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Foraging Toys

Bugzii

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Hi All,

I was wondering how do you give your birds their fruit and vegetables? I have bought a couple of different foraging toys but my bird doesn't seem to like them. Was wondering if there's something else I can do to make it a bit of a challenge/fun for him to get the food?

Another question I have is about reguritating food.... my bird always feeds the toys his food and I end up with a big pile of yucky food at the bottom of the cage and on the toys that end up smelling after only a small amount of time. I have to clean them every day! Im not sure if this is normal or bad for him but he does seem happy and isnt underweight

Any help is appreciated

Thanks!
 

EkkieLu

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Like Shawna, I give them fruits and vegetables in a bowl. They aren't into foraging toys, but I "hide" nutri berries around their room for them to look for. They always give a little squeal or Oh Wow when they find them. It's quite comical to watch!
 

Farlie

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Like Shawna, I give them fruits and vegetables in a bowl. They aren't into foraging toys, but I "hide" nutri berries around their room for them to look for. They always give a little squeal or Oh Wow when they find them. It's quite comical to watch!
:rofl: I would love to see this!

I give Farlie his veggies in a SS bowl as well. He hates fruits, YUK.
 

SquawksNibbles

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I’ve never really used fruits and vegetables in foraging toys. I only put pellets, seed mixes, millet, and other yummy treats in their foraging toys. Have you tried hanging fruits and veggies on a skewer to make them more ‘fun?’
 
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Davi

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I agree that most foraging toys work best with dry foods, as they tend to have more complex designs and are hard to wash. I do make a few foraging dishes that are easier to wash, like this one (BIRD FOOD DISH / Hanging Plate | Etsy but perhaps the best option here is to put his wet foods in a small dish inside a larger dish. This is what I do with one of my budgies, so that everything 'wet' from the smaller dish that escapes end up falling into the bigger dish and not elsewhere. BUT, if your birdie is regurgitating a lot, it really won't make a difference, as he'll try to regurgitate with whatever "strikes his fancy", so to speak. Even though regurgitation is normal, I would keep an eye on him to make sure he's alright (has he always done this?).
 

Teckechick

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Yep us too we only put fruits and veggies in bowls or on plates. All foraging toys have dried items only in them. I will attach some veggies to the cage with a clip also on occasion.

As for the regurgitation, is it only one toy that he does this on or all of the toys? Maybe he has a fixation with a certain toy?
 

Bugzii

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Yep us too we only put fruits and veggies in bowls or on plates. All foraging toys have dried items only in them. I will attach some veggies to the cage with a clip also on occasion.

As for the regurgitation, is it only one toy that he does this on or all of the toys? Maybe he has a fixation with a certain toy?
Yeah its just with one toy. He gets really exciting once ive cleaned it and put it back in his xage. He will want nothing to do with me and goes straight back to it and starts regurgitating again and humping! All the other toys he doesnt do this to
 

Bugzii

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I agree that most foraging toys work best with dry foods, as they tend to have more complex designs and are hard to wash. I do make a few foraging dishes that are easier to wash, like this one (BIRD FOOD DISH / Hanging Plate | Etsy but perhaps the best option here is to put his wet foods in a small dish inside a larger dish. This is what I do with one of my budgies, so that everything 'wet' from the smaller dish that escapes end up falling into the bigger dish and not elsewhere. BUT, if your birdie is regurgitating a lot, it really won't make a difference, as he'll try to regurgitate with whatever "strikes his fancy", so to speak. Even though regurgitation is normal, I would keep an eye on him to make sure he's alright (has he always done this?).
Yeah he has does this for most of the time the toy has been in the cage
 

Bugzii

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I’ve never really used fruits and vegetables in foraging toys. I only put pellets, seed mixes, millet, and other yummy treats in their foraging toys. Have you tried hanging fruits and veggies on a skewer to make them more ‘fun?’
Yeah ive got a skewer stick and for some reason he doesnt eat the vegies when i put it on there but if its clipped on the side of his cage or in a bowl he will eat it straight away! Ive even got the hanging seed things and he loves it so not sure why he doesnt eat the vegies either hahah
 

Zara

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My Sydney regurgitates on his duck all the time. Until s/he poops on it by mistake, then s/he goes and regurgitates on the colourful wooden balls.
Sydney doesn´t hump the duck - instead, the boing, and always has.
Pictures - The story of Sydney and the duck | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

To make sure my birds eat well:
I remove all food at night when I put them to bed.
First thing in the morning, I offer them all plates of veggies and sometimes sprouts - sprouted lentils are a hit.
I wait a couple of hours, then let them out to fly.
I remove veg when it starts going bad - times can vary.
In the afternoon, I put the seeds back in the cages.
And remove the seeds when I cover them for bed.
....And repeat...
 

Bugzii

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My Sydney regurgitates on his duck all the time. Until s/he poops on it by mistake, then s/he goes and regurgitates on the colourful wooden balls.
Sydney doesn´t hump the duck - instead, the boing, and always has.
Pictures - The story of Sydney and the duck | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

To make sure my birds eat well:
I remove all food at night when I put them to bed.
First thing in the morning, I offer them all plates of veggies and sometimes sprouts - sprouted lentils are a hit.
I wait a couple of hours, then let them out to fly.
I remove veg when it starts going bad - times can vary.
In the afternoon, I put the seeds back in the cages.
And remove the seeds when I cover them for bed.
....And repeat...
He eats tplenty of vegies, he lvoes them. I was just wondering if there was something interesting I could do to make his brain work for it. Fruits he isnt so fond of haha. My bird isnt a sweet tooth like me :'D

The post with the duck is so cute!
 

Bugzii

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This is how much there is after just one day i clean it every time i get home from work and it makes a gross smell too. What can i do to reduce this possibly
 

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Farlie

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Best thing to do is make sure it is fresh and right from the fridge or freezer when you put it out.
 

Zara

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Fruits he isnt so fond of haha. My bird isnt a sweet tooth like me :'D
My birds don´t really like fruit. They lick it but don´t eat it.. From what I´ve been seeing, lovebirds are more into veg than fruit.
Still try, but don´t givethem loads as it may go to waste.

I don´t think there is a way to cut back on regurgitation. But, when Sydney does it, he eats most of the food again. He brings it up with his beak resting on an object, then eats it so there´s only a trace left on the object, not clumps of regurgitated food.

I´m sure, if you took that toy away in the hopes of stopping it, he would find something else.
 
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