The Lori: who is he? How to raise this bird at home?
Sociable and very intelligent, the Lori is a magnificent colorful bird that loves to play the clowns and entertain the gallery! This real miniature clown is hyperactive and loves to play, hide and constantly discover new games and gadgets. This pollinating bird needs a special diet and a large well-equipped cage to be happy and fulfilled. Who is he? How to raise it at home? Our answers in this matter.
Who's the Lori?
Originally from Australasia
(Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Indonesia), the Lori is a bird of the
Loriinae family, like the Loriquet. They are birds with very colorful plumage,
but loris generally refers to birds with short and rounded tails, whereas bouquets
are those with long conical tails. There are 55 species of loris and bouquets
and nearly 63 subspecies. Unfortunately, many are endangered due to the
destruction of their natural state, but their reproduction is relatively easy
in captivity. In its natural habitat, it is an effective pollinator that uses
its tongue and taste buds to feed on pollen and nectar from flowers and plants.
At 20 to 32 cm high, the Lori is a
cheerful, playful, curious, and even hyperactive bird. He likes to play, observe
his environment, search, explore, hop from branch to branch, etc. Sociable, he
likes to play the clown and his extravagance pushes him to entertain the
gallery constantly, like a little clown.
He is a very clever bird and a good
imitator who likes to repeat a few words and sounds with his little sharp
voice. It's an animal that attaches very quickly to the humans that make up its
home. However, he is very suspicious of strangers and tends to bite easily,
whether he feels threatened or not.
He can live with other species of parrots. However, it should be noted that some poorly socialized loris can be aggressive or painful with other birds, even with another loris. These birds must be isolated; it is better to let them live alone because they cannot help but harass their fellow birds.
How to raise Lori at home?
A large cage
Lori moves a lot and he loves jumping
from branch to branch. It will therefore need a large cage with multiple
perches consisting of branches. Install one or more nests so your Lori can
sleep in a space where he feels safe and quiet. He also likes parrot tents.
Lori loves to play and his curiosity
requires a permanent occupation. It needs to be surrounded by various and
varied games. Choose them from solid materials, because its beak is powerful
and it can cut them quickly, even swallow pieces. Offer him swings, balls, mirrors, and bells, because he loves what makes noise and what he can grasp in his legs. You
can also put a paper bag at his disposal because he likes to hide.
Tape the bottom of his cage with a
wire mesh, as he also likes to play on the floor. A relatively tight grating
will prevent it from getting dirty on the feathers. In addition, toys that have
fallen to the ground are held in the wire mesh and not soiled.
Install a bathtub in the cage, because Lori loves to swim several times during the day. Make sure it is not deep to avoid accidents.
A very specific diet
Lori is a parrot that needs a
very special diet. Unfortunately, malnutrition is very common, as many adopters
are uninformed. In fact, in captivity, the Lori eats like its congeners in the
wild. It needs nectar and pollen that you can find in powder form in
specialized pet shops. Be careful and only buy products that are well suited to
this species of parrot.
Very curious, Lori also likes to
discover other foods. So you can supplement your basic diet with fruits (apple,
pear, mango, orange, banana, melon, grapes, etc.) and vegetables (corn, carrot,
spinach, beans, endive, etc.), but also eggs, whole wheat bread, cereals, and
cheese.
As a treat, you can give her
hibiscus, hemocalla, or rose flowers.