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Foraging help!

cosmolove

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As many of you know I have "rescued" a ekkie that has been plucking. Now that we're working on getting her all clear by the vet we want to also make sure we are doing everything we can for enrichment.

We have one foraging toy and I put random treats around the cage but the vet and myself would like to get some more creative foraging going on!

What do you guys do for foraging? Any favorite toys?
 

KimKim

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sunnysmom

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I haven't found a great foraging toy yet for my cockatoo but my foster lovebird loved pepper cups. Take a pepper- I'd usually get the mini ones- hollow it out and stuff it with chopped up veggies, fruit, a few seeds, etc.
 

cosmolove

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I have so many of the plastic foragers from My Safe Bird Store. I feed pellets out of the seesaw one.
PTCF752 Seesaw Foraging Toy by Creative Foraging - CREATIVE FORAGING SYSTEM
The ball on a chain is a fun one.
PTCF803 Foraging Ball w/Chain & Bell by Creative Foraging - CREATIVE FORAGING SYSTEM
And I have heard great things about he parrot pocket but I have not tried it yet.
Parrot Pockets


Thank you! I really like the first one, it seems like a good beginner one to figure out! I found like 5 extra bowls in my house (not all will go to her but most will) then I have a foraging toy now I'm going to spread foot toys and treats through out. Hopefully that will keep her busy until I can order more!

I haven't found a great foraging toy yet for my cockatoo but my foster lovebird loved pepper cups. Take a pepper- I'd usually get the mini ones- hollow it out and stuff it with chopped up veggies, fruit, a few seeds, etc.

That's a really good idea!! Did you just put it in a bowl or sit it on a platform perch? As of now she acts like fresh fruits and veggies have 16 heads and hides so that'll be something we work towards but I love the idea! Oooo I wonder about a long stainless steel skewer and I hollow like two out and fill them with stuff and put holes in the side for her to try to work things out that way too and put them on top of each other like nesting cups! hummm!
 

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sunnysmom

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Thank you! I really like the first one, it seems like a good beginner one to figure out! I found like 5 extra bowls in my house (not all will go to her but most will) then I have a foraging toy now I'm going to spread foot toys and treats through out. Hopefully that will keep her busy until I can order more!



That's a really good idea!! Did you just put it in a bowl or sit it on a platform perch? As of now she acts like fresh fruits and veggies have 16 heads and hides so that'll be something we work towards but I love the idea! Oooo I wonder about a long stainless steel skewer and I hollow like two out and fill them with stuff and put holes in the side for her to try to work things out that way too and put them on top of each other like nesting cups! hummm!
For my lovebird, I would just stick it in his bowl, kind of buried part way in his seeds so it sat up. My too is terrified of vegetables, LOL, so I'm going to try to somehow hang it on a skewer, but I haven't tried it yet.
 

cosmolove

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If she not in to plastic type foraging toys you could try boxes made from natural materials like palm. Neither other my guys a huge fans of plastic. But they love palm boxes, they are a huge hit here :)

These are types of boxes I'm talking about :) Welcome to The Parrot Shop - Canada's Online Discounted Parrot Store -


So far she hasn't played much with the plastic toys in her cage but she most certainly goes for the little foraging toy I have. It was like made out of a kids snack cup so she has to open the cup to get the treats. So far if I just have the lid barely on she'll get the treats out. I'm probably going to try a mix of both. She loves to shred stuff so I'm thinking it'd be a cool idea to make or buy some kind of shred toy for her. As of now she's new to the foraging so I'm hoping starting easy will be good for her! Some of the ideas in this thread have been fantastic! I keep writing them down into more "beginner" "intermediate" and "advanced" ideas so I can ease her into it without frustrating her.

Can you make your own with wood? I considered putting treats in these but don't want the hassle of refrigerating toys. :D Jiggy Wit' It ~ Seriously Nutz ~ Rattling Pine Wood Foraging Bird Toy - Perfect for Picky Parrots ~ Amazon, Macaw, Cockatoo, Large Bird

I love that toy! I wonder if it would be too big for her and scare her tho. She's super small for an ekkie. Barely bigger than my blue crown conure!



Thanks!! I'm always game for DIY!

For my lovebird, I would just stick it in his bowl, kind of buried part way in his seeds so it sat up. My too is terrified of vegetables, LOL, so I'm going to try to somehow hang it on a skewer, but I haven't tried it yet.
I'm wondering if I could use this as a double foraging idea, if I keep her seed under it she'll have to work for the seed.
 

cosmolove

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I may have found the perfect cheap foraging idea for her in addition to the ideas so far. I shoved peanuts (she's currently a big seed junkie but that's in the process of changing) into a chinese finger trap. Then I wrapped it around the cage bars. I'm hoping once she starts really liking nutriberries I can get her to forage for them as well.
 

javi

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I used to put a coffee filter around my birds bowls so it would cover everything and they would have to tear in to get to the foods.
 

cosmolove

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I used to put a coffee filter around my birds bowls so it would cover everything and they would have to tear in to get to the foods.

Thats a good idea, do you secure it at all or do you just sit it on top?
 

javi

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I use stainless steel cups that slide in a metal ring holder thing. I put the filter over the bowl and then try to fit that into the ring holder. Makes for a tight fit.
 
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