Pictures Jingo is about to be really happy or mad...

[TikiMyn]

Maybe you could try making her forage in the bowl as well? You could cover iT with paper/cardboard so she has ti chew her way in, and inside the bowl you could add foot toys, beads, little paper balls, whatever your bird likes best. You could also wrap her food in little paper packages and put those in her food bowl(or throughout her cage). My boys are crazy for coffee filters, and it was a really easy concept for them to traps. You could try iT while your home so you are sure that she gets her food. My birds forage for all their food so I weigh them every day to make sure they don’t Loose or gain weight, Maybe weighing her will let you worry less I think you are already doing a great job by the way! I like those foraging toys

 

[ode.to.parrots]

I absolutely LOVE your foraging set up! Thank you so much for sharing those pics! I've always felt somewhat limited in the store-bought foraging toys for smaller birds, but you have helped me realize that it is more about the bird's foraging skills than the bird's species.

 

[finchly]

The Maze — what size to get for Rio and Ernie? I would have thought small for them? @Mizzely @saroj12

 

[Mizzely]

The Maze — what size to get for Rio and Ernie? I would have thought small for them? @Mizzely @saroj12

Well, for Gizmo (Hahns) I think she'd likely have been able to use both? I'm not sure, I haven't seen the large in person yet!

 

[Mizzely]

I absolutely LOVE your foraging set up! Thank you so much for sharing those pics! I've always felt somewhat limited in the store-bought foraging toys for smaller birds, but you have helped me realize that it is more about the bird's foraging skills than the bird's species.

Thank you! Yes, I agree. These toys have been on the market for ages and I never considered them for my birds because they all say "for medium to large birds". So far of the new stuff, he's figured out the Paddle Wheel, the Big Wheel, and 1 of the doors on the 4 Corners thing. Crazy 8 is the only one that might stump him! There are still a few toys out there that we don't have, too!

 

[saroj12]

The Maze — what size to get for Rio and Ernie? I would have thought small for them? @Mizzely @saroj12

Small works well for LScoot. I don’t have the large here yet, it might be too big for J&C. If you can wait I’ll let you know. Or call and get dimensions to decide if the large is too big. A small would actually be fine for the caiques.

 

[saroj12]

Thank you! Yes, I agree. These toys have been on the market for ages and I never considered them for my birds because they all say "for medium to large birds". So far of the new stuff, he's figured out the Paddle Wheel, the Big Wheel, and 1 of the doors on the 4 Corners thing. Crazy 8 is the only one that might stump him! There are still a few toys out there that we don't have, too!

Don’t leave the 4 corners unsupervised, the middle hole is a death trap.

 

[Mizzely]

Don’t leave the 4 corners unsupervised, the middle hole is a death trap.

Oh wow really?? I didn't think of that. I'll have to check it out tomorrow in the light.

 

[saroj12]

Oh wow really?? I didn't think of that. I'll have to check it out tomorrow in the light.

The rule of thumb is either the head should not go through or the whole body should go through.

 

[Mizzely]

The rule of thumb is either the head should not go through or the whole body should go through.

Yes I know, and I'm usually very observant of that, but I didn't notice this time

 

[saroj12]

Yes I know, and I'm usually very observant of that, but I didn't notice this time

Maybe they’ve changed the design and blocked off the center hole? Let me know tomorrow. It’s a cute toy otherwise!

 

[Mizzely]

Maybe they’ve changed the design and blocked off the center hole? Let me know tomorrow. It’s a cute toy otherwise!

It's possible I was so excited that I just didn't notice! I'll definitely update tomorrow

 

[Vera]

how is he doing with the foraging toys? does he use them and does t make him more active?

 

[Mizzely]

how is he doing with the foraging toys? does he use them and does t make him more active?

Here was my update yesterday morning with his progress.

So far of the new stuff, he's figured out the Paddle Wheel, the Big Wheel, and 1 of the doors on the 4 Corners thing. Crazy 8 is the only one that might stump him!

He got kinda mad for a little bit yesterday when I only put a tiny bit of pellets in his bowl lol. I ended up putting some in his Small Maze Forager because that's his favorite and easiest for him and that seemed to help. He's definetly more active though; even played with a non foraging toy yesterday for about 20 mins!

 

[Mizzely]

So the 4 corners thing... it is solid on one side and a cone on the other in the middle. There isn't a way for him to get his head through there.



However, the corners in theory he could. I'm now mounting it like this on the outside of the cage instead:

 

[saroj12]

So the 4 corners thing... it is solid on one side and a cone on the other in the middle. There isn't a way for him to get his head through there.

View attachment 264410

However, the corners in theory he could. I'm now mounting it like this on the outside of the cage instead:

View attachment 264409

the cone is new! Maybe if we send them feedback they'll block the corners too.

 

[Mizzely]

the cone is new! Maybe if we send them feedback they'll block the corners too.

I know they probably did it to make it easier to grip for larger birds but I don't understand why they seem reluctant to market towards small birds lol

 

[Mizzely]

Alright, so here are our thoughts on some of these

Four Corner Foraging by Caitec Creative Foraging Systems

My thoughts 3/5
Jingo's: 1/5

I like that it is easy to clean and can fit a variety of sizes of treats. I don't like that it it can't mount to the side of the cage so that it is parallel to the side of the cage. You can mount from top or bottom of cage though to achieve a similar effect. I also think the corners are a safety issue because they are a strangulation risk.

Jingo can open up one of the doors but he is not a fan of even trying with this toy.


Caitec Foraging Wheel Generation I

My thoughts: 5/5
Jingo: 5/5

I love this toy. It has a clip set up so when the toy needs to be refilled it detaches from the cage easily without needing to unscrew the base. The entire front of the wheel also comes off by unscrewing, so you can easily clean and fill the toy back up.

Jingo Also loves this toy. He is able to eat from each of the wells with relative ease, but because of the smaller holes it is still more of a challenge.


Caitec Creative Foraging Systems Paddle Wheel

My rating: 3/5
Jingo: 4/5

Jingo likes this toy because it is relatively easy for him to access. However, I think it is hard to keep clean, and the holes for food are rather small. You also have to be careful to not get any food into the center where the bolt is, otherwise it won't close properly, meaning it won't turn, and it will be useless. And because its such a small area, if you DO get something in it, it's really hard to get it out without completely turning the toy upside down, spilling out everything.


Crazy 8s by Nature's Instinct

My rating: 3/5
Jingo: 1/5

It seems like it should be easy enough! Just tip it and the food comes out. Jingo couldn't do it. I still hide treats in the opening for him but its not being used as intended. The space that holds food is relatively small so it can't hold a lot. The shape makes it harder to clean. Definitely more well suited for bigger birds in the design, but the size of the space for food means it will only hold a few items.


Caitec Foraging Box Feeder

My rating: 3/5
Jingo: 1/5
Bobber: 2/5

Jingo has absolutely no interest in this toy. Bobber has a little more but still not much. It only holds smaller treats, and really works better when full, which isn't always ideal. And, I find it difficult to clean thoroughly.


Caitec Push/Pull Forager

My Rating: 2/5
Jingo: 3/5

Jingo likes this because he can just shake it furiously and make it work fine. It works best with small foods because the holes inside are small. No nutriberries, etc. This toy is HARD to clean. I ran it through the dishwasher and there are now seeds stuck in places I cannot get out. I have run it through a few times and they never come out. So, this toy is now garbage unfortunately, as I am too worried they will mold in there.

 

[TikiMyn]

That was really helpfull! Thank you for sharing!

 

[Mizzely]

That was really helpfull! Thank you for sharing!

Of course! I'll likely be trying all of them on the market eventually. Hopefully the new rats like the ones that they birds don't