Quite often your own parrots will give you ideas for providing them with enrichment. This tip comes straight from my Congo African Grey parrot, Zorba. My husband, Jerry, and I had been to lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant and I put the fortune cookies in my pocket for later. When we got home I emptied the contents of my pockets on the kitchen counter.

Later, the parrots were all out and I was fixing their evening supper when behind me I heard Zorba's wings. I looked around to see him land on the counter, steal one of the fortune cookies and fly off to his basket perch hanging from the ceiling. I had forgotten they were on the counter. My initial reaction was this was not something he should have. Realizing there was no way to retrieve the fortune cookie from him without getting bitten; I got the camera and watched to see what Zorba would do.

I watched as Zorba tore off the cellophane wrapper. Then he took bites off the cookie, tossing them down to the floor. He took out the fortune, dropped the rest of the cookie and beaked the paper strip of fortune for a few seconds. He didn't eat the cookie or the cellophane wrapper. Instead he treated it more like a shredding toy. He was more interested in getting the paper fortune out of the inside of the cookie.

This is another one of those ideas where I feel the need to add a cautionary note at the end. I'm satisfied this is a safe enrichment item to give Zorba. But for your own parrot - it may not be. Here is where you need to know your parrot to determine if this item is safe to give to your own bird.

How often have you heard at Christmas time or at birthday parties that children have more fun playing with the box rather than the toy that came in it? By the same token, I am finding my parrots will choose to play with the snaps on Jerry's shirt; a dog or child's toy; or an ordinary object found around the house in preference to a more conventional store bought parrot toy. I've learned my parrots are not at all unique in this preference for making toys out of ordinary household objects, books, baby toys, or buttons on remote controls. Anything to keep them busy that doesn't jeopardize their safety or destroy my prized possessions is good, I'm thinking.

On the subject of destroying prized possessions, I am still wondering if this was such a good idea on my part. I planted several hanging baskets full of edible flowers and colorful Swiss chard greens and hung them on and around play stands in the aviary to encourage outdoor activity. I enjoyed sitting outside in the aviary watching my parrots nibble at the pansies while we all soaked up the sunshine. I now realize I hadn't thought far enough ahead when planning this activity. Consequently no indoor plant located near a play area is safe from curious beaks. The live plants are all on the safe list and I rotate out plants that are pruned to expose bare dirt. In the living and family rooms I'm learning to live with awkwardly pruned plants. It is destruction I can live with as it promotes activity and in most cases the leaves grow back.

Ruth Fahrmeier shares information on gardening for parrots in her article, "Plants and Parrots - a Personal Perspective" reprinted with her permission in The Parrot Enrichment Activity Book, Version 2; available as a free download at www.ParrotEnrichment.com.

Pomegranates are a favorite fruit for my flock, but they are only in season for a short amount of time. Late October through early December is the season for pomegranates. I found a way that my parrots can enjoy pomegranate seeds out of season which requires minimal preparation.

Deseed your pomegranate and arrange the seeds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place them in the freezer for 2 hours or until frozen. Once frozen, put them into a freezer bag or container and store them in the freezer. They should be good for up to 6 months.

My parrots enjoy the frozen seeds on their own as a special treat or scattered over their morning vegetables.

I can't believe I haven't thought to make foraging toys from the Ziploc baggie boxes before. I had the box in my hand ready to throw it in the trash when I focused on the opening in the top of the box. The box for the quart size bags has a long oval opening on the top - perfect for foraging. I filled the box with foot toys, pieces of grass mats, left over toy parts, a plastic measuring spoon, a dried corn husk, a carrot, a walnut and other assorted items.
Another item I almost discarded was the empty cornstarch container. Argo brand cornstarch comes in a yellow plastic container with a bright blue lid. I was ready to toss the container when I realized if I cut a few holes in the sides and filled it with wooden blocks, beads, treats and other foot toys it might make a great toy. It was a big hit with Zorba. Now I'm tempted to empty the cornstarch out of the new container to make another one for him.

I discovered this enrichment tip while sitting in my living room watching television this past weekend. Zorba, my CAG, was determined to distract me by gently nipping at my arm. I had a few Christmas cards on the table next to me. I got one, folded it in accordion pleats, then folded it in half and handed it to Zorba. This new foot toy kept him busy so I could watch television in peace for a little while. Instead of tossing your cards, you might want to try folding them for use as a foot toy or you could incorporate the folded cards into other toys that you make.

I have found that a rice cake will have great shredding appeal when added to toys. My favorite application is to top an empty clear plastic applesauce cup that has nuts, small pieces of vegetable and fruit inside with a rice cake. My parrots will eagerly shred through the rice cake to get at what is inside the applesauce cup.

I find my birds are more interested in shredding away the rice cake to get at what is under it - than they are in eating the rice cake. But it is good to know that there are whole grain rice cakes available that are made with brown rice and no added salts or sugars.

Recently, in a quest to give my parrots something new and exciting to do; I discovered ice cream cones make great additions to toys. They have the same shredding appeal as the rice cakes and they add variety. I will make a small hole in the end of the ice cream cone and string it on the toy (upside down). Inside the ice cream cone I will put nuts and other treats and then cover the cone with an empty applesauce cup. Above and below those items I add other toys like a crunch ball, whiffle ball, corn husks, plastic toy parts, etc.

In the example pictured below, I used a vine ring as my base and medium hemp rope to string on items to make the vine ring more interesting. I placed a rice cake on top. In the center of the vine ring I filled an ice cream cone with a nutri-berry and carrot pieces and topped it with a vine ball stuffed with an almond. Under the vine ring I added a paper towel roll stuffed with corn husks and another vine ball with a peanut inside. After Zorba tore apart the ice cream cone and rice cake, he went to work shredding the vine balls and vine ring.

I think providing good nutrition is an important part of enriching my parrot's life. I like to offer a variety of fresh vegetables and sprouts along with the pellets that I give my parrots.

Sprouting is a great way to provide excellent nutrition. A bowl of chopped fresh vegetables and sprouts all mixed together can also provide a foraging experience. I love to watch my parrot's dive into their morning bowl of fresh food. Their beaks are busy stirring, tossing and picking out what they choose to eat that day. I find it varies from day-to-day the foods they pick out to eat. But every day they have a variety of choices to make of what to eat in their bowl of fresh vegetables and sprouts.

One of the best and easiest ways I've found to sprout is the "Easy Sprout" available at www.sproutpeople.com. I tried about every other sprouting device sold at the natural foods stores and never had good results. With the "Easy Sprout" I have never failed to get good sprouts. The "Easy Sprout" is made of high density polyethylene (Fortiflex® T50-3600 HDP) which is a non-leaching plastic.

At the "SproutPeople" website you will also find information on types of grains, seeds and legumes along with complete sprouting instructions and recipes for cooking with sprouts. One recipe I use at my house is an egg pancake. I scramble an egg and add in 2 Tablespoons finely chopped greens (kale, mustard, turnip or collard); 1 Tablespoon grated carrot; and 2 Tablespoons of fresh sprouted lentils and mixed grains. I fry it in Red Palm oil like you would a pancake and cut in pieces to give to the birds.

I wrap treats in corn husks to make little tamale surprises. First I soak corn husks in warm water for about 15 minutes to get them pliable then drain them in a colander. I take one whole corn husk and cut or peel it into ¼ inch strips to use for ties. I wrap an in-shell almond or walnut half in one corn husk and tie it up with one of the strips. Almonds are smaller so you may find it easier to wrap if you cut the corn husk in half first.

Once I have the tamale surprises rolled and tied, I put them on stainless steel baking racks to dry overnight. I like to use the baking racks because air can circulate on all sides of the wraps. The corn husks dry quickly and thoroughly which helps prevent mold from growing on a wet husk. I don't store them in closed plastic containers or bags either. I store mine in a plastic storage drawer that fits under the cage. The drawer isn't airtight and it is easily accessible to me for on-the-spot dispensing.

My parrots favor these tamale surprises to such extent that I have started wrapping non-food items inside the corn husks. I wrap up small foot toys, plastic animal shapes, large textured plastic beads or pieces of bird safe wood and mix those in with the nut filled corn husk wraps. Sometimes they get a nut and sometimes they don't. But they are always eager to tear into their tamale surprise to get at whatever toy or treat is inside.

This month I want to share a link to a new website, www.pamelaclarkonline.com

I recently received a blog post from Parrot-Speak with Pamela Clark that gave me the best perspective on foraging I have ever read. In her May 8, 2011 posting: Episode 4: The Seeking System, Pam shares a quote from Temple Grandin's book Animals Make Us Human: "Everyone who is responsible for animals – farmers, ranchers, zookeepers, and pet owners – needs a set of simple, reliable guidelines for creating good mental welfare that can be applied to any animal in any situation, and the best guidelines we have are the core emotion systems in the brain. The rule is simple: Don't stimulate Rage, Fear, and Panic if you can help it, and do stimulate Seeking and also Play:

In this same blog post, Pamela, gives us a broader concept of the "Seeking System" and explains in greater detail how to stimulate seeking for companion parrots. I encourage you to visit Pamela Clark's new website and go to her Blog page to read Episode 4: The Seeking System, in its entirety. You might also want to subscribe to her blog so you can receive regular posts from Pamela Clark. Pam offers unique insights on how to live successfully with parrots. Her ability to see life from a parrot's perspective and show us how to improve the quality of life for the birds living in our own homes is unparalleled.

The Wacky Whirly Straw Kit, advertised for children to use to make bracelets, necklaces and more, is not just for children. The wacky whirly tool cuts straws in a swirly design that appeals to parrots and provides hours of entertainment for me as well as my feathered companions. You simply take a number of the cut straws, put them together with a zip tie and attach it to a toy base or the bars of the cage. I love this toy! I can spend hours in front of the television of an evening mindlessly twirling away at cutting straws. Perhaps it is comforting in the same way as twirling one's hair. An added bonus; this activity hampers mindless snacking as hands kept busy with the wacky whirly tool aren't putting popcorn, chips or pretzels in the mouth.

This is another activity that requires you to know your parrot. I watched each one of my birds closely at first when playing with the wacky whirly straws. When I was satisfied they weren't going to ingest pieces of straw or get caught up in them I added them to toys in their cages. For some parrots this might be a toy that requires close supervision, especially those that may ingest plastic. You can find th Wacky Whirly Tool and neon straws at www.makeyourownbirdtoys.com