{"id":5037,"date":"2024-02-18T16:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T15:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forpusfakten.eu\/?p=5037"},"modified":"2024-10-07T11:27:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T09:27:49","slug":"futterbeschaeftigung","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forpusfakten.eu\/en\/blog\/2024\/02\/18\/futterbeschaeftigung\/","title":{"rendered":"Foraging enrichment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Next to the question of what<\/i> to feed, the question of how<\/i> often comes up short. However, the presentation of food is just as important as its composition.<\/p>\n

The basic goal of species-appropriate feeding is (apart from the type and composition of the feed) a presentation that is as close to nature as possible<\/strong>Wild parrots spend the majority of their day foraging for food and eating, <\/span>on average at least half of the day<\/b><\/span>. Assuming a 12-hour day, this adds up to at least 6 hours a day. <\/span><\/p>

If we only feed seeds and fresh food from bowls, this task is accomplished within a couple of minutes. According to scientific research, parrots in <\/b><\/span>captivity<\/b> spend approximately half an hour to an hour feeding and foraging, that equals appr. 4.8% of the day<\/b><\/span>.<\/span> <\/span>Apart from preening and social interactions, the bird has nothing to do for the rest of the day. Despite provided toys, <\/span>boredom<\/strong> is inevitable this way, which can lead to a series of <\/span>abnormal behaviour<\/strong> like feather plucking, stereotypical behaviour, aggressiveness and more, as well as <\/span>obesity<\/strong> and <\/span>muscle atrophy<\/strong> . In Addition, boredom or mental underload are big risk factors when it comes to your birds' mental health and <\/span>wellbeing<\/strong> .<\/span><\/p>\n

So food should be presented in a way that engages<\/b> your birds for as long as possible. Easier said than done. As to that, first, you have to know one essential basis: Our pet birds have usually grown up at breeders who mostly use breeding boxes and normally only feed the adult animals from bowls to cover the high energy demand of raising offspring as efficiently as possible. That is why most birds bred in Europe have little to no experience with natural foraging<\/b>. Although some instincts take over here, foraging has to be learned.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Many thanks to chicken thoughts for allowing me to use the cartoons! \u2764<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Therefore, the switch from feeding from bowls to foraging has to be done step by step<\/b>. In addition, you have to make sure that the basic food supply is ensured at all times. For example, in the beginning it makes sense to only use treats for foraging while still supplying the basic feed from bowls. In general, you can follow the rule of thumb: The unhealthier\/richer the food, the more it should be worked for<\/i><\/b>. For instance, since most parrotlets prefer seeds over fruits and vegetables, the latter should be provided in an easily accessible way while you can make your birds work for their seeds with an easy conscience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Foraging<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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But what can foraging look like in practice? There are hardly any limits to your imagination here. For inspiration, I recommend watching videos of wild parrotlets<\/b> searching for food.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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