boredom busters: environmental enrichment essentials (for parrot owners)

Boredom Busters

Environmental Enrichment Essentials

Phoenix Landing Foundation, May 2014

Raleigh Durham Caged Bird Society, July 2014

Michelle Czaikowski Underhill

AgendaWhat is environmental enrichment?Types of enrichmentEnrichment plans and schedules“Name that enrichment” gallery

What is environmental enrichment?

Environmental enrichment is the process of manipulating an animal's environment to increase physical activity & normal species typical behavior that satisfies the animal's physical and psychological needs. It reduces stress and therefore promotes overall health by increasing an animal's perception of control over their environment and by occupying their time.

Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Indoor Pet Initiative.http://indoorpet.osu.edu/dogs/environmental_enrichment_dogs/index.cfm

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Zoo environment“Naturalistic approach”

Home environment“Behavioral engineering”

#1 risk of providing environmental enrichment

An animal can harm themselves with enrichment items.

The solution – know your bird and be as careful as possible. Nothing is 100% bird safe for every bird.

#1 risk of not providing environmental enrichment

An animal can harm themselves or suffer because no enrichment is provided.

The benefits of enrichment far outweigh the risks.

Types of enrichment

SocialOccupationalPhysicalSensoryNutritional

They overlap one another.

Social enrichment

ContactSame speciesDifferent species

Non-contactVisual, auditory, co-operative device

Social enrichment

Group composition can be important.Domestic raising and environment may

suppress the development of “natural” interactions between members of the same species.

Training may help develop positive interactions between human-bird or even bird-bird.

Occupational enrichment

JobsPsychological- things to think about

(puzzles, control of environment) Exercise – Places to go, flying, flapping,

climbing, jumping, etc.Remodeling projects - Things to chew, etc.


Psychological• Have some items that

present a challenge.• Have others that are

below their abilities, too. (Variety may prevent frustration.)

• Training • Games


TrainingBird chooses to participate.Can be as little as 10 minutes per day, or

could be many little moments throughout the day.

Opportunity to earn rewards.


Foraging (also nutritional enrichment)

Chewing, shredding, etc.

Occupational enrichment: Exercise

•Does the item itself move? Does it promote balance and stability?

•Does it allow birds to easily access other items by flying, stretching, or climbing to them?

•Does it permit cardiovascular activity?

Most “hanging” enrichment items encourage movement

and balance:

Swings

Bungies/Boings

“Atoms/Orbits”

Climbing nets

Hanging gyms

Hanging Toys

Benefits of climbing nets•May be used to connect different areas/play areas, in addition to being a play area in itself. Provides choice.•Choice it can provide is especially wonderful for birds with clipped wings•Encourages movement

Note: Just as with all rope toys, strands should be trimmed regularly.

Running stairs, Dancing…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgAlpwx0r_M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bt9xBuGWgw

Physical enrichment

EnclosureCage, house, etc.

Accessories – Internal & ExternalPermanent (bars, walls, ceiling, etc.)

Temporary (Toys, perches, etc.)Play areas/gyms, etc.

Sensory enrichment

Appeals to different sensesVisualAuditory (& vocalizations)TasteTouch, tactile

Sensory enrichment

Visual and Auditory StimuliRadio/Music (toys that make noise)TelevisionField trips outsideField trips insideOther animals (also social)Verbal games, contact calls (also social)

Sensory enrichment

Smell, touch, tasteFoodPlants, perches

Keep sensitive respiratory systems in mind.

Nutritional enrichment

FoodDifferent types of foodDifferent forms of delivery (ie

foraging, etc.)Herbs, edible flowers, spices

WaterOccasional tea, juice, etc.

Foraging

Parrots in the wild spend many of their waking hours foraging for food.

A “must see” for all companion humans!

Importance of foraging for birds has been better brought to light throughout the pet

care industry after the release of Dr. Echols’ Captive Foraging.

If your bird spends a lot of waking hours in a cage, consider viewing his/her cage as an “enclosed foraging tree”.

•Start slow. Add foraging options gradually.

•Goal: Minimum of six bowls or accessible foraging toys and additional ones that are more challenging.

•Allow your bird a “foraging free” sleep area/zone/cage. Wild birds do not naturally forage where they sleep.

My favorite easy, inexpensive foraging toys:

•3 oz bath size Dixie cups

•Unbleached coffee filters

•Unbleached paper towels

•Predrilled toy parts

This rope perch that is wrapped in leather has leather strands hanging off it.

Threading a coffee filter through the opening in some plastic chain forms another simple foraging toy.

Once they are accustomed to having to work to retrieve food from foraging toys, make them work to get to the foraging toys as well.

What do parrots need in an enrichment area?

CHOICES Places to:

Sleep & rest Forage/eat & drink Exercise Groom (preen, bathe) Socialize Privacy – Place to escape

to when feeling threatened.

What do WE need in enrichment areas for our parrots? It needs to be manageable

Routine cleaningRegular safety checks (threads, nuts,

bolts, hooks, etc.)Replacement of destroyed partsRotating new materials, foods,

sounds, stimuli into the area.

Enrichment Plans – For when you want to encourage specific behaviors, etc. Disney’s Animal Programs use a model they

developed called S.P.I.D.E.R.http://www.animalenrichment.org/spider/spider_framework.html Setting GoalsPlanning (includes evaluating the risk involved) ImplementingDocumentingEvaluatingRe-adjusting

http://www.animalenrichment.org/spider/spider_framework.html



Enrichment Plans - Let’s talk through an example

Setting goalsPlanning (includes evaluating the risk

involved)ImplementingDocumentingEvaluatingRe-adjusting

Enrichment Schedules Perhaps you want to focus on particular types of

enrichment on different days Example:

Mondays, Thursdays: Foraging, new foods, decaffeinated, room-temperature, herbal tea (in addition to water) (Occupational & Nutritional)

Tuesdays, Fridays: Training, new chewing projects (Occupational, physical, social, and sensory)

Wednesdays, Saturdays: Music, dancing, time outside in an aviary/travel cage/harness (Sensory, Occupational, Social, Physical)

Sundays: Showers/baths, thorough cleaning, general maintenance (Physical, Sensory, Occupational, Nutritional)

Name that enrichment!

Gallery

Social?Occupational?Physical?Sensory?Nutritional?

Photos & play gym by Donna Dicksson.

Posted from Flickr with permission.


Nyla Copp, mybirdiebuddy.com


Resources and credits

Kris Porter’s Parrot Enrichment site: http://parrotenrichment.com/

Includes The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book, Vol 1 & 2

Avianenrichment.com – Several articles

Disney’s Animal Enrichment website: http://www.animalenrichment.org/

In Your Flock magazine

On Facebook: The Parrot’s Workshop and The Parrot’s Pantry

Robert J. Young’s Environmental enrichment for Captive Animals. Blackwell Publishing, 2003.

Andrew U. Luescher’s Manual of Parrot Behavior. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.

Robin Skewokis's Enriching your parrot's life: A guide to creating a stimulating environment for your companion bird (DVD)

http://parrotenrichment.com/

http://parrotenrichment.com/

http://www.animalenrichment.org/

http://www.animalenrichment.org/

Questions? Ideas to share?Michelle Underhill

[email protected]

boredom busters: environmental enrichment essentials (for parrot owners)

Lifestyle

enrichment items

benefits of enrichment

enrichment area

enrichment gallery

sensory enrichment visual

sensory enrichment appeals

sensory enrichment smell

nutritional enrichment