Transitioning to a foraging based
feeding scenario should occur in stages. You don't want to require your
bird to have master safecracker credentials to be able to eat.
The initial goal is to stimulate your bird's curiosity and get him moving
throughout his cage in search of food.
Continue to
provide your bird's regular diet in his usual bowl.
Start by
placing treats and their favorite foods within multiple bowls spread high
and low throughout the cage.
Once your
bird catches on to the idea of moving, searching and retrieving items,
increase the complexity of the task.
Hide the
food by loosely covering the cups with paper. The paper can be taped
down when this gets too easy for your bird.
You can
also start off with easy homemade devices such as Dixie cups, small paper
bags or cardboard tubes that can easily be crumpled around the treats.
Let your
bird observe the placement of treats in these devices and demonstrate their
retrieval.
Progress to
puzzle oriented toys that require problem solving and manipulation such as
opening hatches, turning compartments, opening drawers, unscrewing hardware
or shredding material to gain access to the food. Check out this video of a
clever African Grey foraging for a treat in the
Zig Zag maze toy:
Some more great
foraging ideas....
Create a
Foraging Tray by burying dried foods under toy parts, washed stones or
similar items that require your bird to sift, lift and rummage through to
find food.
Skewers
fruits and veggies using a stainless steel kabob.
Hide treats
inside destructible Vine Balls to encourage chewing.
Stainless
steel nut cages are wonderful for holding a variety of foods and stimulating
play activities.
For small
birds, hide millet inside a Chinese finger trap or wrap it up in an easy to
chew paper cupcake cup.
Hide
peanuts or almonds inside a leather pouch drilled with holes to entice
exploration.
Weave
veggies thru the cage bars
Create
edible food wraps by placing treats inside of lettuce leaves or tamale
wrappers and then tying off the ends.
You are limited
only by your imagination in how you set up a treasure hunt for your bird.
Sit back, enjoy and be amazed as your bird demonstrates his skills!
