Foraging mat ideas...

[Chomskypom]

I’ve been thinking lately about making a little birdie playground for my boys to give them more opportunities for “wild bird” behaviors. This post is specifically about ground foraging. I had some ideas which I’ve described below. I should also mention that this would be something they do while directly supervised during out of cage time, and it’s not their only foraging opportunity.


Method 1: Small planted forage area consisting of a wide, shallow tray of bird-safe plants (wheatgrass, clover, parsley maybe?). I would then sprinkle seeds or pellets on the actual dirt as well as allowing them to nibble the greenery.
Pros: reusable, naturalistic, offers lots of things to explore. Cons: I’m not sure exactly what but I suspect there must be a reason this isn’t already done. Is it safety? Difficulty? Sanitary concerns?



Method 2a: flat grid with fibers pulled through to simulate grass. Latch hook mat with sea grass as the “yarn” maybe?
Pros: since it’s handmade I’d have control over what materials are used. Easy enough to replace when soiled. Cons: I can only envision a fairly lumpy end product that might be distressing to walk on. My birds are cowards and may reject it. Not sure how good a foraging surface this would yield, either.

Method 2b: snuffle mat designed for dogs.
Pros: machine washable, easy to make or buy. Cons: same as above- not sure how good a surface it would be for a little bird since these tend to be pretty big strips of flee



Method 3: astroturf, small piece of shag carpet.
Pros: cheap and easy to source, possible to sanitize/reuse, seems like a reasonable difficulty level for beginner foragers. Cons: material safety? A brief google raised the specter of lead, formaldehyde, or other hazards present in the material since it’s not intended to be eaten off of. Also likely to catch a toe if I’m not sufficiently diligent with nail trims.



Method 4: scrap the idea of “grass” and stick with the wonderful variety of forage trays I see mentioned on here! The platter of marbles/toy parts/paper shreds is similar to what I’m trying to accomplish but I was hoping for something grass-textured.

 

[Ali]

Bump

 

[Weros]

I’ve been thinking lately about making a little birdie playground for my boys to give them more opportunities for “wild bird” behaviors. This post is specifically about ground foraging. I had some ideas which I’ve described below. I should also mention that this would be something they do while directly supervised during out of cage time, and it’s not their only foraging opportunity.


Method 1: Small planted forage area consisting of a wide, shallow tray of bird-safe plants (wheatgrass, clover, parsley maybe?). I would then sprinkle seeds or pellets on the actual dirt as well as allowing them to nibble the greenery.
Pros: reusable, naturalistic, offers lots of things to explore. Cons: I’m not sure exactly what but I suspect there must be a reason this isn’t already done. Is it safety? Difficulty? Sanitary concerns?



Method 2a: flat grid with fibers pulled through to simulate grass. Latch hook mat with sea grass as the “yarn” maybe?
Pros: since it’s handmade I’d have control over what materials are used. Easy enough to replace when soiled. Cons: I can only envision a fairly lumpy end product that might be distressing to walk on. My birds are cowards and may reject it. Not sure how good a foraging surface this would yield, either.

Method 2b: snuffle mat designed for dogs.
Pros: machine washable, easy to make or buy. Cons: same as above- not sure how good a surface it would be for a little bird since these tend to be pretty big strips of flee



Method 3: astroturf, small piece of shag carpet.
Pros: cheap and easy to source, possible to sanitize/reuse, seems like a reasonable difficulty level for beginner foragers. Cons: material safety? A brief google raised the specter of lead, formaldehyde, or other hazards present in the material since it’s not intended to be eaten off of. Also likely to catch a toe if I’m not sufficiently diligent with nail trims.



Method 4: scrap the idea of “grass” and stick with the wonderful variety of forage trays I see mentioned on here! The platter of marbles/toy parts/paper shreds is similar to what I’m trying to accomplish but I was hoping for something grass-textured.

I actually do not recommend foraging on the ground. Soil/earth harbours many insects/parasites/bacteria etc.
Plants can be great but I do not like it as insects will call it their home too.
You might opt for a playstand/playtree with foraging toys on the branches. On the playstand you can also opt for beech chips as the parrots will naturally climb down a small playstand and also play on its surface. With a large playstand they don't tend to do this.

 

[Ali]

I actually do not recommend foraging on the ground. Soil/earth harbours many insects/parasites/bacteria etc.

So what do they do in the real world?

Anyway, @Weros none of the options listed included real plants and soil, so no worry there.

@Matto might have an idea.

 

[Shezbug]

If you are wanting to do ground foraging activities then many opt for the fake grass so it can be washed and replaced when needed.

If you choose to grow things for them to forage in then you will want to cover the soil with mesh and allow the greenery to grow through the mesh so the birds can only get at the greenery while on the mesh and they cannot actually get to the soil- you will also be best to use a growing medium that has been deemed safe for this sort of thing and not just your normal potting mix or soil from the garden as it can harbour deadly moulds and bacteria- vermiculite I believe is something that is safe for this purpose. Maybe do a quick search on here for bird safe soil/ potting mix and you should find some more options for growing mediums.

 

[Weros]

So what do they do in the real world?

Anyway, @Weros none of the options listed included real plants and soil, so no worry there.

@Matto might have an idea.

They get lice, mite and other parasitic life forms on them. If you are really keen on using soil then at least use an anti-parasitic medicine specifically developed for the parrots of your size.
As they do with dogs and cats to prevent lice.
There are droplets used on the birds' neck monthly and this protects against lice, air-sack mite etc.
I like to use beech chips as an alternative to soil

 

[Ali]

There are droplets used on the birds' neck monthly and this protects against lice, air-sack mite etc.

i know, but real soil wasn't an option anyway.

 

[Weros]

Often times in parrot stores you will find that they use beech chips on their playstands. I think that this is the best alternative as they can also chew and play with the beech chips if they want to do so

 

[RainbowFlo]

I've seen some people sprout micro greens on a plate with no soil but not sure if it would be sturdy enough to walk on. If you search no soil microgreens there are loads of videos on how to do them (most use fiber growing mats eg. hemp- not sure if it is bird safe though) so that would be an option. Otherwise, fake grass is your best bet Not sure about the other ideas though, hopefully someone else knows

The attached video is how to grow no soil wheatgrass but you could probably use any bird-safe sprouting seed

 

[Chomskypom]

Thanks so much for the thoughtful replies! If other people have used fake grass without issue then I think it’ll be fine for my flock.

Sprouting microgreens looks like a fun little activity in its own right, thanks for the tip @RainbowFlo :sunflower:

 

[Elysian]

I grow wheatgrass in a microgreens tray for mine. No soil involved and can easily be grown indoors so not much likelihood of insects.
I use one like this from amazon.

If you grow the seeds with just water, you can put the whole inner (white) tray on the cage floor. You might even be able to put it under the cage grate and let the grass grow through?

If you want to be able to remove the grass from the tray (and maybe not use all of it at once) I grow it on a coconut fiber mat that I soaked and set in the bottom of the white tray. I have never seen any indication that coconut fiber is bad - just check to see if there is anything on the label about flame "R" wordant being used (I've heard that is done sometimes on mats used for reptile bedding, because of the heat lamps).

Then you can just cut a section of coconut mat and lay it out like sod