Feeding wild rainbow lorikeets?

Question

2 Rainbow lorikeets decided to use a tree in our back yard to raise a family, and the 3 babies have just started to leave the nest. They don’t seem like they can fly yet as they are very careful to hop from branch to branch, but they all (babies and parents) have a nice chatter with me every morning when I hang the washing out. They don’t seem scared of me at all and will come down quite low to watch me.

Anywho, I was thinking about putting a bird feeder out to encourage the babies to stick around after they are weaned, and hopefully encourage the parents to use the nesting site again. I was told that bird feeders are not a good thing, and make birds dependant on humans for food, but a lot of people seem to have them.

So the question is - is a bird feeder ok or not, and if they are ok, what do I put in for lorikeets cause I know they aren’t seed eaters as such. Is that powder looking stuff from the petshop ok for a feeder?

Answer 1

Lorikeets are nectar eaters, so they will feed on flowers, fruits, etc. I wouldn't recommend putting the powder nectar in a feeder because it will get wet and grow bacteria. If anything you can throw fresh fruits and veggies outside, but they will forage on their own.