Post by quetzal on Jan 23, 2024 17:49:01 GMT 10
Hi all!
Found this site when googling about a little scaly-breasted lorikeet my family found. We had found him hopping on the road and saved him from being hit by a truck, and saw that he didn't have any flight feathers on his wings or tails. We weren't sure if he had some disease, but upon further inspection the feathers had dropped off. I thought he may have dropped them in fear if attacked by a cat or something. We've been caring for him as he has been recovering, and he has now grown them back. I'm unsure if they are fully grown as he seems to still be building strength, but they seem to be all there as he can fly properly now.
We aren't sure if he was a pet or a wild lorikeet as we've never seen scaly-breasteds around, only rainbows, but he calls out to them when they are flying and playing outside. Now that he is flying I'm trying to figure out if he is wild. He eats bottlebrush and wildflowers we get, in case he is wild (so he doesn't lose foraging instincts), but I don't want to release him in the case he has imprinted on people. He is unbelievably affectionate, and has rarely nipped aggressively, mainly playful chews, so we can't tell if he has warmed up to us during his stay or if he was raised by humans.
Are there any tips to figure out if he is wild? (We posted to the local Facebook group for the suburb we found him in, but no one has claimed or lost a scaly since finding him 3 months ago) I feel like he really wants to play with the other lorikeets, but am scared to release a domesticated bird.
Also not too sure how to go about releasing as he is far smaller than the other rainbow lorikeets, and I worry about dooming him if I release him without a proper flock.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Foxx