Advice needed for new Raindow Lorikeet fledgling

Publish date: 01-12-2009 11:20:08 | Contact Name: Alana | Location: Brisbane | 2204 times displayed

Hi, I have a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets housed in a 6 foot high / 3 foot wide / 2 foot deep cage inside my house. They have been laying eggs for a few months now, but I haven't provided them with a nesting box or specific nesting material as I was not intending to breed from them. They have been laying eggs on the floor of their cage (in nests made of newspaper that I line the bottom of their cage with) for a few months now but none of the eggs have hatched and they have eventually been abandoned. A few weeks ago they laid another two eggs and have been sitting on them as usual and I assumed the same thing would happen; but today I have come home from work to find one of the eggs has hatched and the fledgling is alive and seemingly well. The mother is still sitting on the other egg as well as keeping the fledgling protected, and is keeping the father at bay. I'm unsure whether I need to provide them with anything extra now that she has managed to incubate one of the eggs to the point of hatching. They are fed on Aristopet Dry Lorikeet Mix along with a wide variety of seasonal fruits, and are sometimes given a commercial 'Egg and Biscuit' mix as a treat. Should I attempt to introduce anything extra (in terms of diet) that the parents may need in order to feed the chick, or some extra nesting material etc, or should I just leave everything as is and keep my distance? I intend to leave the chick with the parents until it is 2-2.5 months old and able to live independently, at which point I will move it to it's own cage. Any advice would be appreciated as I have never been through this experience before. Thank you.

Share: Twitter | Facebook | Email | Report bad use or Spam