Bird Enrichment idea #148 (view all)





Sand Box
updated 06/27/09 03:29PM

Difficulty: easy

Materials:
* A good size box    
* Sand-I used children's play sand
* Sturdy shells (a bag of small shells can be gotten at Hobby Lobby for $2.99)
* Toy fish
* Buried treasure (small container with treats inside)
* Slice of loofah

Description

Wow! This has been a great enrichment. Herbie has spent hours at a time playing in the sand. He was so content last night, he stayed up two hours past his bedtime.
A box that held a case of bathroom paper was the perfect dimensions for a Herbie size bird. It measures 19x23 and is 11 inches deep. Four circles were cut in the lid, (the size of a whipped topping lid) and plastic was taped to the bottom of the box. The sand, shells and toys were put in next. (If your using shells that you have just picked up off the beach, you might want to soak them a while in a solution of 10% bleach and water.) Finish by taping the box shut.
This enrichment is best used outside. I used it indoors, so I needed to tape newspaper to the one open side of Herbie's cage. Believe me-the sand did fly. :) Note: According to Ellen K. Cook DVM clean shells are safe for birds.

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World Wildlife Fund 72% of parrots have UV reflective plumage. World Parrot Trust