A Foraging Idea

Levels of complexity can come in where the ball is hung and if the ball is presented with a chain at all.

Living with five parrots, training one owl several times a day, and focusing on behavior, training, and enrichment with several other species of birds, my mind is always thinking about ways to enrich environments. Enrichment is so important, first and foremost because when given at an appropriate level for each individual bird, one can see the positive effects it can have on well-being and behavior.

If a species of bird will forage, I will try to implement it into their environment. If it doesn’t, I will try to help teach it. I make and sell a lot of my own enrichment devices, but not all the time. I keep my mind and eyes open at all times looking for enrichment possibilities for birds. Today I posted one on my website under “Do-It-Yourself” enrichment toys in the Enrichment section. This is one that has been a big hit in my house and outside of the house for several years.

Without getting into too much detail since it is all on my website, this toy can be a big hit with several species of birds such as parrots, corvids, and even vultures. This foraging toy can be altered in many different ways to make it look like something that may be encountered in the wild. Imagination is a great gift. This particular toy is popular with all of my parrots, a turkey vulture, and probably many caching species, and beyond. This toy can be given as a positive reinforcer for desired behaviors, and can also be given to reinforce an alternate behaviors. Come and take a look at The Rubber Ball Forager.