bird/parrot enrichment

[TheNzJessie]

while i have been working at the zoo with a lot of different animals and birds i have come across from pretty neat enrichment ideas that the keepers have used, just the other day we made an enrichment toy evolving food for the kea, these are known to be very destructive birds and highly intelligent. what we did was get the jumbo sized kids plastic building blocks and put a double of peanuts on top then placed another block on top so the peanuts were inside the block, we made a stack of them with peanuts only being in some levels the keeper (wont mention name) told me this was to create healthy stress which birds need to them mentally healthy for when a major stressful situation came along they wouldn't die of shock. we then placed the blocks on the floor of the aviary and placed a metal basket (that hangs up and u put plants in them) to place upside down over the blocks so the blocks were under this cage, the kea had to figure out to take the basket off and then take the blocks off each other to reveal the treat.

another one used for the kea was a very long cardboard tube with a long bamboo shoot with heaps of leaves on it stuffed down the middle with honey smeared on the leaves. the keeper said sometimes they dont put the honey on to create the healthy stress situation. i thought that was a great idea for all the larger destructive birds out there


and even the love birds get enrichment, we put bamboo in there with raisins wedged into the shoots for them to forage for them

i created this topic for other people to read what other people do to keep there birds mentally healthy, so people can find other ways to keep there birds mental healthy because somethings you really get stuck for ideas.

[Kim S]

Great idea! I like idea with stacking the blocks.
I use arabic gum, for instance, see the topic abut that here: http://theparrotforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2416&p=12598#p12598

Whenever I get a package in the post involving a big box, a small item and a whole lot of papershreddings, that makes a lovely toy as well. Just hide some nuts and fruits at the bottom of the box with the paper shreddings. Tape the box closed and hang it up in the cage. It keeps my Kika occupied for ages.

[TheNzJessie]

yea i red your post on the gum, i will defiantly be passing that along. the problem with the zoo im at is its not a council owned zoo its privately owned so there is no funding involving so not a lot of money to go around especially when theres a hungry elephant and lion! so especially enrichment has to come from house hold items and semi cheap materials

another one used for the kea and capachin monkeys in the cardboard box filled with hay with popcorn and peanuts hidden in there and then folded shut, capachin monkeys and get milk bottles filled with popcorn but this forum isint called themonkeyforum

[Michael]

I wouldn't even go so far as calling that healthy stress. It's sooner a variable ratio reinforcement which serves two purposes:

-It keeps the parrots busier cause they have to play more to get less food.
-It reduces the amount of treats so they don't get too fat

[TheNzJessie]

it was only a brief explanation if i get around to it i could make a post in exactly how they do it.