SPECIES FAQ: Lories

[J.L. Giannini]

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Lories and Lorikeets (Lory FAQ).
(Five printed pages. Written 7 January 1994)

by Deborah Wisti-Peterson
wi...@zoology.washington.edu
nyn...@u.washington.edu

Lories and lorikeets belong to the subfamily Loriinae (Lor-EYE-i-nay)
which are commonly referred to as the "brush-tongued parrots." There are 67
species of these small to medium sized birds and they are the most beautiful
subfamily of psittacines. Even though red and blue or red and green predominate,
lories brandish a wide variety of intense hues. Their colors range from
stunning scarlets to glossy purple-blacks, from radiant yellows and fiery
oranges to emerald greens, from subdued blue-greys and lime-greens to exquisite
royal blues. The combinations of these colors is lavish and frequently gaudy:
These birds have been described as being cloaked in a riot of color.
Lories are native to many islands in the south Pacific and some species
are also found in Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea. Those species that are
found on small islands are particularly vulnerable to the effects of habitat
destruction. As a result, special care should be taken to ensure that these
birds are established in suitable breeding programs before they are made
available to the pet industry.
With rare exceptions, most species of Loriinae are not sexually
dimorphic; males and females cannot be distinguished by comparing their plumages
or other physical characteristics. Consequently, males and females can only be
identified by using DNA sexing, feather sexing or surgical sexing techniques.
Lories are very hardy birds but they do require more care than
seed-eating parrots. Since their diet consists mainly of liquid nectar and
fruits, their droppings can be quite messy. Thus, they need to have their cage
cleaned frequently (I recommend changing the papers daily and wiping the entire
cage clean with soapy water and a sponge twice per week, at the very least).
They also cannot be left for periods longer than a day since their food can
sour quickly. So, if you travel frequently, you will have to persuade a friend
to come in to feed and clean the bird on a daily basis. Lories will do quite
well in if housed in an outdoor flight, provided that they have a nest box and a
sheltered area to take refuge in when it becomes extremely cold or wet. When
loriesare kept in the house, they require special cages in order to confine
the mess." While these cages are available to the public, they are not sold by
pet shops very often. As a result, you will probably have to purchase these
cages directly from the breeder or from the manufacturer.

PET AVAILABILITY AND COSTS:
Even though most species of lories and lorikeets have personalities that are
well-suited for pets, some birds make better pets than others, particularly
when one considers the price, availability and rarity of these birds. Here, I
list those species that are most popular as pets(the prices are for
hand-fed birds that are less than a year old as advertised by breeders in
the United States) and minimal cage dimensions;

GOLDIE'S LORY (Glossopsitta goldiei): pale lime-green underparts with darker
green streaks; upper parts are dark green; forehead and nape are scarlet and
the cheeks are purple; neck is streaked with light green; the beak is black,
eyes are orange. Length 7 inches (appx. lovebird size). Cage: 18"x18"x24".
Cost $175-250.

DUSKY LORY (Psuedos fuscata): (there are two color phases--orange and yellow--
and stages in between) rich brown plumage with pale orange or yellow edges on
feathers of the back; either blazing red-orange or lemon yellow patches on face,
belly and legs;underwings pale orange or yellow; cream-colored rump; orange-red
beak and eyes. Length 9.5 inches (appx. cockatiel size). Cage: 18"x18"x24".
Cost $250-350 (yellow phase is typically more expensive than orange phase).

RED or MOLUCCAN LORY (Eos bornea bornea): predominantly a brilliant red color
with some blue and black streaks on the wings; black primaries with blue
coverts;vent is cobalt blue; orange beak and eye. Length 11 inches.
Cage: 18"x18"x24".
Cost $250-300.

RAINBOW LORY (Trichoglossus haematodus): there are 21 recognized
subspecies of this bird (11 are bred in the USA) so I will only describe the
most available (and least expensive) of the subspecies, the Green-naped
lorikeet (T. h. haematodus): rich blue head and abdomen with blue
streaking; bright lime green collar on hindneck; bright orange-red feathers
with dark purple-black edges on breast and upper abdomen; green legs,
wings, lower abdomen, back and tail; underwing coverts are orange-yellow;
lime-green vent with darker green streaking; red eyes and beak.
Length 11 inches. Cage: 18"x18"x24".
Cost $165-200.

CHATTERING LORY (Lorius garrulus) there are two subspecies available but the
Yellow-backed Chattering lory is less expensive (L. l. flavopalliatus):
predominately scarlet with green wings and legs; yellow spot on back
between wings; yellow epaulettes; tail has a scarlet base with a maroon-black
lower half; orange-red beak and eyes. Length 12 inches. Cage: 24"x24"x36".
Cost $300-400.

BLACK-CAPPED LORY (Lorius lory) there are four subspecies of this bird, only
two of which are available to the pet trade. Here, I describe the nominate
species (L. l. lory):
bright red face and neck; black crown and forehead; glossy purple nape; hindneck
has a bright blue band; deep green upper body; red rump; brilliant blue abdomen;
red legs; orange beak and eyes. Length 12 inches. Cage: 24"x24"x36".
Cost $500-550.

VOCALIZATION:
While lories can be quite loud, particularly the larger species such as the
Yellow-backed and the Black-capped lories which can rival an amazon in sheer
noise output, they rarely become "screamers." Lories frequently are their
loudest in the morning shortly after sunrise, and in the evening shortly before
the lights are turned off. Otherwise, they will usually amuse themselves with
soft mutterings, trills and whistles. Their typical calls range from loud,
piercing whistles and metallic "pings" to soft high-pitched warbles and
chattering. These birds are master mimics, also. They are particularly fond of
sounds such as ringing telephones, sirens and car alarms, microwave "beeps,"
dripping faucets, squeaky drawers and doors, electronic pagers and buzzers.
They will reproduce these sounds with amazing precision, much to the amusement
of house guests. Lories also imitate many other sounds with life-like clarity;
seeming to collect sounds like some people collect stamps. Even though most
lories can and will talk, the most gifted are the larger species; the
Yellow-backed and Black-capped lories. These birds are similar to most talking
birds because they prefer to say those things that the people around them say
most often or with the most passion. Thus, one should avoid teaching the bird
obnoxious expressions since these phrases will be repeated frequently and with
great zeal (and sometimes with great volume).

PERSONALITY:
Lories are very intense creatures and this is reflected in all that
they do. They are very playful, curious, and acrobatic, and they love an
audience. Their favorite toys include bells, swings, "squeaky" cat toys,
ping-pong and practice golf balls, and baby toys. Other favorite toys include
toothbrushes, baby rattles, and balled up paper. Lories can be quite possessive
about their toys and adult birds may not appreciate anyone (including
their owner) handling their toys in their presence.

Lories are outgoing and very affectionate. They particularly enjoy
sitting on their owner's shoulder and licking his ears or climbing around on
(and swinging from) long hair. They will nibble on your hands frequently and
may occasionally nip due to excitement. Even though lories can deliver a
painful bite when they are frightened or angry, they should never be slapped or
hit. Striking lories can make them distrustful and mean, and it will often take weeks or months to regain their trust. I have found that lories respond well to
ten-minute "time out" periods where the bird is placed into a towel-covered
cage that contains only one perch. If lories are handled with patience and
consistency, they will rarely, if ever, bite.
It is a misconception that lories cannot be potty-trained. They will
quickly learn to relieve themselves into a garbage can, from a perch or when
held over a toilet or a piece of newspaper. All of my lories are potty-trained
and they rarely have an "accident."
Lories also exhibit many unusual antics. Many lories will hang upside
down from the roof of their cage for hours at a time. They may also place
all of their toys into their water or food dishes on a daily basis. Some lories
will wrap themselves up in a washcloth before going to sleep. Occasionally,
lories will sleep on their backs with their feet straight up in the air--a
trick that has frightened more than one new lory owner. They love to bathe and
will usually do so on a daily basis. They will also relish a trip into the
shower with their owner.
It should be noted that even though lories generally will get along
well with other bird species they are territorial and they can also be quite
jealous. It is important to realize that territoriality is a inherent part of
the nature of birds and it is particularly acute in adult lories that have
mates. The best way to circumvent the problems associated with territoriality
is to house each bird individually and to never allow any bird to enter
another bird's cage. Jealousy is usually seen in lories that have been lone
pets for some period of time. Even though this may not appear to be a problem
in most young birds, it is best to never allow lories to interact with other
birds in an unsupervised environment, especially if they are larger than the
other birds.
In conclusion, while I believe that lories do make wonderful pets, I
do not think that lories are for everyone. In order to remain healthy, these
birds require more specialized care from their owner than a seed-eating parrot
would require. They need special foods, special housing and frequent cage
cleanings. Additionally, they are very intense and interactive birds and they
need a great deal of mental stimulation, consistency and patience. But, in
spite of these drawbacks, they have many positive traits which make them
rewarding companions for those people who are willing to devote their time to
keeping these brilliant and personable creatures.

CAGES:
Providing housing for lories is not a simple matter. This is due to the fact
that these birds are fruit and nectar eating birds so they have liquid
droppings. They are also very active, which requires that they be housed in
larger cages than other comparably sized birds.
There are several types of cages that lory owners provide for their
pets. The most popular cages are those made by Aviary Acryl
(2532 Jones Avenue NE, Renton, WA 98056 or call John Scott at 206-228-7210).
These are acrylic "boxes" that can house your bird safely, allowing an
uncluttered view of the world outside. This cage is also very easy to clean;
the surface can be wiped clean with a sponge five or ten minutes after it has
been spayed with warm water. It also has a removable tray on the bottom and an
acrylic grate that prevents the bird from getting into the tray. Another option
is to build your own lory cage, often referred to as a "lory box." This cage
consists of a wooden "box" that is solid on three sides with glass doors and a
wire mesh roof. The inside of this box is either painted with an epoxy paint or
is covered with formica, both of which are nontoxic and very easy to clean.
This has a removable metal tray and a stainless steel rack. The third option
available is to house your bird in a stainless steel parrot cage with a
"Lory Guard Cage Surround" (Autumn Woods Aviaries, P.O.Box 1341, Wheaton,
Illinois 60187 or call 708-668-2063). This is an polycarbonate plastic sheet
that fits neatly around the outside of the cage, thus containing the mess.

FOODS:
Lories are nectivorous and frugivorous parrots; they eat nectar and
pollen along with fruits and flowers. The long papillae on the end of their
tongues are apparent only when the tongue is extended, resembling a brush.
These papillae are used to collect pollen and nectar from flowers. Their crops
are designed to hold the foods that they consume and not for the crushing of
seeds. Thus, feeding these birds a diet exclusively of seeds will eventually
kill them due to crop impaction. There are many different recipes for lory
nectar although most of these have the same basic ingredients (some of these
recipes are available upon request from the author). There are some
commercially prepared nectar diets that are available, also. The very best
diet available is called Nekton-Lori (available at good pets shops or from
Nekton USA, Inc., 14405 60th Street North, Clearwater, Florida, 34620).
This is a dry powder that is a pale yellow color and has a sweet smell,
similar to bananas. This diet is mixed with cool or warm water in a ratio of
one part Nekton-Lori to five parts water. Uneaten portions of this liquid diet
should be removed from the bird's cage after four hours (in warm weather) to
avoid spoilage. Lories also relish fruits and vegetables as a part of their
daily diet. I have found that they are particularly fond of apples, oranges,
pomegranates, papaya, grapes and corn. They can be messy eaters, however, since
they will usually squeeze the juices from the fruit and fling the peel away.
Over the past few years, several people have begun to manufacture a dry
diet for lories. In spite of the fact that these dry diets result in firm
droppings that are similar to those of seed-eating parrots, it is not
recommended that a lory be fed the dry diet exclusively. In the four or five
years since these dry diets have become commercially available, it is thought
that these diets may be detrimental to the health of lories. If a dry diet must
be fed, please supplement it daily with fruits and vegetables and at least
several times per week with liquid nectar.

PUBLICATIONS:
Lories and Lorikeets by Rosemary Low, 180 pp. Paper. $19.95 (TFH Publications,
Inc., 1990, ISBN 0-86622-142-5). This is an excellent and well-written book
about Loriinae. Originally published in 1977, this was the only book about
Lories that was available to the public for many years. Even though some of the
ornithological information is outdated, it has a great deal of lore regarding
the keeping and breeding of Lories in captivity.

Lories & Lorikeets: A Complete Owner's Manual by Matthew Vriends, 80 pp. Paper.
$5.50(Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 1993, ISBN 0-8120-1567-3). Even though
this book is small, it is well written and is a handy "quick reference" for the
pet owner.

CLUBS:
The American Lory Society publishes a newsletter four times per year and
maintain studbooks for many species of loriinae. Their main function is to
provide information and to act as a networking organization for lory owners
and breeders. Annual dues $15.
The American Lory Society
11700 Tesla Road
Livermore, CA 94550
510.455.1631

A special thanks to my many loriinae companions, particularly Aenya and
Paris, who have made this FAQ possible. A very special thanks to Ouija
whose unfettered spirit shall always find a safe haven in my heart.

--
J.L. Giannini (gian...@nova.umd.edu)
"This parrot is DEAD!"
"No 'e's not...'e's pining for the fjords..."
(Ask me about the rec.pets.birds faq)