Lorikeet breeding has come a long way since the days of feeding them a “sugar and water” or “milk and bread diet”. We became really adventurous and started adding Pentavite drops to the mixes, heaven knows how much vitamin was added but at least it was better than nothing. Our breeding results were pretty ordinary so we started feeding more fruit, soaked seed and some vegetables. Unfortunately the balance of most of these diets was a matter of luck rather than management. The birds tended to be on the fat side because their protein intake was down and they lacked the fatty acids for regular reproduction.

Prepared, or commercial feeds then became available. Most of these are based on the by-product of the human baby feed manufacture eg: “High Protein Baby Cereal” (which in fact is not very high in protein at all). To this was added some sugar to sweeten and maybe a splash of vitamin – but still nobody had bothered to look at the bird’s requirements or the balance of the diet. Most of these diets are made in a back shed using a cement mixer. Product ingredient analysis and quality control are foreign concepts; hence the product you receive could contain anything.

The Golden Lori Rice Formula and the Lori Pellets from Vetafarm are the opposite of these backyard blends. Both feeds are formulated using computer databases that select ingredients and balance the feed to the known requirements of the birds. Once formulated, the feeds are manufactured using whole grains and first class additives. Quality control involves not only ”in process” control but also analytical testing. The end result is a feed that you can be confident will meet the needs of all your Loris and Lorikeets.

What is the difference between the Lori Pellets and Golden Lori Rice Formula? They are designed for different uses! The Lori Pellets are ideal for birds where you want some control of the mess made by lorikeets. The squirts occur because the high sugar load drags water into the bowel creating a very runny dropping. The Lori Pellet formula has a lower sugar level to reduce the squirts typical of lorikeets. To help even further, the feed contains milled plant husk to improve gut function and hold the dropping together. For the pet Lorikeets that live inside, Lori Pellets are a must. The pellets make for a much more civilised indoor pet! For Loris and Lorikeets that are in suspended or smaller cages, the reduction in messy droppings when feeding Lori Pellets, helps enormously. The spilled or uneaten pellets are much easier to clean up than a fine powdery Lory mix. Some birds may need coaxing to eat the pellet. An easy method is to mix the pellets with any fruit pulp until they become familiar with the pellet shape and taste, and then gradually reduce the amount of fruit pulp.

Golden Lori Rice Formula is also a cooked (extruded) feed, formulated to suit  aviary lorikeets.  Native and Exotic Lori breeders report their breeding results, in terms of eggs laid and chicks reared, have improved greatly and that the birds are in better feather colour after a period eating Golden Lori Rice Formula. The formula is readily accepted by Loris and Lorikeets making it the ideal breeding feed in a Lorikeet collection.

If you feel your birds need a “wet mix” then water can be added to Golden Lori Rice Formula and supplied in a separate dish. The addition of a little fruit juice or fruit pulp to the wet mix gives the birds a “different” feed!

We are all busy people, yet we want the best for our birds. How do we get the equation right? Using a well-balanced feed with good credentials would be the first place to start. Follow that with a sensible disease control programme and don’t get more birds than you can handle!