10 PsittaScene November 2007

P.E.T PagesP.E.T Pages

This issue's contributors:David Woolcock is theCurator at Paradise Park,and a professional memberof IAATE (The InternationalAssociation of Avian Trainersand Educators) and LouisePellow is a Keeper atParadise Park.

PsittaScene's PET Pages help youprovide the very best for your birdby focusing on Parrot behaviour,Enrichment and Training.

Enriching lives: One parrot at a timeBy David Woolcock

It is said that "Variety is the spice of life."How true that is! We all relish the variety inour lives do we not? So why do so many petparrot owners seem to think that a cage witha perch, a bowl of food and a bowl of wateris sufficient to keep a parrot amused andcontented? I do not know the answer, but Ido know that enrichment can make a hugedifference to their pet's quality of life.

There are many excellent parrot toys on themarket from a plethora of companies. The onething that most of them have in common is thatthey are usually pretty expensive. They not onlycost you a small fortune but the prices also causeyou to skimp on your pet. You can't provide whatyou'd like to give as often as you'd like to give it.

For many years here at Paradise Park we havebeen developing and trying all manner ofenrichment ideas for our birds. Louise Pellow,one of our senior keepers, has championed thecause of parrot enrichment over the years. Shenever fails when it comes to simple, effective,inexpensive and enjoyable enrichment ideas.

But what exactly is it that we are trying to achievethrough enrichment?

ENRICHMENT CAN reduce the occurrence ofabnormal behaviours that a pet bird displays. Forexample, feather plucking can often be lessened

or even eliminated through the use ofenrichment devices.

ENRICHMENT CAN increase the range of naturalor wild behaviours that your birddemonstrates. The most obvious example ofthis is foraging. Instead of feeding once a daywith a bowl full of food, you can presentfood in a way in which your pet has to "work"to find it - just as it would in the wild.

ENRICHMENT CAN help your bird to use theenvironment in which it lives in a morepositive way. A large cage or aviary is great - ifthe bird uses the space. You might give it areason to use the floor by providing a dustbathing area. Provide plenty of perches, ropesetc. to encourage the bird to use more of itsenclosure. Give it secluded areas to takerefuge if it should feel the need. Just becauseyour bird only uses parts of its environmenton the odd occasion, don't think those areasare less important than frequently used areas.The best analogy is that of your own house -no doubt you have a living area, an eatingarea, a bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom atthe very least. Although the majority of yourtime is spent in the living area and thebedroom you would find it difficult tofunction if somebody removed yourbathroom or your kitchen simply because youspent less time there!

Egg box surprise.Cardboard tube rattle.

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Choices, choicesTo decide what forms of enrichment to give toyour bird, first research your pet's species in thewild. Use books, magazines, the internet(parrots.org), wildlife programmes, zoo keepersand other parrot owners. Perhaps you mighteven be lucky enough to go see your species inthe wild for yourself!

Ask yourself about the basic conditions birdslike yours live in and how they are adapted forsurvival. What type of habitat do they live in?What do they feed upon? How do they spendtheir time? Are they adapted for a particularfood source or way of life? How much time dothey spend on the ground? Answers toquestions such as these may give you someenrichment ideas more suited to your pet'sspecies.

Don't be afraid to experiment and don't betempted to discard an idea because "my birdwon't do that." You may be surprised. It is alsovery easy to slip into the trap of giving the sameenrichment time and time again because "hereally likes that." The same enrichment day afterday becomes routine. Why not write enrichment

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ENRICHMENT CAN also increase your pet's abilityto deal with challenging situations and theeveryday stresses of life in a more normal way.The broader the range of experiences andsituations your pet is exposed to, the less likely itis that he or she will find novel situationsfrightening or distressing.

Is enrichment just toys and food treats? Mostcertainly not. Enrichment can be divided intofive categories:

Social enrichment is direct contact withpeople - you, your family and friends - as well asinteraction with other birds and pets in yourhome. Telling your dog to sit or saying goodbyewith a kiss are typical responses to a socialenvironment. Another form of socialenrichment is non-contact. Leaving the radio onwhilst you are out or playing a bird DVD such asPollyVision provides auditory or visualstimulation.

Occupational enrichment involvesexercising the mind or the body. Try to stimulateyour bird's mind by giving it challenges toovercome. Hide its food in the environment orpresent it so that decisions must be made.Exercise the body by providing more room to flyor more areas to explore and climb around.

Physical enrichment is related to thecomplexity and size of the enclosure orenvironment in which your bird lives, inaddition to the elements contained therein.Physical enrichment also includes elements onthe outside of your pet's cage, such as a toy ortreat on the roof that can only be accessed byhanging upside down from the top of thecage.

Sensory enrichment stimulates thesenses - be it auditory, visual, olfactory, tactileor taste. The sound of rain (or the vacuum!)often triggers a bathing response in birds. Thesight of a bird of prey silhouette might elicitan alarm response. The texture of a rag toymay encourage your bird to preen the toy as itmight preen a partner in the wild.

Nutritional enrichment includes notonly the type of food offered but also the wayit is delivered or presented. Try hiding a treatin a clean egg carton. Destroying the carton toget to the treat is a little like stripping awaypieces of bark to reach a tasty morsel. Insteadof feeding once a day, feed several times insmall amounts, maybe even in different placesaround the house if your bird has safe freeaccess.

Having a variety of simple enrichment ideas onhand helps you vary your offerings and keepthings interesting.

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ideas onto cards and then randomly select acard every day. This technique will help youvary your enrichment and not get stuck givingonly what is most popular with the bird or easyfor you.

Safety first!Many people are apprehensive about toysbecause they are unsure what items are safe touse and what are not. We always recommendthat if you are in doubt, don't use it. Always erron the side of caution. However, there is ahuge variety of safe everyday enrichment ideas.When we run enrichment sessions during ourparrot workshops, Louise spends at least twohours demonstrating the items that we use on aregular basis. These sessions have provenextremely popular and we have begun to uploadsome of the ideas onto the web in the form ofworksheets. This format allows us to add newideas on a regular basis. It also allows us to addvideo clips of some of our birds using the ideasdescribed. To visit our enrichment websitesimply go to: www.parrottraining.org.uk andchoose the enrichment tab.

SAFE, EVERYDAY ENRICHMENT ITEMS

l Cardboard toilet roll tubes (no adhesiveresidue please)Cardboard egg cartonsRawhide chewsLarge buttons (for smaller birds)Dried pasta shapesVarious coloured napkinsOld fashioned wooden clothes pegs (one piece - no metal spring!)Wooden craft sticksWooden spoons/spatulasWhole cuttleboneNatural fibre ropeBranches such as apple, willow, sycamore,beech, oak, pearPlants such as nasturtiums, buddleia, fuchsiaBaby/toddler-safe toys such as teethingrings, rattles and baby safe wooden blocks.

The list of food treats is even more extensive.Why not experiment with food colourings,natural flavourings, pasta and rice mixes, variouspulses, steamed or boiled vegetables, sproutedseeds and pulses?

This is just the beginning - there are plentymore things to try. Be creative and have fun.Both your life and that of your pet willbe enriched.

Blue-throated Macaw taking the ‘Pine Cone Challenge’.

Somebody once said,

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."

Have you ever met a parrot that is not curious?

Stuffed walnut shells.Large chewable swing.

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