Food foraging toys?

Sooo...another probably silly question...please bear with me everyone, trying to ask now, before we bring home the new “baby”. Is hiding food or treats in toys a good idea right off the bat or should we wait a bit first. I’d leave food out anyways because I wouldn’t want the new guy to starve but I’ve seen a lot of stuff saying how they can get really bored if they don’t have something to entertain themselves when we aren’t home. Obviously there will be toys in the cage as well.


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It depends on your bird. Some birds don't know how to play with toys, and you might have to teach them how.

Do feed normal set meals where they don't have to forage to ensure they have an opportunity to eat properly. In fact, since he is new to your family, do ensure you find out what his diet was before, so that you can make a smooth transition to a new diet if you choose to switch his diet. In addition (I forget how old your bird is), if he is young, he may regress a little and ask for baby formula (this is very common with force-weaned birds and birds who are taken too young).

Keep a close eye on his droppings to ensure he is eating something. Sometimes they pretend to eat, but actually just toss things around.


In addition, do be aware that some birds are very neophobic - they can get scared of anything new. This is, of course, dependent on the individual bird. If your bird is neophobic, best to slowly introduce new things like a new foraging toy very slowly (and not just suddenly appearing in his cage).

Just to make sure you know this---no coconuts, boxes, cuddle-huts, tents etc...Parakeets are very prone to egg-binding and even if you get a male, shadowy spaces will trigger hormones..This includes allowing your bird under clothing, under furniture, in drawers etc.

You were talking about hiding food, so I wanted to mention that component.

It's never to early to offer enrichments.
But always have regular food available in food dishes.

As mentioned above new stuff can be scary so offer it off to the side of the cage , or on top.

I would make sure there is some food in the food dish initially--- think about how scared he/she may be and remember that they may take weeks to adjust--- you want the food easily accessible at first but if you want to hide secondary treats elsewhere, go for it (as long as they are shelf-stable and changed out frequently when not eaten).