Did you know your parrot can have hours of fun with an empty box and a newspaper? You don't need elaborate or expensive toys: sometimes, the best environmental enrichment is hidden in the recycling bin.
What you need
Nothing special, just what you already have at home:
- An empty baking paper box (or any lightweight cardboard box)
- Newspaper sheets (watch out for staples)
- A meal's worth of seeds or pellets
How to do it
It's simpler than you think:
- Divide the food into small piles
- Wrap each pile in newspaper, crumpling it well
- Put all the crumpled balls inside the box
- Close the box
- Give it to your parrot and enjoy the show
He will scratch, bite, tear, and overturn. Each crumpled ball is a small conquest, every seed found is a reward. Mealtime becomes a game, and the game becomes enrichment.
Why it works
In nature, parrots don't find food in a bowl: they spend much of the day searching for it, exploring and manipulating their surroundings. This instinct doesn't disappear in captivity; it simply doesn't find an outlet: it's up to you to stimulate their natural behavior.
Foraging recreates that search in a safe and stimulating way: it slows down mealtime, reduces boredom, and engages the mind and beak. And when the "game" is made with recycled materials, it also has the advantage of being completely destructible, without guilt.
Try and share
The first time, you might have to help your parrot understand that there's something good in the cardboard: show him an open crumpled ball, help him by showing him how to get to the seeds. Then let him do it himself.
Have you tried it? Tell us how it went: photos and videos are always welcome! And if you want to take it up a notch, check out our foraging toys designed to last a bit longer, but with the same philosophy.
Discover our foraging toys
If you want to offer your parrot something more structured, here are some toys designed to stimulate searching and manipulation: