Turn Your Parrots Treat Cage Into an Enrichment Powerhouse.

The treat cage is a toy that has been engaging our Cockatoo for years.  He never gets bored with it!   They are one of the easiest ways to provide enrichment for your parrot, and come in a variety of sizes.  Turn your birds playtime into an interactive experience.  It's never the same toy twice!  

Treat cages stimulate birds both mentally and physically.  There are plenty of goodies inside for them to chew on and manipulate.  It's also like a giant puzzle to figure out how to remove the items from the cage or to get to the stuff in the middle.

 If you own one of these versatile toys, or are thinking about getting one, here are some of the many ways you can use it to keep your bird entertained for a very long time!

1.  Recycle your old toys by putting the pieces in the treat cage.   
2. Add wood cubes.  We use woods of various textures, sizes and hardness.  We use harder woods like ABC blocks to softer ones, like balsa.  You can also use craft sticks.  
3. Add a paper roll.  Most treat cages have a rod going down through the center.  String it on there and pull a bit of the paper away, towards the edge of the cage.
4. Put a paper roll over the center rod and stuff it with paper shred.
5. Fill it with any shredables: pine cones, vine balls, mahogany slices, cork, bagels, etc.  Mix it up by using things with various textures, hardness and sizes.
6. Add foot toys.  Our cockatoo is not a fan of foot toys, but if we put them in his treat cage, it's a go!  
7. Add toy parts like finger traps, whiffle balls, 
8. Turn it into a foraging toy by hiding nuts or dried foods in it!  We have a small cup in the treat cage that we use.  Once your bird figures out how to get the treat from the cup, wrap it in paper before hiding it to add a layer of complexity to their foraging.

Below are some close-ups so you can see how you can pack the cage. 

One suggestion, either use your treat cage for dry ingredients (toys, nuts and dried foods) OR wet (veggies and fruits), but not both at the same time.  It makes it much harder to clean and you'll end up ruining the chewables when food waste gets on them. 

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