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Amusing Your Bored Bird!
By Evan Cariola (5th Year Vet Student)
Having fostered a sulfur crested cockatoo this year while researching the Andean
condors at Taronga Zoo, I have found that these birds have more in common than
meets the eye. Most of us know how important it is that our pet dogs have toys
to keep them entertained during the day, but not everyone realises that this is
also important for our pet parrots and even animals in the zoo.
 Providing animals with
things to keep them busy is called environmental enrichment and aims to
encourage normal behaviours and prevent boredom. I have modified some of the
ideas we used for the condors to suit your pet cockatoo. Most of these are fun
and easy to make, and are a great way to get kids involved in caring for the
family pet.
Puzzle toys that release food are a common type of environmental enrichment. For
my cockatoo I placed a mix of pellets and seed in a plastic blueberry punnet. As
the parrot carried, rolled and flipped the punnet with his feet and beak, the
contents fell out through the drainage holes. While this feeder has proven safe
for my cockatoo I would recommend supervision if trying it with your own bird to
make sure she doesn’t eat the plastic! Another way to increase the time your
cocky spends feeding is to mix its daily ration through a tub of leaves. If your
cockatoo doesn’t seem interested, you might try sprinkling a few seeds on top of
the leaves to encourage him to begin searching.
Providing parrots with an appropriate outlet for destructive behaviours is very
important, especially if you don’t want them to chew their perches, cages or
your fingers. Natural branches with thick bark are perfect for this purpose.
Alternatively, you can make papier-mâché piñatas by layering balloons with paper
strips soaked in a ‘glue’ of flour and water. The rubber balloon can be
dangerous for your bird, so be sure to leave enough space around the tie of the
balloon so that it can be popped and removed once the piñata is dry. If you
like, this hole can also be used to put food into the piñata for your cocky to
discover when she rips it open. Again I would recommend supervision to make sure
she doesn’t eat the papier-mâché.
Finally, freezing food items in a large block of ice is a common method of
changing the predictability of feeding times since the items randomly become
available during the day as the ice melts. Pieces of fruit, nuts and seeds can
be frozen in blocks for parrots. Begin by filling the container with small ice
cubes or crushed ice then thoroughly mix the food items through. Top it up with
chilled water and immediately place it in the freezer. This should stop all the
food from just sinking to the bottom or floating to the top. Ice blocks work
best on hot days. The photo shows Bruce, the male Andean condor, enjoying his
‘Mice-Block’.
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