What exactly is food fortification?
This week's question I got was actually a very important one I thought..What is food enrichment actually, apart from the fact that it sounds expensive?
I'll try to explain...
Food enrichment for parrots means that you offer food in a way that stimulates their natural behaviour,
such as searching, gnawing and exploring.
It's actually more than just a nutritious diet;
it challenges their intelligence, reduces boredom and promotes their physical and mental well-being.
Food enrichment is important because it
- Stimulates natural behaviour: Parrots spend a lot of time in the wild searching for and processing food.
- Prevents boredom: It helps prevent stress and behavioural problems, such as feather plucking.
- Promotes health: It stimulates exercise and provides a more varied diet.
How do you put that into practice?... Actually with a lot of fun for yourself and your feathered friend:
You can hide food, for example.
Yes, how do you think.. You start very simply ... hide seeds, fruits or nuts in toys or under the wood chips in the cage.
This mimics the natural foraging behavior that parrots use in the wild to find food.
You can hang vegetables and fruits
For example, hang a piece of carrot, pepper or apple on a string or skewer in the cage.
This encourages parrots to climb and gnaw, which mimics natural movements.
Or make a food puzzle
Put favorite treats in a toy, such as a coconut shell or a wooden block with holes.
This promotes problem-solving behavior and mental activity., they are smarter than we usually think!
If you are not much of a crafter, you can try the following
Offer branches with edible leaves and flowers in spring and summer
Give fresh branches of willow or fruit trees, for example
Your bird can gnaw and destroy, which naturally stimulates foraging behaviour and often provides your bird with natural nutrients.
What to look out for when giving
Only use safe, untreated materials and make sure that branches and flowers are not poisonous. Willow and apple, pear, cherry (super hard for the real destroyers), they can all be used
Regularly change methods and materials to prevent boredom, fortunately every branch looks different so that already saves a lot.
Observe your parrot to see which forms of enrichment he or she appreciates most and respond to that.
Finally...
Almost every parrot has a "hate" color.. you can introduce this playfully and by throwing it away it will still get the taste in its beak. After a while you will see it being picked up from the ground. This also stimulates curiosity and the realization that that color can also be tasty...
I wish you a lot of fun making and enjoying "playing" with your beloved friend!
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