Enrichment & Natural Behavior

For this group, useful enrichment includes: hide food at several heights, use hanging or elevated forage stations that require climbing before gliding, rotate branch layouts while preserving safe landing lanes, offer nest-building materials and multiple nest choices, provide scent-safe natural browse and occasional insect-search opportunities.

Merck notes that food can be an enrichment activity when it remains part of a balanced nutrition plan. That means enrichment should use measured portions of normal food—not a stream of extra calories.

• Make the animal use its body correctly: Build vertically but preserve horizontal glide lanes. Give the animal high launch points, broad safe landing surfaces, branches between levels and protected nest boxes. Dense clutter that blocks a glide can be more dangerous than an open lane.
• Change routes, not safety. Move a branch, tunnel or forage location while preserving secure shelter and predictable escape paths.
• Reward full-body movement. Place resources so the animal climbs, glides, digs, walks or stretches rather than only reaching through bars.
• Protect joints and feet. Variety should not require repeated hard landings or prolonged standing on wire.

• hide food at several heights
• use hanging or elevated forage stations that require climbing before gliding
• rotate branch layouts while preserving safe landing lanes
• offer nest-building materials and multiple nest choices
• provide scent-safe natural browse and occasional insect-search opportunities
• Use the regular ration. Hide or scatter part of the food that would have been fed anyway.
• Keep difficulty adjustable. The animal should work, but not become unable to obtain enough food.
• Check what was destroyed. Any toy or feeder that splinters, frays or creates a swallowing hazard should be removed.

• Frantic repetition: constant escape attempts or stereotypic pacing can mean the environment is still inadequate.
• Resource guarding: enrichment that causes one animal to block another from food or shelter should be duplicated or removed.
• Weight gain: “enrichment treats” count as food and can quietly become a major calorie source.
• Injury or fear: remove anything that repeatedly causes falls, snagging, panic or hiding for long periods.
• No use at all: make the task more biologically relevant before assuming the animal “doesn’t like enrichment.”