I’ve always had parakeets my whole life.
I love all types of parrot and I’ve always thought that I should try some other species, but I’ve just always had parakeets and I think that’s what I’ll stick to.
That said, I’m still really interested in other species, and the other day for the first time I learned about lorikeets.
I am so wrapped up in parakeets that I often haven’t heard of other species at all, let alone knowing anything about them.
I wondered, given the name, if there was any similarity with parakeets—so I decided to look into it.
Parakeets are small parrots native to Australia and to some degree other parts of the world. Lorikeets are medium sized, hailing mainly from South East Asia. Whereas parakeets live in grasslands and dry scrublands, lorikeets live in rainforests and coastal bushes.
As you can see, then, in terms of habitat they are quite different.
This baseline difference in habitats naturally means a great deal of difference in terms of biology and behavior.
If you are thinking of getting either one as a pet, there is definitely a few things you should know before you go ahead and make your decision.
Let’s look at this in detail.
Similarities
In terms of size, they are relatively similar.
They are both considered to be small to medium parrots, although a lorikeet’s long tail can make them look a lot bigger.
They are of a roughly similar size, though.
They do also share some native territory, as lorikeets can be found natively in parts of Australia.
They don’t inhabit the same regions or conditions, but they can be found on the same continent.
They are both highly colorful and chatty birds, which is what has made them so popular as pets.
Parakeets come in hundreds of different colors and lorikeets have similar diversity in their appearance.
In terms of noise levels, it can often depend.
Assuming an individual parakeet and an individual lorikeet were of the average temperament, they would make similar amounts of noise—but more on this later.
The simple answer is that they really aren’t similar in many ways.
They are much more different than they are similar, so let’s look at how they are different.
Differences
Firstly, the biggest difference is in their diet.
Like most parrots, parakeets eat a diet of seeds, pellets and some fresh fruit and vegetables.
This is a typical parrot diet. lorikeets, on the other hand, actually rely almost entirely on nectar and pollen.
They will also eat fruits and vegetables, but their essential diet is wet nectar and dry pollen, both of which can be bought at pet stores.
Lorikeets tend to live longer—up to a decade, whereas 8 years old would be very old for a parakeet.
Some types of lorikeets are happy in solitude, but all parakeets are better kept in pairs or flocks.
Most lorikeets should, ideally, but like I say, some are better off in solitude.
The biggest differences are in temperament.
The thing about lorikeets is that they are very intelligent, even for parrots.
They need constant stimulation and things to keep them occupied, or they can quickly become neurotic.
This is not to say parakeets do not need stimulation, but they need a lot less careful attention than lorikeets do because they’re less prone to becoming aggressive if they are distressed.
When lorikeets act up, they can act up very badly, becoming aggressive and territorial and even biting.
This also makes breeding them a great deal harder, since their behavior changes so much when they are being bred.
Parakeets are quite happy to continue as they are during breeding.
Usually, it is difficult to train parakeets to talk.
They make a lot of noise, and many individuals are fantastic talkers.
But the fact is lorikeets are better talkers, though you will still need the patience to train them.
Both species make noise, but lorikeets are likely to be noisier.
Again, this will depend heavily on how well trained and tamed they are.
So, which one is right for you, then?
Which one is for me?
The simple answer is that it depends on your experience.
What you need to look at when trying to decide on which parrot breed you want is the temperament of the parrot and whether you can handle its behavior.
Many go in only thinking about the appearance of the parrot.
The fact is that lorikeets are a lot more difficult to keep for beginners, so you shouldn’t really go for a lorikeet if you have no experience.
Parakeets are high maintenance pets by any standards, but they nonetheless more than manageable for a beginner with the right attitude.
So, just take a look at the cumulation of your own experience, and whether you can handle the lorikeet.