What is Captive Foraging?
In the wild, all animals spend a portion of their time searching for food. This is known as foraging. Captive foraging is when pet owners (as well as zoos and wildlife parks) provide the animals in their care with the opportunity to search for their food, rather than just filling a food dish for them. There are many different ways to present your parrot with foraging opportunities and this thread aims to give you an insight into captive foraging, teaching your parrot to forage and to share ideas and pictures with other Talk Cockatiels members.
Why is Captive Foraging Important for your Parrot?
The parrots we keep in our homes are essentially wild animals, although the majority have been bred in captivity. They have not been domesticated like cats, dogs and farm animals. As a result, the pets in our homes are exactly the same as their wild counterparts, with the same instincts. Foraging is a great way to enrich your parrot’s life, using their natural instincts to stimulate them both mentally and physically, and prevent boredom which can lead to behaviours like feather plucking and excessive screaming.
A wild pionus flock were followed and their daily routine recorded. They would awaken at dawn (6 am at the equator) and forage until 10am. From 10am to 2pm, the flock would gather together to rest, preen, nap and socialise together. To end the day, they would forage again before going to roost as it got dark (6pm). This example shows us a wild parrot flock spending two thirds of their daylight hours in searching for food. In pet parrots, this has been replaced by a full food dish, and 15 minutes sitting at it eating. As a result, behavioural problems resulting from boredom are not uncommon in pet parrots. Captive foraging is designed to give our birds a more natural way to eat and pass the time. I have taught my small flock of parrots to forage, and have found that they, especially the cockatiels, preferred to forage for their food, even when they had the option of just eating from a food dish, despite the food they were foraging for, being exactly the same as the food in the dishes. To me this illustrates how important foraging is for our parrots, and demonstrates how much they enjoy it.
How do Parrots Forage?
In the wild, different species of parrot foraging in different ways and at different heights. Some, like cockatiels and budgies are ground foragers, while others, like conures, forage at different levels in trees. This can give you a starting point for foraging, encouraging your parrot to use its natural instincts. You can also teach your parrot to forage at other levels, for example, a cockatiel will climb to the top of its cage to reach a treat, or a conure go down to the bottom to forage on the cage floor. The more different foraging techniques you teach your parrot, the more different options you can offer them.
What do Parrots Forage For?
You can use anything your parrot eats or plays with as a foraging reward – pellets, seed, millet, nutriberries, pumpkin seeds cinnamon sticks and dried chillies are just a few examples of dry food items that can be used. Wet food can also be used, but only use it if you’re sure your parrot will be able to find and eat the food before it spoils. You can also use favourite foot toys, like shredders and munch balls as foraging rewards.
In the wild, all animals spend a portion of their time searching for food. This is known as foraging. Captive foraging is when pet owners (as well as zoos and wildlife parks) provide the animals in their care with the opportunity to search for their food, rather than just filling a food dish for them. There are many different ways to present your parrot with foraging opportunities and this thread aims to give you an insight into captive foraging, teaching your parrot to forage and to share ideas and pictures with other Talk Cockatiels members.
Why is Captive Foraging Important for your Parrot?
The parrots we keep in our homes are essentially wild animals, although the majority have been bred in captivity. They have not been domesticated like cats, dogs and farm animals. As a result, the pets in our homes are exactly the same as their wild counterparts, with the same instincts. Foraging is a great way to enrich your parrot’s life, using their natural instincts to stimulate them both mentally and physically, and prevent boredom which can lead to behaviours like feather plucking and excessive screaming.
A wild pionus flock were followed and their daily routine recorded. They would awaken at dawn (6 am at the equator) and forage until 10am. From 10am to 2pm, the flock would gather together to rest, preen, nap and socialise together. To end the day, they would forage again before going to roost as it got dark (6pm). This example shows us a wild parrot flock spending two thirds of their daylight hours in searching for food. In pet parrots, this has been replaced by a full food dish, and 15 minutes sitting at it eating. As a result, behavioural problems resulting from boredom are not uncommon in pet parrots. Captive foraging is designed to give our birds a more natural way to eat and pass the time. I have taught my small flock of parrots to forage, and have found that they, especially the cockatiels, preferred to forage for their food, even when they had the option of just eating from a food dish, despite the food they were foraging for, being exactly the same as the food in the dishes. To me this illustrates how important foraging is for our parrots, and demonstrates how much they enjoy it.
How do Parrots Forage?
In the wild, different species of parrot foraging in different ways and at different heights. Some, like cockatiels and budgies are ground foragers, while others, like conures, forage at different levels in trees. This can give you a starting point for foraging, encouraging your parrot to use its natural instincts. You can also teach your parrot to forage at other levels, for example, a cockatiel will climb to the top of its cage to reach a treat, or a conure go down to the bottom to forage on the cage floor. The more different foraging techniques you teach your parrot, the more different options you can offer them.
What do Parrots Forage For?
You can use anything your parrot eats or plays with as a foraging reward – pellets, seed, millet, nutriberries, pumpkin seeds cinnamon sticks and dried chillies are just a few examples of dry food items that can be used. Wet food can also be used, but only use it if you’re sure your parrot will be able to find and eat the food before it spoils. You can also use favourite foot toys, like shredders and munch balls as foraging rewards.
