dbeedle@ux1.cts.eiu.edu (Dave Beedle) (01/22/91)
Hello all! In response to the Lori questions...
I own a Red Lori and a friend of mine breeds them. He sells his loris
for around 3 to 400 each. The store he sels them to promply marks them up
to about 600!
As for the mess, they can be messy birds especially if the diet is
primarily fruit. They love the fruit but its expencive and messy. We have
had great luck in feeding them Purina Mini Friends Parrot chow (they waste
less if its "small parrot chow"). My friend feeds his lories (and other
parrots Purina AVN. This leads to less mess. I also give mine some fruit
from time to time.
Lories are energetic and pretty but don't let their small size fool
you. They can have a nasty bite.
If you want a playful bird that likes to be handled a lori is a good
choice. Make sure it is hand tamed and has been around people. Mine has
learned not to bite me too hard but other folks...look out. Lories can
also learn to talk (mine does) but they tend to mutter and they imitate
sounds very well.
If you get a lori be patient and be prepared to get bit a time or two.
Don't believe all you read in the books. Some is simply incorrect (in my
case anyway). Finally, lories are aggressive birds. I hesatate to put my
lori with any other bird so if you plan on get more than one bird you might
consider that.
Good luck and TTFN,
Dave Beedlesusans@cfi.COM (susans) (01/23/91)
In article <21499@netcom.UUCP> jfh@netcom.UUCP (Jack Hamilton) writes: > > >The Goldie's Lorikeet was by far the most playful bird I've ever seen. >S/he climbed through little rings in the cage, jumped around, and swung >upside down by her toes from the swing. Birds don't have a problem with generic language, so 1) either find out the sex or 2) pick one and dispense with the S/he stuff--so annoying!! Now, on to the heart of your questions. >The Rainbow was gorgeous, but didn't like to be handled as much as the >Goldie's. S/he's also a fruit eater, but is about the right size. My friend has a couple Rainbow lorries. So tame they ride her dog. Wonderfully friendly, gorgeous. Kind of messy eaters, and their droppings, which they can spray right out of the cage, or disgusting. Don't try this at home kids--she lost a lovebird when the dog decided it didn't want a bird to ride it anymore. >- When I expressed concern about the messiness of fruit eaters, the woman >said that the droppings ARE a lot more liquid, but in some ways they were >much easier to clean up than the more solid droppings of the seed eaters. She really said that? I suppose if you have a solid plexiglass cage guard covering the bottom 8 inches of the cage and never take it out... You should go back and observe for yourself. I personally find them too messy to bother with-- both what and how they eat, as well as their droppings. My friend's birds are often covered with fruit juice, etc. giving them a distasteful feel and appearance. >Is any of these birds likely to be happy just sitting on my shoulder at, >say, chorus practice, or will they all want to squawk and fly? I know I It's a BAD idea to take any pet bird out in public regularly. You expose them to too many dangers (theft, accident, that pesky flight feather you didn't notice that allowed your bird to fly away, disease). Also, with a lory, you are NOT going to want to go out in public with it on your shouldder unless you're wearing a rain coat. >The prices were $350 for the Goldie's, $395 for the Senegal, and $425 for >the Rainbow. Are those typical prices? Yes, but this is Boston, so who knows. >I'm amazed at how the descriptions of birds vary from book to book. For >example, one said that the Senegal is not very friendly and shouldn't be >considered as a "pettable" pet, and another said they were sweet and >affectionate. All of the birds I saw were at least somewhat friendly. Are >they likely to change as they grow older (assuming that I didn't mistreat >them)? Yes, birds change as they reach sexual maturity. Some become quite unfriendly without a mate, and not "pettable" with a mate. Some become nippy, and never quit. Some become overly dependant on you, but for the most part, as long as you know how to treat the bird, they're great pets! -- Susan S. (susans@cfi.com) Another Friend of Bill's
wvenable@spam.ua.oz.au (Bill Venables) (01/24/91)
In article <21499@netcom.UUCP> jfh@netcom.UUCP (Jack Hamilton) writes: > ... > > The prices were $350 for the Goldie's, $395 for the Senegal, and $425 for > the Rainbow. Are those typical prices? > and in a reply, dbeedle@ux1.cts.eiu.edu (Dave Beedle) writes: > I own a Red Lori and a friend of mine breeds them. He sells his loris > for around 3 to 400 each. The store he sells them to promply marks them up > to about 600! This is fascinating to anyone over here, and explains a great deal. At these prices I would have at least $10000 worth of Rainbow Lorikeets flying about my garden on a typical spring day! How much for a flock of 50 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos? When Jim Lee came over to visit last August, (how're y'goin' Jim :-) he said he knew he was really in a foreign country when he saw a pair of lorikeets playing in the tree just outside his motel window, which was right in the heart of suburban Adelaide. To be more serious for a moment, I really do hope you `INDOOR' folks are careful to detect not to accept illegally exported birds. It is a very serious problem for Australian conservationists, since several species are on the endangered list simply because of the actions of illegal trappers. Chances are that after the rough time they go through the birds will make lousy pets, anyway. Most wild parrots live in large flocks. Bill Venables. -- Bill Venables, Dept. of Statistics, | Email: venables@spam.adelaide.edu.au Univ. of Adelaide, South Australia. | Phone: +61 8 228 5412
ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) (01/26/91)
In article <WVENABLE.91Jan24210406@spam.ua.oz.au>, wvenable@spam.ua.oz.au (Bill Venables) writes: > To be more serious for a moment, I really do hope you `INDOOR' folks are > careful to detect not to accept illegally exported birds. It is a very > serious problem for Australian conservationists, since several species are > on the endangered list simply because of the actions of illegal trappers. > Chances are that after the rough time they go through the birds will make > lousy pets, anyway. Most wild parrots live in large flocks. I would LOVE to see these birds flying around like that! But to also be serious, anyone who has watched CNN's coverage of even the LEGAL importing stuff would be sickened to see what the poor birds are put through. I've come to believe that it's quite cruel to snatch a bird out of its habitat (what little there may be) and stuff it in a cage for the rest of its life. Usually alone, and all too often, poorly taken care of. PLEASE, if you want a pet, buy domestic. These birds think they are human. They will love you forever. They are usually born in a cruelty free environment. Imports are cheaper, but you are fostering an industry that loses at least 75% of all the birds they catch. Not to mention the unweaned chicks that are left behind (or killed) when mommy and daddy are captured. Don't buy imported birds! Mikki Barry Natural Intelligence Aviaries Home of the Electric Cockatoo --
stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter) (02/13/91)
In article <WVENABLE.91Jan24210406@spam.ua.oz.au> wvenable@spam.ua.oz.au (Bill Venables) writes: >To be more serious for a moment, I really do hope you `INDOOR' folks are >careful to detect not to accept illegally exported birds. It is a very >serious problem for Australian conservationists, since several species are >on the endangered list simply because of the actions of illegal trappers. >Chances are that after the rough time they go through the birds will make >lousy pets, anyway. Most wild parrots live in large flocks. As with most things, there is the honest majority and the dishonest minorty. And, as with most things, the majority of those honest folks are prime candidates to be fleeced by the dishonest ones. Good breeders DO check where the bird originated, and knowledgable pet owners too. If there was an easy way to educate the public, it would happen, but when issues of smuggling arise, animal rights radicals seize the opportunity and tend to drag the discussion into a "make bird ownership illegal". Others will further de-focus the discussion by bringing up the home country's treatment of its wildlife. The result is that the important issue you present is seldom given the focussed discussion it deserves. As a point of information most of these birds are not only illegally exported, but generally illegally imported into the receiving country. While there really isn't much other countries can do about the former, we certainly can address the latter. In Canada several parrot smuggling rings have been broken up by the RCMP. Bird buyers can do a lot to help, but in the end you usually have to rely on the fact that someone you have never met REALLY is an HONEST breeder. There are so many weasels in the parrot trade that the AVERAGE buyer probably can't manage that task. Stewart -- Stewart Winter Cognos Incorporated S-mail: P.O. Box 9707 VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830 FAX: (613) 738-0002 3755 Riverside Drive UUCP: stewartw%cognos.uucp@ccs.carleton.ca Ottawa, Ontario The bird of the day is .... Illiger's Macaw CANADA K1G 3Z4