Lorikeet won't come out of his new cage

[amanda18]

Hi Guys,
I have a three year old Lorikeet that was hand raised by me from birth. He has had a small cage up until four weeks ago where I purchased him a newer, bigger one (Lorikeet appropriate) Our Lorikeet "Tarco" has always been included in all our family activity and had free range around the house, even showers with me. Now he will not come out of his cage at all, if he does he comes out climbs on my shoulder and flies as quick as he can to return to his cage. I'm not sure why he is presenting with this behaviour?? Not sure if he feels unwell?? If he is protecting something?? Any help would be appreciated, as he is a much loved family pet and this is not something he has ever done before. He took to his new cage very well and didnt seem upset by his new surroundings, so I am a little miffed by his actions, and this has happened for the past two/three weeks.

HELP PLEASE
Amanda

[avinet]

Hi Amanda and welcome to the Forum,

How do you know the sex of the bird?  Are you just assuming it is a male, or has it been DNA or surgically sexed?

My initial guess is that it is a female that has reached egg-laying age, the hormones are flowing,  and it has decided that it wants to stay in it's cage since it is regarding that cage as it's substitute nest box.  If that is so then expect an egg or two before long - hope you gave it a unisex name

If you know for certain that it is a male then I don't know why the behaviour has changed, I would have to think about that a bit.

cheers,

Mike

[amanda18]

Hi Mike,
I am just assuming he is male, we have always called him "Him" lol And yes Tarco has always dug around in the wood chip like he/she is nesting so that kind of makes sense. What happens with the egg??? Oh dear, i'm now concerned/confused?? And if he is a she I will have to teach Tarco to say good girl instead of good boy lol
Also how long does that usually last? and will Tarco want to come back out eventually??

Cheers
Amanda

[avinet]

Hi Amanda,

It is always very difficult to sex a Rainbow Lorikeet by looking at it - even with a lot of experience with the species.  So basically you had a 50/50 chance of having a boy or a girl.   And by the sounds of it you have a girl

She will lay two eggs, usually 2 days apart, sometimes 3 days, and then try to incubate them - but obviously with no male around they will be infertile.  It is important to leave the eggs with her, and let her go through the incubation process.  If you remove them she is likely to just lay more and stay in her breeding cycle, but by completing the laying/incubation cycle her hormones will subside and she will return to her previous friendly behaviour. 

With a situation such as this I find it best to give the bird something within the cage to lay the eggs in - a bowl about 20 cm across and 5 to 100 cm deep is a good size, or even a cockatiel nest box with the lid taken off.  A cockatiel nest box is a good idea since it can be hung from the side of the cage, making cleaning the floor of the cage easier.  I remove the top of the box so that it is easy to keep an eye on her, and make sure she is OK.   Places some wood shaving in the bottom - 2 or 3 good hand fulls, and she will then very likely lay in that container.  Having the eggs in a container will make it easier to clean the cage - however she will likely get very protective of the eggs, so be careful about bites, and if she does bite remember that it isn't a sign of a bird turning vicious, but just instinct to protect her eggs and she will get over it and return to normal when she gives up incubating, usually after 3 to 4 weeks.

cheers,

Mike

[amanda18]

Hi Mike,

Thanks Heaps, this has at least set my mind at ease, as I thought Tarco was unwell.. Another question? what do I do with the eggs once she gets over the nesting period? Sorry to sound dumb, however this has all come as a bit of a shock to us lol

Cheers
Amanda

[avinet]

Aug 23, 2013 15:20:22 GMT 10 amanda18 said:

Hi Mike,

Thanks Heaps, this has at least set my mind at ease, as I thought Tarco was unwell.. Another question? what do I do with the eggs once she gets over the nesting period? Sorry to sound dumb, however this has all come as a bit of a shock to us lol

Cheers
Amanda

Just throw them away - no point in keeping them.  I must add a caveat to my advice though.  It is naturally based on the information you have provided, and I haven't seen the bird or the setup.  So there can be no iron clad certainty about it, just what seems likely from my long experience of parrots.  I spent 20 years owning a pet shop specialising in birds, and answering this sort of problem on a daily basis, and have presently 22 pet birds living in our house many of which have their fair share of hormonal problems currently:)

If you think Tarco is sick, rather than just a behavioral issue, then always seek the advice of an avian vet and note that a normal dog and cat vet is unlikely to be able to provide much help with a bird so it has to be an avian vet.

Having said that I don't think you have any health problem to worry about - I very much feel it is a purely seasonal spring hormone issue.

Let us know what develops

cheers,

Mike

[amanda18]

Hi Mike,
Again Thank you I am thinking you are right as Tarco is presenting with the behaviours of a hormonal female, and is still doing every thing else normally which made me think she is not sick. I will keep an eye on her and see what develops and will seek an avian vets advice if i get concerned. I will also post an update with any egg news

Cheers
Amanda