by itself and then introduce the phrase step up to it. Then it will be ready for target training in its cage. This needs to take about a month or two before you go past this level as you really want to build the birds confidence in both itself and in you.
Any thing more in depth than this concerning this species of bird, you will have to get mostly from another member as I don't have any more experience than this and am pushing that just a little. I will be able to help with things that it has in common with other species.

[Pajarita]

No, everything you said is right, Wolf. Only a couple of things to add... One is that hand-fed birds are imprinted to people so you will not need to 'tame' it at all and, most likely, he will be more than willing to step up on your hand without you having to do anything but put your hand there The only other thing is that I hope you know how incredibly messy these birds are! I mean, talk about projectile poop! So take this into consideration and protect the walls and floor around his cage well or you will have to spend the next 20 years scrubbing them

[Gabriel]

Haha , thanks for the info guys, very much appreciated

[Gabriel]

Another question,

What is the best place for me to place the cage?? I have heard that Teflon is extremely lethal to birds, so I was wondering where I should place it.

[Wolf]

I would place any and all Teflon in the trash and replace it with good quality stainless steel.
Geez! That is a really good question... my first inclination would be to say for a lorikeet, I would put it in the shower stall. The kitchen is never a good place for a bird to be as it is just far too dangerous for them due to sharp objects, open heat sources, containers of hot and cold water that are not covered, just to name a few of the hazards and there are many more.
Like most other parrots, they are highly social birds and for that reason I would consider placing them where there is the most traffic or at least where they can observe all of the activity and take part as they choose, but you don't want them on a carpet due to the mess, fruits and berries make some of the most difficult of stains to clean up and remove. I would be wanting to figure out how I would contain the mess first and then figure out the best place for the bird next.
I know that there are members on here that have this species of parrot and am really hoping that they will step up and present you with the benefit of their experiences with this bird.

[Pajarita]

Wolf is correct but you also have to take into consideration that they need to be near a window for exposure not only to natural light but, most importantly, to dawn and dusk. Having a wall behind the cage makes them feel safer and placing the cage at a height that the roosting perch is at our eye level also helps with their perception of safety.

[Gabriel]

Would my bedroom be a good place? It's around 3 feet from the door and 10 feet from a window...
However I have heard some people say that it's dangerous to place birds in your bedroom as you could catch a disease...

[Wolf]

There are a few diseases that are transmittable from birds to humans but not very many, and certainly not as many as could be picked up from a cat or dog. I think that it is a bigger issue for the bird than to the human at least mentally and emotionally speaking. Birds are extremely social creatures and most of them would prefer being where they could at least watch what is going on around them, with a greater possibility of being able to interact with whatever is happening. The isolation of the bedroom when things are going on that they can hear but not be a part of would be very stressful for them, to say the least. Kind of look at it this way; in their natural environment they are never alone from the day that they hatch until the time of their death. They depend on their flock for companionship, for mates, and for their safety, indeed, for these birds their flock is their very life and is a part of their life from beginning to end. They have no desire to be separated from it ever and have an overwhelming desire to be with their flock at all times, The only thing strong enough to alter this at all is the reproductive drive and that is only while they must incubate their eggs, and then it is right back into the flock for them and their offspring. Separation from their flock for even as long as 10 minutes is a very harsh punishment for them. Something to consider when choosing the location of the cage.

[Gabriel]

So that rules out the bedroom... and my living room is only a few feet from the kitchen.. that leaves the front room where the front door is, the hallway in front of my bedroom (which is separated from the living room only by a door a few feet away, or the guest room, which is next to my bedroom. Which one of these places would be the most suitable to keep my cage?