Any bird lover can tell you that parrots are smart, some say they can have the intelligence of a 2 year old. Help exercise your bird’s mind by creating foraging opportunities for them. When parrots are given a full bowl of seeds or pellets daily, they don’t have to “work” and can become bored or lazy. This can lead to free time for screaming, feather picking, food throwing, or other undesirable behaviors. In the wild, parrots can spend between 4 – 8 hours a day foraging. This includes looking and climbing for food, ripping up plants, bark, and grasses for grains and seeds, tearing into a ripe fruit or a nut, and more!
There are many ways to provide enrichment; one of the simplest is offering fresh food. Not only is it good for them, but a wide variety will allow them to experience many different tastes and textures. If your bird is already fed fresh foods, offer it different ways. Chunks of food can be slid onto a stainless steel hanging skewer, where they will have to figure out how to access it as well as eat from it.
For parrots that need something more stimulating, there are many toys that encourage puzzle solving and item manipulation.
Many foraging toys and activities can be made at home. If you have an extra hang-on bowl, place a treat inside and position it in a different area of the cage everyday so your bird must find it. Food and treats can also be wrapped in packets of paper or paper cups to allow for more food finding opportunities.
There are many more foraging toys available; we can help you pick out an appropriate one for your bird. If you have pictures of your bird enjoying a foraging toy, or any foraging ideas that your bird loves, send us an e-mail.