Liko the Lorikeet

[scrobytilt]

Hello everyone,

I am 20 years-old and a new bird owner. I use to have a African Grey when I was little but my parents did most of the work taking care of her. This past weekend I bought a 5 year-old Rainbow Lorikeet named Liko. I know the name isn't too original but it means bud in Hawaiian. She is beautiful and I love everything about her. I did a lot of research before deciding to buy her but I couldn't find anything on how to acclimate an older lorikeet to a new home. If anyone has any tips that would be wonderful. These are a few of the questions I have:

1. I know rainbow lorikeets are very social birds so I put her cage in the family room next to a big 7ft by 5ft window but I'm not sure if the large area and my 2 older sisters might be stressing her out. When anyone gets near her she raises her feathers and I think she is unhappy. To fix this I was thinking of putting her in my room for a little bit until to gets use to me and then moving her back to the family room. Is this a good idea?

2. She has a deformed right foot with only one toe with a nail in the front and one nub in the back. She seems to move around fine but I'm not sure whether or not to try and teach her to step up. Her previous owner, who had her for about a year, said Liko would lift her foot up to step up but that she was to scared to put her hand out.

3. The previous owner said she would bath her by using a spray bottle and that she loves taking baths. I tried yesterday but she didn't seem to enjoy it and would move the other side of the cage. This may be because she is still getting use to her new environment but I do have to find a way to bathe her.

I'm inexperienced but I really just want to make her happy and right now I feel like she isn't. If there is anything else you think I should know please feel free to comment.

[scrobytilt]

Its liko pronounced leeko

[TheNzJessie]

welcome! lovely to see more rainbow lorikeet owners! they are such cool birds and bring a bundle of personality and enjoyment to anyones lives!

[TheNzJessie]

ill give you some tips on having a happy lorikeet!

they love people. even wild ones are known to come and join you at cafe's and even steal your food in australia!

they love foot toys and wrestling

giving them bottle brush flowers will make any lori happy!

they LOVE corn and apple

to make a happy lorikeet i would suggest just cuddling him/her scratches and tummy rubs that always goes down well with them

anything that makes noise they love so a good foot toy is those small cat balls with the bell in them

also they need to be able to destroy stuff. wooden perches and toys are a must

they love to snuggle into tight spaces to sleep so i highly suggest buying a snuggle hut

they respond well to music and human voice so even just talking to him/her they really appreciate it.

and they love flying so if you dont take him outside i would really suggest letting him/her fly around in a room. and even if you do take him outside i would suggest a flight harness even if he is clipped. letting his/her wings grow back will be beneficial for his/her health and well being

and when you said when someone goes near her she raises her feathers, if shes like puffing them she may just want a scratch, can you describe her behavior does it look aggressive? does she bow her head?

[Kim S]

I would advise you not to place her too near to a window. Parrots are prey animals and get spooked easily by things that just swoop by. So every predator bird up in the sky will scare her.
I notice the birds in my aviary react heavily to fleeing pigeons and blackbirds. They flee through my garded screeching and my whole flock will be on the wings! So that also might affect her.

And you said you just got het last weekend. Give her some time. It can take a while to get used to you and her new environment. Just don't forget to keep interacting with her. She is a tame animal and will look to you for reinforcment. Maybe she doesn't feel safe cuddling you yet, but hearing your voice and seeing you will make her feel better than being alone.