should i take food dish out ?

dreamin_sqaw

New member
Oct 19, 2013
221
Media
5
0
I am wanting to create some type if foraging toy for Sammy to keep him busy. I cant get him to play with anything in his cage. My goal is for him to learn some self entertaining. His way of entertaining himself is to twirl and yell " momaaaaaaaaaaa, Come'Mere" when I walk in the door. I move his toys around and even move the dishes around in the cage but to no avail. I made him a swing. still nothing. He will not play. So I am thinking, maybe a forage toy would help. Would atleast give him something to do besides be a lump on a log while im not home.

My question is this............

do I need to remove his food dish to force him to forage? or maybe lessen the amount of food in it?

thanks
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
It could be a strong motivator to remove the dish and have the only food available be through foraging for a few hours a day, but you MUST be sure he eats an ample, nutritious breakfast and the same with dinner. I would also weigh him every day to be sure he is maintaining a healthy weight. Domestic parrots should never rely on foraging for a main source of food. Perhaps their wild cousins do, but a pet parrot is never going to take in adequate calories and nutrition through the foraging option we provide. All it is is fun busy work for a domestic bird. Basically, use common sense if you choose to only provide foraging options instead of actual dish of food during the day.

Also, have you ever shown him how to play? You know, pick up a toy and start 'playing' with it yourself right in front of him, really making a big deal of how much fun it is, until he can no longer ignore how fun/intriguing/much he wants that is? And have you provided several types of toys? Different birds like different activities. Kiwi is not a big chewer/shredder, but he LOVES all manners of foot toys in bright colors. Acrylic is an especial favorite. So if you haven't already, don't just switch out the same types of toys, try all kinds and see if Sammy likes any type in particular:)
 
OP
dreamin_sqaw

dreamin_sqaw

New member
Oct 19, 2013
221
Media
5
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
thanks Kiwi.
I may have not made it clear but I would never plan for foraging to be his only food supply. I'm just trying to push him into be a lil more activate.
as far as playing with toys, I can get him to play for just a minute or two at catching a ball for me. but that is only when he is away from the cage and on my leg or chair arm right beside me. I have not replaced any toys with new ones. I have just moved his current stuff around in the cage, a kind of "make over" you could say. lol
 

MikeyTN

New member
Feb 1, 2011
13,296
17
Antioch, TN
Parrots
"Willie"&"Lola"B&G Macaw,
"Dixie"LSC2, and "Nico" Scarlet Macaw.
Another thing you can use foraging toys for is his favorite treats, only give it to him in the foraging toys. Give that a try!
 

Freespin

New member
Nov 28, 2013
705
1
Waikato New Zealand
Parrots
Male senegal - Stephen. Previously Barry - Male Barraband
Nelson - Male Eclectus
I havent read the other replies sorry but here is my input =D

Start by rationing his food if you dont already. Start giving him less and less food daily until you find an amount where he will eat almost all of it regularly. Feed him at set times so he is waiting for his food and add some objects into his food bowl that he has to move around to get to his food such as large wooden beads, small blocks, small lengths of rope, scrunched up paper balls etc etc. It is a great introduction to foraging and as he gets confident with the idea you can start making it a bit harder for him by adding more and covering his bowl with paper and such =D

Another great easy foraging toy for them is pine cones! You can jam nuts in there sticking out quite obviously to start and once he gets the idea you can start pushing smaller pieces in further so he has to tear it up a bit to get to them.
 

Taw5106

New member
Mar 27, 2014
2,480
25
Texas
Parrots
Buddy - Red Crowned Amazon (27 yo)
Venus - Solomon Island Eclectus (4 yo)
Buzz CAG (2 yo)
Sam - Cockatiel 1997 - 2004
Tweety - Budgie 1984 - 1987
Sweety - Budgie 1985 - 1986
When I got Buddy, he was on a seed diet. I took the seed away completely. That was two months ago. I began feeding him a variety of real foods and now, he wants real food. He'll eat seed but it's a treat. He's making great progress. We are now working on a foraging wheel and he's been using it. So I say in my experience, yes you should be good.
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
If you wanted to, you could make it so that he gets all of his food through foraging. However, you'd have to be sure that he's still eating as much as he needs each day.

Instead of eating at his bowl for 5-10 minutes, you could increase his time of eating to 15-30 minutes, maybe longer.


Definitely start out easy, as the others recommended, and start out using favorite treats *only* in his foraging toys and none in his regular bowl. If that's sunflower seeds and nuts, then take those out of his diet and only provide them in his foraging toys!


You don't have to remove his food to encourage him to forage, but if he doesn't know how to, then you need to teach him how, starting with easy tasks and building up to harder foraging tasks.
 

Taw5106

New member
Mar 27, 2014
2,480
25
Texas
Parrots
Buddy - Red Crowned Amazon (27 yo)
Venus - Solomon Island Eclectus (4 yo)
Buzz CAG (2 yo)
Sam - Cockatiel 1997 - 2004
Tweety - Budgie 1984 - 1987
Sweety - Budgie 1985 - 1986
Is there an optimal or target to what they should be consuming? But Buddy raises a super fuss if he doesn't have what he wants in his food bowl. I took his food bowl out, no seed or pellets, all veg and fruit with a scrambled egg once a week at the most. He's doing great, lots of positive changes for my Buddy. Suggestions welcomed!!$$
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Just a suggestion, but I would start with foraging toys where he can see the food in. These are some of my amazons preferred foraging toys. One like the mini cage would be good because you can jam fruit in there, and he has to pick it out (yes, it is VERY messy:)) The purple you and clear green one are also good since he can see the food, just has to figure out how to get it out, which is relatively simple to do. Ones like the multi-color clear toy (which works like a puzzle the parrot has to twist for the treat to drop) and the solid pink+orange (where they can't see a treat at all) would be for a bird who is already used to the concept of working out a puzzle to get their treat.

DSC_3301_zpsb15e0584.jpg


Now my bird is the rare oddball who isn't a big chewer, but until your bird learns he needs to look in his toys to find treats, I may hold off on the paper and baskets full of raffia because he likely won't 'get' there is treats in there to start with. Just my opinion:)

Edit: one last thing :) I would check out Percy's moms old posts. She makes *incredible* foraging toys for Percy, with some ingenious way of integrating seeds where he can see them but has to work for them.
 
Last edited:

Freespin

New member
Nov 28, 2013
705
1
Waikato New Zealand
Parrots
Male senegal - Stephen. Previously Barry - Male Barraband
Nelson - Male Eclectus
Kiwibird I mean start off with only a few things in his regular food dish so he can still see his food and access it easily but has to eat around things a little then slowly increase the amount in his bowl when he gets it so he has to try a little harder to get to his food.
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Kiwibird I mean start off with only a few things in his regular food dish so he can still see his food and access it easily but has to eat around things a little then slowly increase the amount in his bowl when he gets it so he has to try a little harder to get to his food.

O freespin, I wasn't trying to disprove your point at all! I had actually read the reply to my prior comment and was adding a few more suggestions (I had not read other comments when I wrote that:54:). I more meant if the op was going to use hanging type toys, don't start out with the ones where the treats are hidden, like the cardboard foraging boxes. No offense was meant to you AT ALL:( I have never thought about introducing a bird to foraging before starting with it's dishes. I've always kept them 2 separate activities, though your idea makes sense too :)
 

MonicaMc

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
7,960
Media
2
43
Parrots
Mitred Conure - Charlie 1994;
Cockatiel - Casey 2001;
Wild Caught ARN - Sylphie 2013
There is a trainer that designed "foragers" for bird food bowls.... much like the "foragers" for dogs that gets dogs to eat slower. I think it's a pretty neat idea, but I don't know how often this shop has any in stock.

Great products for your companion birds



Foraging can come in any manner! :) I've covered food dishes, added toys to the birds food dishes, wrapped food up in mini paper cups, etc!
 

Most Reactions

Top