New bub!

     This last Tuesday I got a 12 week old dilute Swainson's lorikeet. She came all the way from Perth to me in North Queensland! It was a 12 hour journey total and it's taken a couple of days but she has settled quite well into her new home. Neuro can't get enough of her, although he still finds me more interesting if given the option!

Here are some pictures of her:

         As you can see, she looks quite different than Neuro. She is a hypomelanistic version of him. Other names for this colouration include cinnamon as well. When she molts she will become even brighter! She was raised from the age of 8 days by a friend of mine in Perth. You don't usually start hand raising that early but she had splayed legs and had to be in a brace. 

1 week old with splayed legs.

8 days old with a brace on.

I'm really glad it was caught soon as she is just fine now! How cute are they when they are this little?!!! I look forward to the adventures to come! I'm still working on a name for her. In the running is "Chillipetin" "Milia" and "Zvezda". Suggestions welcome but for now I'm just happy to welcome her into the family!

Neuro

                 As you may already know, my boss gave me a 5 week old Swainson's Lorikeet last July. I've raised him and he has a very active life where we go on hikes and we go to town and he meets all sorts of people of all ages. He will get on anybody and usually tries to taste you. Lories have brushes on the ends of their toungues specially designed for getting pollen as the main diet of a lorikeet is pollen, nectar and fruit. They have very quick digestive systems and therefore tend to be rather good foragers. I make toys and offer exploration as forms of enrichment for him all of the time.

Postmix Neuro Steves

Neuro is a source of constant entertainment and occasional irritant. He's curious, intelligent and high energy, always getting into something or finding new toys!

This is some video of Neuro in the rain:

Pretty cute guy and so full of personality!

Neuro is a bird I've wanted for some time and they are pretty hard to come by in the states. He's really special and there is alot to say for hand raising a bird. There is a bond and a solid foundation that never gets broken. I wanted to introduce you to him and I will getting a new lory to keep him company and to add to my delight in this species next week! Stay tuned!

Cockatoo shenanagins and crocodile joy!

           In a previous post I showed a croc hatching but I wanted to show you today, the very last of our estuarine crocs hatching. This bunch is from Modonna, Jaws' female.

Rick feeds Riley on the left. I got to feed him for the first time this week! Pictures will be posted when someone takes one of me doing it.

 
 I other news, I found myself up a tree last Friday as Ash, our red-tailed black cockatoo took a long flight across the billabong and into a melaleuca tree. I ate my lunch in the tree and with the help of Ryan, put up two large perches in the tree to help him climb down!

Me up a tree!

                                        

  

We had waited a long time but he looked quite comfortable up there so plan B was to row across the billabong and squirt him down with a hose. 

                                  The front of the park from the billabong, beautiful place!

         The good news is that once we reached him by boat, he was in such a good position that I could again climb the tree and wrap him up in a t-shirt and pass him to Ryan at the base of the tree. Ash was flustered but otherwise o.k. We clipped his wings the next day. Every birds moults at different times and paces so it's hard to know when it's clipping time and that is why I have put in a strict monthly check and clip for all of our perch birds. :)