Probing with their long, brush-tipped tongues, lories enjoy examining the eyes, ears and lips of their favorite person. A pet lory must have regularly scheduled playtime with its owner. Lories can become easily bored when caged too long and only given the same toys. Wild lories travel in flocks from tree to tree; their lives are filled with variety. The owner must provide that interaction and variety, or the bird will suffer.
Lories should have hanging toys with safe chains and bells, but avoid leather, which may become sticky or moist from the nectar food and droppings. Smaller toys should be plastic, because lories often dunk them in their nectar. The perches should be natural wood because lories like to chew. Pesticide-free maple and weeping willow are very good. Since lories bathe frequently, a waterbath should always be attached to the cage. Lories also appreciate being sprayed with plain water. A blow dryer can be used to dry a wet bird during winter months.

Wild lories sleep in the nests year round. A pet lory can be provided with a commercial next box. A nest suitable for a lorikeet can be made from a clean, quart-sized plastic bottle. The opening can be cut off the enlarge the entrance. For a larger lory, purchase a plastic "mini-crate" from a variety store. Either of these can be wired into the upper portion of the cage. Although a pet lory may not sleep in its new "nest" right away, the bird won't hesitate to look into it once it's installed. Lories investigate everything.

In the past, lory owners had to make their own diets. Many of these were tedious to make, and oftentimes nutritionally poor.
There are many commercial diets available today. However, no one can be certain which is best in the long run. The Animal Medical Center, in Manhattan, recommends Nekton Lori, a powdered nectar mix which is nutritionally balanced, palatable, and easy to prepare; Nekton Lori can be purchased directly from the Nekton distributor in Florida. Lories do not usually eat seeds, except for those in soaked figs, or occasionally small pieces of millet spray. Even with a good nectar diet, pet lories should be offered fruits, vegetables, greens, cooked egg, and if possible, unsprayed weeping willow twigs. If needed, additional vitamins can be added to the nectar or soft food. A small mineral block should also be wired into the cage; if it becomes soiled, it must be discarded.

Lories are often called messy because of the liquid droppings. Their droppings contain more moisture than other parrots due to their nectar diet. Plastic can be placed under and behind the cage to make cleanup easier. Purchase a cage with a plastic base and tray. The tray can be lined with paper, and changed daily, or topped with a grate and filled with absorbent commercial bedding. Cages should be sponged down daily, and scrubbed under hot water once a week.

Lorikeets can be as small as budgerigars, but are more commonly about the size of cockatiels (such as rainbow lorikeets). Lories are about as big as small amazons (e.g. chattering lories). Despite their smaller size, lories and lorikeets are more bold and headstrong than other birds. Pet lories usually should be caged alone. A handfed lory will react with jealousy toward another bird, and may kill it. To their owners, however, lories can be quite charming and affectionate, and will demand attention. Lories and lorikeets behave like playful kittens that never grow up.
A happy, healthy lory is rarely still. Someone seeking a quiet, sedate pet won't want a lory. These birds call softly, but do shriek loudly when alarmed. A prospective lory owner should be prepared to play with a handfed bird daily, or it will lose its pet qualities. A neglected lory will quickly become very nippy, and may pluck its feathers.

Lories are usually cheaper than other parrots because of their need for a nectar diet, resulting in their reputation for "messy" droppings. However, their charming personalities, exotic colors, and smaller size make them very desirable. Today, more breeders are raising pet lories, so it's possible to choose among a few species, then select a bird. The breeder can also give advice on the feeding and care specifically for that species of bird. There are still some unscrupulous breeders who are raising lories on a birdseed-only diet, for the "convenience" of the owner. Never purchase a bird raised on seeds; it will eventually die from perforation of the crop, or malnutrition. That certainly isn't convenient.
While lories have become more popular, not all veterinarians are experienced with them. When selecting an avian vet, make sure he or she has studied lories. Most larger animal hospitals have exotic specialists. When the lory is finally purchased, it should be taken immediately to the avian specialist for a complete examination. Generally if lories are fed a good nectar diet twice a day, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and given daily exercise, the birds will stay quite healthy.

Lories are affordable, boldly-colored, affectionate and spunky parrots. They can be uninhibited in their friendliness, and will play for hours on end. Many of the larger species speak very clearly, and all can mimic sounds. Someone wishing to buy a lively, beautiful but relative inexpensive bird should look into the lories and lorikeets.