Rainbow lorikeets are popular pet birds due to their colourful feathers and playful personality. They are beautiful, intelligent, playful, and affectionate. However, they also require much care and attention to keep them happy and healthy. In this blog post, we will share some tips and tricks for feeding, grooming, and training your rainbow lorikeet, as well as some common challenges and solutions.
Feeding your rainbow lorikeet
Rainbow lorikeets are nectarivorous, which means they feed on nectar and pollen from flowers in the wild. They also eat fruits, vegetables, seeds, and insects. As a pet owner, you must provide a balanced diet that meets their nutritional needs and mimics their natural food sources.
One option is to buy a commercial nectar mix specially formulated for lorikeets. You can find these at most pet stores or online. You need to prepare the nectar mix according to the instructions on the package and offer it fresh every day. It would be best to clean the feeding dish regularly to prevent bacterial growth.
Another option is to make your own nectar mix at home. You can use honey, sugar, baby cereal, apple juice, and water. You can also add vitamins and minerals to the mix to ensure your lorikeet gets all the nutrients it needs. However, it would be best if you were careful about the proportions and quality of the ingredients, as too much or too little of something can harm your lorikeet.
In addition to nectar, you should also offer your lorikeet fresh fruits and vegetables every day. Some of their favourites are apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, carrots, corn, peas, broccoli, and spinach. You can chop them into small pieces or hang them from skewers in the cage. You should avoid fruits and vegetables high in oxalic acid, such as rhubarb, beet greens, and parsley, as they can interfere with calcium absorption.
You can also give your lorikeet some seeds and pellets occasionally as treats. However, it would help if you did not feed them too much of these foods, as they are high in fat and low in moisture. They can also cause obesity and liver problems in lorikeets if fed exclusively.
You should always provide fresh water for your lorikeet to drink and bathe. You should change the water daily and clean the water dish regularly. You should also avoid adding supplements or medications to the water without consulting your veterinarian first.
Grooming your rainbow lorikeet
Rainbow lorikeets are spotless birds that groom themselves often. However, they also need your help to keep their feathers and skin in good condition.
One of the most important aspects of grooming is bathing. Rainbow lorikeets love to bathe and splash in water. Bathing helps them remove dirt and dust from their feathers, moisturize their skin, and regulate their body temperature. It also stimulates their preening behaviour, which allows them to distribute natural oils on their feathers and keep them shiny and healthy.
It would be best to offer your lorikeet a bath at least once a week. You can use a shallow dish filled with lukewarm water or a spray bottle with a delicate mist setting. If your lorikeet is tame enough, you can place the dish or spray bottle in or outside the cage. It would help to let your lorikeet decide when and how long to bathe. Some lorikeets may prefer to bathe in the morning or evening, while others may bathe at any time. Some may bathe for a few minutes, while others may bathe for half an hour or more.
It would be best to not use soap or shampoo on your lorikeet unless instructed by your veterinarian. These products can strip away the natural oils on their feathers and skin and cause dryness and irritation. They can also affect their sense of smell and taste, affecting their appetite and behaviour.
Another aspect of grooming is trimming your lorikeet’s nails and beak. Rainbow lorikeets have sharp claws and beaks that grow continuously throughout their lives. They must wear them down by chewing on wood, toys, cuttlebone, or mineral blocks. However, sometimes their nails and beaks may grow too long or too fast and cause problems such as injuries, infections, or difficulty eating.
You should check your lorikeet’s nails and beak regularly and trim them if needed. You can use a nail clipper or a file to trim the nails, cuttlebone, or file to trim the beak. It would help if you were careful not to cut or point too much or too close to the blood vessels running through the nails and beaks.
