Baby Rainbow Lorikeet

[gilester]

Hi there, We just found a baby rainbow lorikeet in our front garden, it was attempting to fly with no luck and was getting more and more upset (screeching). I have looked all around our trees for any nests (none to be found). I didn't want it to go on the road as it would have been killed. Currently I have it in a large box with some water. What is the best thing to do, take it to a vet ? Let it rest and get the right food for it. I'd like to look after it until it is strong enough to fly. It has been very very windy here (Westmead, Sydney) and possibly the wind affected the nest.

[avinet]

Sorry no one has replied sooner - I've only just had a chance to look at the Forum.

It is always best to take any wild bir dthat is in trouble to a vet to be checked over - and for birds it is best to find a vet that knows something about birds - many do not! If it isn't possible to get a baby to a vet immediately then it will need food and Lorikeet wet mix, a powder that is mixed with water to form a thin cream type consistency, is the best food to give. Baby birds can't last too long without food.

Generally baby Lorikeets don't leave a nest hollow until it is time for them to leave and take their first flight. If a baby Lorikeet is found on the ground then generally it is on the ground because it has a problem and can't fly. Since they breed in nest hollows they can't be blown out by the wind.

There are several reasons this can occur. Perhaps it was able to fly but separated from it's parents for some reason and is exhausted from flying around looking for it's parents. Windy weather could be a factor here - it makes it harder for a young baby to control the direction it is flying and so is harder for it to follow the parents.

Perhaps it was hit by a car and is injured and can't fly. A third and common problem is that it is suffering from a virus disease called Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease, PBFD. This virus attacks the feather follicles and means that the flight and tail feathers fall out very easily, usually before it leaves the nest, and as a result it's first flight ends up as a crash landing on the ground. If the baby you have found has a stubby tail and no flight feathers then it will likely have PBFD.

Unfortunately there is no cure from PBFD - many of these birds will die within 6 to 1 2months since the virus also attacks the liver and liver failure results. Others will live a long time but progressively lose more and more feathers until mostly featherless, while others seem to recover fully but are still carriers and can never be released since they could infect other wild birds.

So an examination by a vet is important to sort out why the baby ended up on the ground.

Lest us know how you go with the bird, and once again I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to your message sooner.

cheers,

Mike