Lories and Lorikeets - Breeding and Feeding (1979)

In my opinion South Florida is one of the most ideal areas to raise Lories and Lorikeets. I say this because they can be housed outside all year without any problems. These beautiful birds are very active and therefore need adequate space to fly and move around. The most commonly kept and bred varieties include Chattering, Black Capped, Purple Capped and Moluccan Lories; Swainson's, Ornate, Coconut (Rainbow) and Forsten's Lorikeets. I will not attempt to describe these birds because most aviculturists have access to books that give adequate information on them. Many other varieties are available and are being bred. Due to the importation last year of many of the rarer Lories such as Dusky, Yellow-Streaked, Blue-Streaked, Black Winged and Duyvenboide's there is even a greater variety available for your consideration. Sexing is a definite obstacle in the breeding of Lories and Lorikeets. I have no sure way of sexing these birds except by observation. In my experience the hens are always more aggressive while the cocks are always rather stand-offish in a flight. Vent sexing has never been very accurate with our birds. Two birds of the same sex will be compatible in a flight but seem to have more conflicts especially at feeding time. While with a pair of cock will usually let the hen eat first. We have never had any activity in the breeding box except with true pairs. We have had moderate success with surgical sexing but they don't seem to stand up too well under heavy stress. With new and better sexing techniques being developed it should be easier to obtain true pairs in the future. We have kept most of our breeding pairs in flights 4x 1 Ox6 feet. They need several perches with some of them placed almost vertical in the flight. Because of the lories diet their droppings are copious, so a layer of sand, shavings or finely ground corn cobs help keep the flight looking neat. If ants are a problem they can be easily controlled by sprinkling Seven dust around the outside of the flight from time to time. Most of our breeding boxes are made of plywood measuring l 2xl 2xl 8 inches. This seems adequate for all varieties. We use plain shavings in our boxes putting a heavy layer (at least six inches) on the bottom. Because of the consistency of the droppings from the babies the breeding boxes will get a little messy before the babies come out. We sometimes add shavings but we do not attempt to completely clean them out. Some pairs will tolerate the handling of babies in the box, others will not. It is an expensive lesson to learn as we have experienced. Some breeding pairs become very aggressive during breeding season. Breeding usually begins in the spring. Many pairs will go back to nest either in the summer or in the fall in our area. The usual clutch consists of two white eggs very similar to a Ring-neck dove egg only slightly larger. Incubation is done entirely by the hen. Hatching time is about 28 days although this varies greatly depending on how well the hen incubates. In hot weather the hen will stay out of the box most of the day, incubating only at night. Fertility is usually good with both eggs hatching. Both parents share the feeding chore with the cock doing more than his share as the babies grow older. The offspring usually do not venture out of the box before ten weeks of age and are independent about three weeks later. The babies come out fully feathered looking like the adults except for dark beaks (some varieties have naturally dark beaks). Feeding has been discussed in a previous article but I failed to mention that fresh sweet corn should be fed at all times if it is available. It is very rare to see any Lory or Lorikeet in bad feather. They seem to moult all year, but they are always in perfect show condition. These birds are very hardy and seem to adapt well to cage and aviary life. Lorics and Lorikeets cannot be housed with other species. Babies can be easily handfed using the basic nector formula and adding ground monkey chow, high protein cereal, baby food fruit and vitamins. If you want to put color and entertainment in your aviary try a pair of Lories or Lorikeets. I think you'll be happy you did.