Rainbow Lorikeets enjoying some flowering gum.
It can be extraordinarily frustrating watching others successfully train their birds while you can’t even get your bird to look at the obvious types of treats available. Not all of us have a bird that is happy to take a sunflower seed or something similar as a reward for training. I’ve seen many people give up on training for this reason.
Most birds will happily work for some sort of nut (favourites at my house include almonds and walnuts), a banana chip, a sunflower seed or even a grape. Failing that, a smaller parrot might prefer a nibble at a millet spray and some people have said that cereal can be a fantastic alternative for fussier birds. These treats combined with a training diet produce amazing results for most birds.
Lorikeets however, often won’t cooperate with that style of reward and exceptions can occur in other species of birds too. Lorikeets have a different diet from most parrots, so it makes sense that they would prefer different treats. Personally, I found myself with half a flock of trained birds (my galahs were exceptional), and the other half of my flock were hyperactive little monsters that loved to ignore training attempts in favour of zooming around and around my head.
I did my homework and found that the general consensus was that lorikeets would work for honey. From what I’ve seen, that’s pretty accurate – lorikeets LOVE honey. I’d liken it to giving a hyperactive 5 year-old child raspberry cordial. In other words, it might make them happy but it’s not such a great idea.
Lorikeets are naturally fast moving and if you give them honey, the word ‘fast’ doesn’t even begin to describe them! Mine were interested in training for honey, but their attention span was appalling and I had to admit that I was worried about the health risks associated with using it. I also found that the birds would inevitably become VERY sticky. Sticky birds that like to land on your head and play with your hair? Well I have long hair and it wasn’t pretty!!!
Otto (musk lorikeet) is learning to wave, using dandelions as a reward.
I began to explore some alternatives. The most successful alternative that I found was using flowers. Lorikeets will literally flip over backwards for fresh flowers. The best part is that you can have fresh flowers and foliage available in their cage at all times and yet they’ll still work for whatever fresh flowers you present them with, when you’re in your training space. My guys will always want the flower that’s just out of reach or that I just gave to another bird more than the one I have just given them. It’s like they’re convinced that it must taste better. ANY of my birds will work for flowers, not just the lorikeets.
Pepi (male eclectus parrot) eating a rose. Apparently it's not a good idea to take an eclectus to visit and cheer up a friend while you are helping them prepare for their mother's funeral. The funeral bouquet will not survive the visit!!! Oops.
A warning with flowers – some can be toxic, so make sure it isn’t a poisonous variety that you’re using. I use a lot of Australian native flowers and I have also found that roses are a particular favourite.
Finger training Otto with Lilly Pilly flowers.
Beware of flowers that have been exposed to pesticides. Pesticides are banned from my garden, so I know that the flowers that I get from there are safe. Commercially available bunches of flowers are quite likely to have the residue of fertilizers or pesticides on them which may be toxic for your bird. If cutting fresh flowers watch out for any spiders or insects that may bite your bird.
Rainbow lorikeet eating a grass seed stem.
My lorikeet’s next favourite treat is a grass seed stem. I have found that my lorikeets prefer the seed when it is still green. I’ve basically used these in the same way that you will see people train birds with a millet spray. Similarly, I’ve found that my lorikeets prefer millet sprays when they’re green – so I try to grow my own. I’ve found that my guys prefer the French millet spray variety of millet, while the budgies that I have worked with have preferred the standard spray.
Home grown French millet spray.
I have also found that my guys love smaller fruits and vegetables – particularly anything that comes in a kernel. For example, my guys love corn kernels. Weirdly they seem to prefer the frozen variety rather than fresh. I’ll rinse frozen corn kernels in hot water and then they’re ready to use almost immediately. Pomegranate kernels are their next favourite followed by peas. Very finely diced apple is also a favourite.
Dried nectar pellets.
Finally, some people have told me that their favourite training treats are the dry nectar pellets that you can buy or alternatively some sort of berry or grape. I personally haven’t found that these work well in a training situation but strangely my birds really love pulling them out of foraging toys – so I can’t rule them out entirely. It’s actually a good idea to have a different range of treats in mind for foraging activities so that your training treats remain special to your bird.
Mel Vincent works as an animal rehabilitator out of Australia.
11 comments
Hi there, I have two rainbow lorikeets, a couple. We live near Bordeaux France, and they live all year round outside in an aviary, but here they are totally free. The aviary is open with two entrances front and back high up. it is built around a plum tree with bamboo bushes etc. It is their territory, they fly free 300m circumference from the house surrounded by tall trees every day, morning and evening. My neighbours love seeing them in their gardens they all know they live in my garden. Totally unique !! Part of my family, free and happy to live with us. Incredible beautiful birds who love human contact, except one thing is they mimick the sound of my free range chickens in the garden, what the hec !! I have two green chickens who act like lorikeets, but the best part is there are two eggs in the nest box. Be good, and greetings from Bordeaux. Andy
I’ve been told that Grapes and Strawberries are deadly for lories as it messes with their digestion and can kill them. What else can I use as a treat to reward my Black-Capped Lori? I use Roudybush Nectar 15 for his daily wet food as it is the best on the market and only uses top ingredients.
Can I train my lorikeet with nectar pellets? Or can someone give me a good idea of what treat I should use
Red Lory training and rewards. I reward my Lory with plenty of praise and animation. She loves to learn. She’s a good listener, and a fast learner when she understands what it is I’m asking of her. She’s a hoot! My Lory also, prefers frozen corn rather than fresh.
Train to a small 1ml syringe – easy, they like to investigate with their tongue. Then use dilute maple syrup. Ours loves it. And it’s easy to have a second syringe of more concentrated syrup for jackpot rewards. Grevillia flowers, cherries and grapes are also good high value rewards. Smart birds – easier to train than dogs I reckon!
Funny thing is people write that lorikeets, rainbows wont eat this or that but I have found they are unbelievable easy eaters with very catholic tastes. The trick is to have more than one lorikeet, this competitiveness stimulates eating a very broad range of beneficial lorikeet foods. I had a lorikeet who wouldn’t eat cherries, black berries, even open a grape until I got another one. Suddenly nothing was too strange to try. For training food is not very helpful, but hugging and the words “good boy/girl” work wonders. When they do something wonderful pick them up with both hands from under them lifting them off their feet gently and place them in the nape of your neck covering their head and bodies with one hand and say “good boy/girl”. This will usually elicit a tongue tickle for you and some loving gurgles and a very proud birdie who will repeat the trick/behaviour almost instantly. Though if they dont want to be picked up they wont let go so just do it where ever they’re sitting, say the same thing, putting both hands gentle on its sides for a few seconds. Never underestimate the intelligence of this species. They have the intelligence of a ravin. That is they are exceptional at problem solving. One of the most intelligent birds never mind parrot species. Tricks for treats is thus not always the best approach. A verbal and physical reward is instantly understood, though. They are a highly social species with a very large vocabulary to copy and use too. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. A lorikeet could’ve written that Browning sonnet, absolutely. So you have inexaustable ways to show it back and they will be over the moon. A sunflower seed is not so engaging under those circumstancs is it?
hay guys can I give my lovebirds cordial 2 the. Will it hurt them plz help me out guys
Sorry for getting to the article somewhat late. Some were i read that giving pomerganate seeds is forbiden to lores cause the seed causes obstration.
one of my lovebirds refuses to eat anything i have touched so the only training reward she finds acceptable is the sound of the clicker. she does a little dance everytime i click it. the other lovebird loves blueberry coated millet
Thanks Mel, I have been having lots of trouble getting my rainbow to eat anything different. He eats lots of nectar and has started on pellets and lots of fresh flowers (loves bottlebrush!!) No veges, no fruit. I have tried pureed fruit slightly warmed….no go…. He is training with honey at the moment and now I am a little freaked….last thing I want to do is hurt him! Will try and grow some millet spray.
I’m going to warn against store-bought roses and flowers of any type. Store roses do not have any natural fragrance. The ‘rose’ fragrance is a perfume added to the flower to make it smell ‘rosier’ and sell faster. Adding perfume disks to flower water and/or spray to other flower and plant types is very common. Your best bet is farmers market, direct from the source, or your own (pesticide/fungicide free) garden.
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