DQTimnehs
Ri-DQ-lously crazy 4 TAGs!
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
February 2018 Feathered Estates Highlight
I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member
@Mizzely (Shawna)
:congratsbig:
Foraging Setup
1~ What kind of birds do you have and how many birds did you design your setup for?I am very pleased to announce this month's showcased member
@Mizzely (Shawna)
:congratsbig:
Foraging Setup
I have two Quakers, Bobber and Jingo, that I designed my current set up for.
2~ Is your setup for a handicapped bird?
No, both of my birds are young, fully abled and flighted!
3~ Are there any budgeting tips you discovered while doing your setup?
I've learned a lot by trial and error but the biggest things: Don't think you have to go big right away. You can work up to it slowly but surely. You also care more about the aestehtics of a set up than your bird does, I promise! Focus more on what you want your bird to get out of it and safety vs how pretty it looks. A pretty set up means nothing if your bird doesn't utilize it!
Also, don't think you HAVE to have something just because so many other people do, particularly if you are certain your bird won't care for it. Example: I have wanted a huge, well made net for my birds for a long time, but they just really aren't into those types of things. Save your money and space on things that will truly be loved by the birds, not by you.
Additionally, when people hear "foraging" you don't have to get the expensive acrylic toys. Anything you can fit a treat or pellet into is an opportunity for foraging. One of the favorite things we use here is a plastic basket from the dollar store, sprinkled with seed, and then covered with crinkle paper and foot toys. Easy, cheap, and effective!
Other cheap things you can use are coffee filters, cupcake wrappers, even a drop of juice in a water bottle cap can be foraging!
4~ Is your setup changeable or stationary and do you add or make changes continually or do things stay primarily as is?
I change things all the time. The cages position themselves are static but all of the toys inside and out, and all hanging items change often. I try to switch things out every other month at the latest. This helps Bobber get comfortable with things for a bit before it rapidly changes on him. So my rope perches, for example, sometimes I use a piece of lumber as a swing, sometimes I use a jollyball, sometimes a boing. I also have boings in the living room and kitchen that are "permanent".
5~ Where did you find your materials if you made it yourself or where did you purchase the setup and do you have favorite places to purchase safe toys and/or supplies that you find reliable?
I think there is at least one thing from all of our vendors at Avian Avenue in my cages at one point or another! I suggest checking them first before anywhere else! Check out our vendors here.
I find the safest, most reliable toy parts are at Welcome to cabirdnerds.com - Much of the stuff I use in my personal shop LMBT comes directly from here because I KNOW it's safe.
For acrylic foragers I bought most from Pet Supplies | Dog & Cat Supplies, Pet Meds | DrsFosterSmith.com Pet Products and My Bird Store - Discount Exotic Bird Supplies - mybirdstore.comThose two shops do sales very often, so wait until the stuff you want is on sale
6~ Do you have a favorite item that you bought for your setup?
My favorite thing is my atom. It is also a favorite of the birds which helps! I also really like our foraging toy collection!
7~ If you made any DIY toys what is your bird(s) favorite and were there any failures?
I make a lot of toys for my birds.
They honestly like simpler toys vs toys that have a million parts. I have had a LOT of failures LOL. Mostly it's trial and error to find out what they really like. Bobber really likes the Dinosaur foraging toys and anything with lots of thicker pine, whereas Jingo prefers things like the Pill Poppin toys and shredding toys.
8~ Did you incorporate into your setup any foraging toys and how did your bird(s) take to them and was age or inactivity a factor?
Foraging is a major focus for my set up. In the wild, they would spend the majority of their day looking for food, socializing with their flock, flying, and chewing wood and plants. I try to encourage these natural behaviors using their environment as a tool. I find that foraging is one of the easiest but crucial things I can offer as a way to combat boredom.
My biggest incentive for this is that Jingo doesn't generally play with toys unless there is a food prize, and he also screams a lot when he is bored. So, it was sanity reasons for us both!
9~ What difficulties did you encounter, if any, and how did you remedy them?
We just moved into here a few months ago, so the biggest challenge was going from a dedicated bird room for the first time in 4 years to having to find a suitable location for them in the house. Luckily the dining room is larger than we need so it works, and I actually prefer having them in the main house more than having a bird room - except the crumbs everywhere! It's important to just go with the flow and arrange and rearrange until it works. Over the years my bird set up has gone through a LOT of changes!
I also had to experiment a lot with placement of the foraging toys in both cages. Bobber is not nearly as food motivated so his have to be easier, but also so many foraging toys are made for larger birds that I have to position them in a way for Jingo to be able to reach them all effectively. We are still working on this!
10~ What do you like least about your setup (if anything)?
I hate that my ceiling type (drop ceiling) limits how much I can hang up for them!
11~ What do you like most about your setup?
I love that they are centrally located in my home so we can interact with them more, but also still able to be separated from them at night so they can get better sleep. They enjoy being right in the middle of the action. I also LOVE that the new place has laminate flooring because it makes it SO MUCH EASIER to clean. And I love the foraging toys, because it really does keep them entertained a lot more!
12~ Did your bird(s) take to the setup right away or did they approach it tentatively needing time to adjust and do you feel their age was a factor?
Jingo is fearless, so uses everything immediately. Bobber is much more reserved and still hasn't tried out a lot of the things in his cage or out of it. I don't know what his background or age is, so I can only guess. In my heart I believe he is younger than Jingo (who will be 7 in May) but he was kept in a smaller cage and I don't think he had much interaction with people, nor did he have access to many toys. So he is quite fearful - at first.
13~ Any future renovations planned?
Not currently, but we just moved here in September and I usually start to feel the "itch" to make changes every 6 to 8 months!
Congrats, 
what great tips too!!!!
