Paws The Moment | Meet Pom-Pom – The Rainbow Lorikeet!

As locals will know, storms whipped and cracked through the skies all over Melbourne last weekend. Miraculously, little damage was done to people’s houses. Sadly, we’re not sure if the same can be said for the homes of some of our feathered friends! At least one winged warrior was looking rather weary and worse for wear when Becky and Pj went on a wet walk around Westerfolds Park on Sunday afternoon. The little lorikeet, now named “Pom-pom” by Michelle, was perched in a shrub by the path but looked very lonely and lost. He chirped and flopped awkwardly to the ground when approached so Becky and Pj thought perhaps they should rescue the poor poppet. Safe to say this Swainson’s Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus) wasn’t complaining a bit when he was offered a lift and a warm place to sleep!

Once whisked away from the wild and woolly weather, our newest avian friend quickly acclimatised into his alternate accommodation. An almost antique aviary was lovingly filled with flora from the local environment, allowing our much admired guest a much anticipated rest. Feeding, however, was proving to be a much more difficult task – he would eat from a spoon of mushed-up apple when it was put right in front of his beak but was unmotivated to try anything on his own. Was Pom Pom going to be ok? We popped the cage out on the balcony hoping Pom Pom would rejoin the local lorikeets who visit daily… but they went ignored. We noticed that the newbie sported some differing features from the regulars; a brown beak and cute brown eyes, whereas those that frequent our fortress have red beaks, and red in their eyes. No wonder he was having a hard time figuring out how to eat things – he was a wee juvenile! He had almost certainly been blown out of his nest in the storms and was missing the doting care of his mum and dad!

We were a bit worried about Pom Pom on the first night (as one always is with a rescued animal, especially a baby one) and were preparing ourselves for the worst. Fortunately, the morning presented us with a considerably chirpier and happier looking parrot. A little more research ruled out common parrot ailments like PBFD, which filled our hearts with further promise! Adorably, Pom Pom had no issues jumping on to our outstretched fingers and automatically clambered up to our shoulders (and heads!) looking for a good vantage points. Pom Pom’s feathers are strong and glossy but he/she is still gaining confidence as a flyer: the ‘brakes’ don’t quite work yet and some 50cm hop-flutters have turned into impressive (but worrying) ski-skids down the length of the 2m dining room table! Very cute! The mirror also provides a most amusing distraction when Pom Pom taps at it then peers around the back searching for the interloper!

A wild adult rainbow lorikeet.

For now we are fastidiously feeding our feathered friend, and fencing off this fearless flirt from our forlorn feline. A trip to the vet is next on the cards, just to play it extra safe. Stay tuned – we will have more news of Pom Pom’s adventures and rehabilitation for you soon!

DID YOU KNOW?

There are over 13 different sub-species of rainbow lorikeet!
Rainbow Lorikeets can be found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu!
The typical lifespan of a rainbow lorikeet in the wild is 7-9 years, but they can live up to 30 years!
They are nectar feeders, and enjoy the pollen from native flowers the best. Bird seed is not very good for them, as they have a specialised tongue designed for extracting pollen!
It’s very hard to tell male and female rainbow lorikeets apart. The best way is to observe them when they are with their mate during feeding season. The male will often dance around the female as she feeds and make a lot of noise to stop competitors from stealing her food! The only sure fire way is a DNA test.
Rainbow lorikeets are monogamous and mate for life.

Meet Pom-Pom – The Rainbow Lorikeet!

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