Stuff Me Madly

Im running away to Chicago-Land and Im going petless. I had to interview pet sitters and I am pretty sure half of this town now thinks I'm mad. Whatever.

As per the norm, when I go away for longer than usual the animals get little surprises. I picked up a couple of new toys because I feel extra guilty for leaving and knowing that I am going to have SO much fun. (Hello, Shedd Aquarium, I will be all up in you this week) Im a HUGE fan, like most trainers and behaviorists, of stuff able toys. I am NOT a huge fan, though, of the fillers spooning  them on the shelf. 

Kong is a leader in canine foraging toys. The new designs are way fun and offer plenty of variation for a variety of dogs. JW is another company that I find different foraging toys from. Their rubber is a lot softer than a majority of Kongs, so parents of aggressive chewers beware. 

So, what do I stuff with?

Today it was:

• Bananas
• carrots

If you crack a banana open in my house, you will have 3 dog noses pointed your directing in 23 seconds. Ellie will draw blood for a bite of your banana. For sure. No need to get all fancy every time you stuff. I see recipes for some radical dog toy stuffings. Just grab a banana and a knife, cut a few slices and shmoosh it right on in. 

Carrots are even easier. My dogs know the difference between a carrot on the cutting board... and anything else on the cutting board. Again, lots of dog in your face. 

The goal for these toys is to encourage foraging behaviors. I will be super bummed if it takes my dogs 2 licks to be through a toy that could potentially be savored for 10 minutes. Easiest way to increase time spent on one of the bad boys? Freeze them. 

My freezer always has a stash of goodies, like Ellies shrimp! What do YOU stuff with? 

She's a Nekkid, Shrimp Lovin Kind of Gal.

Something tells me that the keyboard warriors are going to come after me once this blog is published. Put your 6plus away and relax! I am going to post a photo of Miss Ellie. I'm just going to put it right here. 

Ellies Short Tale

Ok, let me tell you the short version of Ellies story before PETA is at my door. As per her band, she was wild caught and imported about 26 years ago through Los Angeles. The rescue that I adopted her from was told that she lived in complete solitude in a bare wire rabbit cage for about 20 of those years. She then found herself with a nice couple who upgraded her to a size appropriate cage, but once they realized they couldn't offer her the life that she deserved she was relinquished into Little League Rescues care. Annette is the founder of the rescue and fostered this beautiful little "Too" in her own home. She began slowly introducing Ellie to toys, a proper pelleted diet (Harrisons), fresh produce, an outdoor aviary and some one-on-one loving that she SO craves. After a few visits with two different avian specialty veterinarians, it was determined that little Miss Ellie would potentially be able to regrow her wing feathers, but her body had been so severely damaged over the years that she would probably remain Nekkid. Her feather destruction has decreased a ton but its still there, just waiting for me to get too comfortable in our routine and she begins again. 

That brings me to today. I officially adopted Ellie in July, but we've known each other for the past year while she was in Little League Rescue. Right now I am helping her get settled into our new home in the midwest, then the plan is to conduct a functional assessment to figure out the function of the feather destruction. Here is an inforgraphic on the 4 functions of behavior:

For now the plan is to increase enrichment, increasentime in the fresh air and to introduce training. But, back to the reason you're even on this blog. SHRIMP. 

Now, even though I am confident that Ellie is receiving all of the nutrients that she needs from her pellets, adding novel food items are a great form of enrichment! When creating enrichment always think about the animals natural history. Cockatoos spend an incredible amount of time on the ground foraging. Not what you would have thought, huh? It is SO important to figure out what behaviors you want an animal to display before tossing toys at them. I would love to see Ellie eventually forage for her entire diet (pellets included) throughout her cage rather than eat from a bowl. For now though, we will start with foraging for high value items. 

High value treats like steamed shrimp are used when:

• I am gone for work

• home repairs are being done

• my toddler wakes up with a wild hair

• crazy storms roll in

Im nothing if not prepared. My freezer has some crazy concoctions just waiting to make an appearance. 

Some parrots are more destructive than others. Ellie has shown a CLEAR preference for paper, leaving plastic items relatively safe. Please supervise animals closely when introducing new enrichment. Always inspect living spaces daily to ensure everyone is safe. Because this was her first time meeting steamed Mr. Shrimpy, I kept it simple and stuck him in an empty wiffle ball. 

She. Went. To. Town. I think shrimp is so gross, but I will be her steaming queen if she appreciates the treat. 

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.