Yet another misbehaving lori thread!! Please help!

[n3ophy7e]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum. I look forward to checking out the wealth of information here but for now I am a bit desperate!

Let me give you all the relevant information:
I was a vet nurse from 2001 to 2006, and in December 2005 a client brought in to the clinic a baby bird that had fallen out of the nest. The mother bird was nowhere in sight and the baby bird was no more than 5 days old. So I volunteered to hand-rear it, and it turned out to be a rainbow lorikeet.

Well he/she (we call him a "he") has been a HUGE handful, as loris can tend to be. He is now 5.5 years old, and we let him out of his cage whenever we are home. We also have 3 cats who were all kittens (that I hand-reared as well) when he was introduced in to the household, so they all grew up together and get along totally fine. The bird absolutely loves my boyfriend but has always had a bit of a problem with me and can be very possessive of my boyfriend when I'm around. Yes I know, the typical lori story If we are not completely on-top of both of us staying dominant over him, he has a tendency to attack my feet when I walk past him. He has only drawn blood once...before this week.

My boyfriend has been working away from home for 4 weeks at a time (over in the mines in WA) for the last 14 months. So whenever he's been away the bird and I have gotten on quite well. He is a really cute bird....when he's being nice to me

But just in the last couple of days it's like the crazy switch has flicked on inside his brain. Even though my boyfriend is still away, and it's just me and the bird and the cats at home, the bird has suddenly turned on me! He is acting like he owns the entire house, he is actively guarding the hallway so I can't get to the bedrooms or the bathroom. If I make any sudden movements he attacks me (luckily because it's winter I'm wearing ugg boots so he can attack my feet as much as he likes ). He has never been this territorial or aggressive before. Two nights ago when I did the usual routine of putting fresh food and water in his cage before his bedtime, and asked him to "step up" on to my hand, he bit my hand and would not let go. I shook him off eventually but he drew blood really badly
(photo if anyone is interested: i134.photobucket.com/albums/q115/n3ophy7e/Random%20Photography/bite2.jpg )

So that was 2 nights ago. I stayed at my parents place last night (for totally unrelated reasons!) so me and the bird had a bit of time-out from each other.

Tonight when I got home from work and let him out of his cage he was even more dominating than before. I'm actually getting rather scared of this tiny little creature!! I found myself flinching whenever he flew over to sit on my shoulder tonight, and after he'd been out for about 40 minutes he eventually attacked and bit my forearm, completely unprovoked (I was sitting at the computer with my back to him). Luckily I am wearing long sleeves so he didn't do much damage.

He then proceeded to attack and bite one of my cats, which he has NEVER done before!

What the f$#% is going on here?!?! I feel so ridiculous because a) I'm a vet nurse so I should know about this stuff, and b) I know all about dog and cat behaviour, how are birds so different?! Bird behaviour is something I just do not understand, and I have not got a clue how to approach this problem. I can't even pinpoint any changes in the household routine in the last few weeks which would have caused such a major upset to his behaviour. In fact I thought he and I had been getting along quite well! Even despite his aggressive behaviour I am trying my hardest to be calm around him and to ensure I don't display any body language which will upset him. But it's just getting worse. I know I need to reassert my dominance over him but I don't know how to do that without causing him to attack me even more!

So please, anyone, help me!!

Thank you very much in advance

[jusdeb]

I dont know much about behavior in birds < all I can do is tell you what I do with our Corella when she mucks up.

As soon as she does anything unsociable she is put to bed .

She is rarely naughty but when she is the isolation seems to snap her back to her normal sweet self .

So that's all I can suggest ...as soon as the Lorri does anything that's unacceptable whack her back into her cage and cut yourself off from her .

[ElyseB]

what would a mummie lori do in the wild to reprimand a naughty bird? just wondering

[n3ophy7e]

jusdeb, thank you for your quick response
That is a really good suggestion. I will try to be more proactive about putting him to bed if he's naughty. Do you then bring your Corella back out when she's settled down? Or do you leave her in there and literally make it her "bedtime" if she's been naughty?

ElyseB, I have no idea!! I imagine the mum lori would nip/beak at the other bird and sqwark loudly?? See, clearly I have no idea about this stuff

[ElyseB]

aww your lori is so handsome. haha i want to peak peeps

[flossy]

aussiebirds.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=necter&action=display&thread=9661


I'm not sure if that link will work, but it is a very interesting read regarding Lorikeet beahviour!! I also have 2 very naughty lorries whom I have had similar problems with....and still to this day, sadly, I cannot touch one of them without risking losing a limb!! It is incredible how quickly they "snap" but as I said, read through this article and maybe there is something in there for you that will work. Goodluck with your little friend......
Flossy

[ElyseB]

Flossy, thankyou so so so so so so much for posting that, I got so many great ideas and insights into my babys mind. this has to be one of the most helpful things ive ever read about lorikeets. keen to try it and watch my baby and see how she reacts. so intresting!

[jusdeb]

If its later in the day then that is bedtime but earlier in the day its just for a few hours and then she comes out again .
If the same thing happens its back in .

[n3ophy7e]

^^ Very good advice, thank you


flossy that article linked in that thread is incredibly helpful, thank you!!! It is also very inspiring and is making me think nice thoughts about my lori again, rather than the fearful/nervous thoughts I've been having since he bit me so badly the other day. They are amazing creatures and to think that my lori is 1st-generation out of the wild, it is actually pretty incredible that he is this tame in the first place!! And he only bites me once every 5-6 months, so maybe it's not so bad after all...

But still, the info in that other thread is so very useful. Thanks again!! I am glad to have found this forum

[ElyseB]

mines 2nd gen..i think that makes it...
her daddy feel out of a date palm tree when he was was he a bubba and he was hand reared but went into in aviary bird when he meet his mate kettle chip, who was born of two wild birds that made a nest in my friends open aviary...does that make her 2nd gen? lol

[twr]

As a last resort, you may need to clip him. Sometimes they do have a major attitude adjustment (for the better) when they are clipped.

Last Sunday, I had my female Lori clipped because she flew &attacked my sun conure. Without flight, all is peaceful again.

[n3ophy7e]

twr that is a very interesting suggestion. Thank you! I'm not sure how we would go about clipping him though...without getting bitten. How do you do it? Like, I know how to restrain birds properly but I can still imagine getting a bite from him despite that!

[avinet]

Clipping a Rainbow can be a challenge! When we had out pet shop I would never use gloves or towel when holding any bird, and any bird up to Ringneck size I could hold and clip myself without help.

However Rainbows were a different matter. Not only have they the sharpest beak around, they have a neck that seems to be able to twist through 360° to get that beak within range, and they usually end up lying on their back to make it even harder. So they were always a 2 person job, one to hold the bird in a tea towel while the other held the wing and clipped. Even then we had to be careful how we held the bird since the beak could easily go through a tea towel.

If you do decide to clip him - and it can be quite successful in calming down a bird starting to be a bit aggressive - then only cut the outer 3 or 4 feathers on each wing - cutting just below the coverts.

cheers,

Mike

[n3ophy7e]

Cool, thanks Mike
To be honest I can't envisage clipping him...too much hassle and stress on him, so it would probably be counterproductive. He's been a lot more relaxed the last 2 days anyway.
Do birds have hormonal cycles which affect their behaviour??

[twr]

Jun 5, 2011 15:01:20 GMT 10 n3ophy7e said:

twr that is a very interesting suggestion. Thank you! I'm not sure how we would go about clipping him though...without getting bitten. How do you do it? Like, I know how to restrain birds properly but I can still imagine getting a bite from him despite that!

I like the vet to be the bad guy. A wing & nail trim cost me $20 for my rainbow a week ago.

Yes, hormones can turn them nasty, but I have been lucky and neither of my lorikeets, so far, are nasty (except for one of them towards the sun conure). They have to share the bird room, so for all their own safety, the one launching the aerial attack needed to be clipped. At the end of the day, if the Sun Conure retaliated, he could easily take off a Lori toe.

[n3ophy7e]

Jun 6, 2011 16:36:44 GMT 10 twr said:

I like the vet to be the bad guy. A wing & nail trim cost me $20 for my rainbow a week ago.

Ahhh of course!! Very good suggestion, thanks twr, you've been very helpful

[flossy]

Sorry for delayed response...you are all welcome.....and thanks to the people who first posted all that information......I have read it, and re-read it.......and yes, I found that article very informative too. I was having some issues with my Lorries and when I read that, it changed my perspective on them and their behaviour. Basically I think they are too smart for their own good! lol! Goodluck with your lorrie n3ophy7e....hope it all works out!

Flossy

[Menagerie]

You are not alone and its

I have a female Rainbow Lori and she has now started to bite me? This started two weeks before Easter. Before then it was now and then. She has just laid her 4th lot of eggs two weeks ago. (she goes all clucky and strange at these times shreds paper which is a trait of the female of the species) then she snaps out of it. (well the last three times) she has always hated my partner and has attacked him on his face once and he will not have any thing to do with her at all.

I have learnt not to make any noise when she bites when I did she squealed with glee.(she found it amusing). So the next time I put her in her cage on the floor and turned the light out or I cover the cage.

Last night when I put my hand in to change her fruit she took a lump of flesh out of my hand. Thats it I don't need any more warnings.
I'm not sure I want to risk my fingers any more either. (unless I use a chain mail glove) ha ha.
I no longer have the confidence to handle her.

I have decided that I will look after her the best I can (without physical contact) for the rest of her life.
She has a cage for outside and a inside cage and she is in every night.
Has plenty of interaction talking ect, and she comes into the kitchen when I am cooking dinner then she goes into the laundry at night to sleep

I have plenty of experence with dog cats and horses but birds well!! guess I failed this one.
We also have a Musk Lori it fell out of a tree as a baby and has a deformed foot. (a girl too shreds paper, but she is lovely) she loves kisses on her tummy and has learnt all the different wistles from the Rainbow. Her name is Yoda (my other half is a sci-fi nut) she is only five months old she sticks her sticky tongue out and licks my face, nose, ears and loves laying under my hair at the back of my neck. Lucky we have her.

Good luck!!
If you have a major break through on nasty Rainbows please post it would be nice to find a way aroud this problem too.

You are not alone.
Deb.