Foraging

Hi all

I have an amazon parrot and blue Quaker


I have just finished a 8 foot by 6foot metal aviary 8 foot tall for sunny days and was thinking of ways to encourage foraging.

I use fruit spikes and have a selection of grasses from a parrot shop dotted about.

Treats seem very overpriced so was thinking what kind of nuts etc can I buy straight from super market also is there any reason I couldn’t buy say a small pineapple and gang it whole so they have to get into it themselves. Any other good fruits veg etc I could do this with?

Just want to stimulate them more...

I use lots of veggies. You can you broccoli heads and stuff thingS in. Give them whole peppers or cut a wi down in the pepper and out stuff inside.
You can float plastic stuff in shallow water and have seeds inside.. stuff stuff in Willow balls.


I want an avairy! I don't know where to get safe metal screening to make one . What did you use and were you get?

It was bought in panels specialist company in Telford England, if your in England illl dig out the details for you. I had three sides and use house as the fourth side kept price down and provides some shelter

Never thought of whole peppers are the seeds ok was thinking chillis to.

And a bird bath (stone) should be easy enough to clean

Here is a picture

And one more

Know a guy that drills hole in parrot safe wood blocks he strings on a rope an the holes will allow forcing sunflower seeds into them. He also stuffs seeds between the leaves of an artichoke. go to youtube.com and type parrot foraging into search window. Or [ame="https://youtu.be/1wZCYmX7gcI"]Forget Bird Toys - Here's How I Keep Smokey Busy & Happy - YouTube[/ame] jh

That’s great thank you

I posted in DIY too, but I also need to know more about what I can use to build a safe outdoor Aviary! We bought hardware cloth, but that's galvanized do we cant really use it. Gotta refigure some things out.

using google search, large aviary panels and look among the results. jh

One should create a list of requirements for large outdoor Aviary as once they are in place, common one is very limited in make changes.

Having correctly (safely) installed electrical for lighting and support outlets. And yes, they are located away from where the Parrots have access.
- Why lighting -- you will leave your beloved Parrot outside in the dark and you will get an uninvited guess at night. So plan to be able to turn the lights on /off from inside. Having available support outlets will simplify cleaning and repair projects.
Having a safe water source is important!
- Cleaning, misting, etc...
- Drainable during cool and freezing

More later!

Water drainage away from the large outdoor Aviary is very important!
Things like to live in Parrot Poop so it is important to be able to wash it clean from the interior area of the Aviary.
Hard surface (like poured concrete) helps in assuring a full and clean wash of the area.

Set the hard surface so that it extends a bit beyond the side structures.
Strongly consider a double door, enter the first, close it behind you and check the area then enter the interior door.
Locking outer door! You will be surprised at who you may find inside your Aviary!

Shaded area and covered area. Near all Parrots love Sunshine, and just as many love being able to get out of it into the shade.

Most side walls and tops are constructed from square steel tube and either square or rectangle steel mesh and then coated. I strongly recommend Powder Coated System. The metal parts can be found on the open market, or built to your specification by a local welding shop and the Powder Coating System by a local shop that does such work.

Paint will rust and flake and that can become a problem as most Parrots will try to eat it.

NOTE: Assure that your Parrot's head will not fit between the mesh...

Enjoy!