Marine World Africa USA

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"The best thing in the whole park!"

"We came here just for this!"

"What a wonderful exhibit!" Are they talking about the Whale Show? Elephant Encounter? Shark Experience? No, lorikeets! Yes, these are just a few of the comments we've received since the opening of our lorikeet aviary in 1988. Our philosophy at Marine World is simple: education is most effective when it's fun. Throughout all areas of the park we strive to give our guests the most in-depth, up-close look possible at the animals with which we share our world. A handfeeding lorikeet aviary fits right in with this philosophy and has proven to be a very effective learning tool.

We currently house 42 lorikeets of 12 different species. They range in size from the petite Perfect Lorikeets up to the large and boisterous Chattering Lories.

The aviary itself was constructed on a slope using telephone poles and cables to support 7/8 in. x 7/8 in. nylon netting. It is divided lengthwise into a public feeding area and a "safe" area for the birds to retreat to. This "safe" area goes up to a slope that is covered with large boulders and grass and leads to their shelter.

The shelter consists of a completely enclosed 10 ft. x 14 ft. x 6 ft. wooden building with windows that have fold-down shutters into the aviary. The inside walls are fiberglassed to facilitate cleaning and the floor is concrete. It is equipped with heat lamps and Vitalights.

The keepers start the day by giving the birds one liter of liquid nectar (Nekton lory) m their shelter. This is left for approximately 1-1/2 hours until they return [0 clean. At this time, all the bowls are pulled, the shed is closed up with the birds outside and is scrubbed, hosed and disinfected with Wavicide or bleach. The outside area is cleaned and raked and ready just in time for the 11:00 public feed.

The aviary is open to the public for two or three half-hour feedings per day depending on the time of year. We have a double door system that allows us to let a small group of people into the air lock where we give them a brief introduction and lorikeet feeding tips.

When entering the main aviary they are given a slice of peeled apple or a grape to feed the birds. They may stay the entire half hour and feed as much fruit as they like, however, on busy days we do try to rotate people. We find that one half hour period is the optimum length for each feed as the birds tend to fill up in that length of time and start to lose interest in the public. Also, their rapid digestive system goes into action and the more time people spend in the exhibit, the more wet wipes we need to pass out!

We bring down four to five liters of fruit for each feed and any leftovers are given to the birds. During the winter, we often find it necessary to give them additional liquid nectar or powder (Avico Lory Life) to hold them over until the next feed at 3:00 p.m.

The substrate in the feeding area is decomposed granite which we have found to work very well as it is easily raked after each feed, drains well and provides good footing for the public.

After the last feed we clean up any leftover fruit in the shelter and provide an additional six liters of mixed fruit (apples, grapes, bananas, melons, papaya), one to two liters liquid nectar (in the winter it's cold enough here to

 

left out all night) and one to two cups dry powder. Just to cover all our nutritional bases the birds get a weekly blend of veggies including cooked yams, carrots, corn and sometimes broccoli mixed with their fruit or blended with sugar into a tasty cocktail.

All of the lorikeets in our aviary were handraised and have come from various breeders across the country. The majority of them are under one year of age when we acquire them and most are just weaned. All birds from the same breeder are quarantined together in a walk-in cage measuring 4 x 12 x 6 ft. They may range in age from three months to one year and may include Chatterings, Reds, Perfects and Edwards. Some of these birds may have been previously housed together but usually not all of them. By placing them all in the same cage at the same time in new surroundings they all start off on equal footing and a natural pecking order is established. The birds are observed for any signs of aggression and any necessary changes are made such as placement of perches, bowls, toys, etc. Because of their young age we rarely have to pull any birds housed in this situation. 

 

 

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