Filter Flowers for Days

I have seen two groups of animal lovers who are genius when it comes to enrichment.  The "parrronts" (parrot parents) and the Bunny folk. Serious talk, the best owners of these animals could teach us all a lesson about enrichment. 

Todays 5-minute friday is for bunny owners who need something in a snap. Rabbits are incredibly busy little things and when not provided with enough stimulation, they will find their own in the form of your remote, your wire, your walls...

Here's what you'll need:

• unbleached coffee filters

• wooden spoon

• sisal string

• scissors

• foraging goodies of you r choice. I used an herb mix and banana chips

The herb mix is beautiful with rose petals, linden leaves, dandelion leaves, and plantain leaves (who are great for aiding with digestion). 

Grab a stack of coffee filters and fold in half. Cut a hole small enough for the wooden spoon handle to push through. Separate the filters and slipping them on. 

Take your string and tie it around the base of the filters about an inch up. Start fluffing and filling. It's SO simple and a great foraging toy to knock around for special goodies. 

What did you fill your flower with today? 

Juicy. Crunchy. Pop in Your Mouth. Mini Sweet Peppers.

I am clinging onto summer. She can keep her happy little ass here a tad longer, like until spring. Am I right? I hate the cold. ANYWAYS. I originally got these amazing little sweet peppers to snack on with my toddler but, as toddlers do, he had other plans. (like not snacking on mini sweet peppers) Whatever. So, I had a bag of super cute little nuggets waiting to be demolished. 

Enrichment doesn't always have to be crazy intricate and sometimes changing up the everyday diet routine is the perfect way to shake up their day. Animals diets in the wild vary. Even the Koala, who's diet consists primarily of eucalyptus, alternates between 2-3 species of eucalyptus tree. The rule around here is EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. I don't have an issue with feeding out novel foods, but they are only treats. Make sure the animals in your care are fed a balanced diet specific to that particular individuals needs. DUH.

all you need are:

• mini sweet peppers

• wooden shish kabob sticks (soaked in water for a little pliability)

Because mini sweet peppers are relatively palatable, fat free, high in calcium AND a great source of fiber...Elli (the cutest nekkid cockatoo you ever did see) and the bunnies at Omas Haus both got a taste. 

Miss Ellie is fairly new to me and one of the biggest motivators for me to start blogging. I'll introduce the whole fam at another time, but for now Ill just say she's a bit shy of new enrichment. So, the goods getting delivered to her neck of the woods are pretty simplistic as she re-learns how to have some control over her environment. 

With animals who are not accustomed to regular enrichment, there is absolutely a learning curve to be had. With Ellie, I am starting with very obvious, simple, easily obtainable enrichment. Because she has only ever eaten out of a bowl in captivity(and I want very much to change that) I  introduce novel food items, like these mini sweet peppers, on a stick in the corner above her food bowl. pretty obvious. Even with introductions as simple as these, she isn't always receptive and that's OK! Change can be scary! 

The bunnies on the other hand. They're monsters. Typically, with these kids I can get super intricate. Like layers and layers of top secret codes, retina detection locks, finger print scanning, and kevlar protection can't hold these beasts back. But, for the sake of simple enrichment, they got pepper kabobs hung all around their pen to encourage foraging. 

BAM! simple enrichment right out of your kitchen.