|
Fantastic Foraging Blocks
|
At the "Project Page" of this website I show how I make what I called Almond Stick wood toys. I noticed with these toys that my parrots chewed some around the holes that house the almonds but quit chewing on the wood after they got the almonds out. So I got to thinking, what if I could get Jerry to figure out a way to combine the wood slats they liked and holes that would house almonds in one toy?
Jerry has been perfecting the design of this toy for a few years. He came up with a brilliant design which we are able to offer for sale here on this website. Actually he has three designs for different size beaks. We have a small, medium and large block.
We make the small and medium blocks from what Home Depot calls premium SPF whitewood which means the wood is either untreated spruce, pine, fir or a combination of either.
The large block is made from untreated Douglas fir 4 x 4 studs which is a slightly harder wood than pine.
I suspect the whitewood 2 x 4 studs are made of a type of fir also since the intended use is for framing and fir is a slightly harder wood than pine which would offer better support.
What's key here is the wood is safe for parrots and the birds like it. The screw eyes are stainless steel.
|
| My parrots all seem to favor the Small Fantastic Foraging Block. The design of the cuts and holes wrapping around the block appeals to them.
The cuts are approximately 1/4" wide in all the blocks so you can put all sorts of their favorite treats in the cut out slats, whole sugar snap peas, carrot sticks, cinnamon sticks, almonds or pieces of walnuts and more.
The small block has four 3/4" holes wrapping around the block.
The medium block has two 3/4" holes and one 7/8" center hole.
The large block has four 7/8" holes. The holes in the large 4 x 4 x 6" block are drilled completely through the block so you can stuff an almond in the shell or a nutri-berrie deep inside the block.
|
I made a video infomercial for you to highlight the special features of each of the blocks and demonstrate the creative possiblities of these spectacular wood foraging toys.
|
 |
| Stewie Checks It Out |
|
|
 |
| Stewie Is Interested |
|
|
 |
| Stewie Needs Another One |
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
|
Question About Fresh Vegetables in the Fantastic Foraging Block
Several parrot owners have expressed concern over putting fresh vegetables in the toys and leaving them in the cages. Their concern is that bacteria may become a problem with a wooden toy.
I've asked my good friend Pamela Clark, CVT, www.pamelaclarkonline.com, to help me address these concerns. Pam is a well-known author, speaker, and parrot behavior consultant whose experience with parrots dates back 40 years to the purchase of her first pair of lovebirds. Her knowledge extends to a wide range of parrot species and has been gained through experiences as diverse as breeding to rescue and rehabilitation. Pam also works as a veterinary technician for an avian specialist, Dr. Richard Hillmer of Oak Hills Veterinary Clinic & Bird Hospital in Salem, Oregon. According to Pamela Clark:
"It is quite safe to use fresh vegetables in the Fantastic Foraging Blocks for two reasons. First, the vegetables will be quickly eaten or destroyed. If they are not, they can be easily removed at the end of the day, effectively eliminating any concern. Once they have been removed, there is no concern because any bacteria present will not grow on the wood, since it provides insufficient nutrition.
Second, for bacteria to multiply, it must have a steady supply of an optimal food source. Fresh vegetables are not a particularly good source of ready nutrition for bacteria. In any fresh vegetable, the cell walls remain intact, even if that vegetable has been chopped into smaller pieces. This is not the case with cooked or frozen vegetables whose cell walls have been compromised, allowing bacteria to more easily enter and gain a foothold.
Consider what happens when you keep vegetables in your refrigerator. If they are well-cleaned and have been dried to remove excess moisture, they will keep well for over a week, illustrating the point above. If they are removed from the refrigerator and placed upon a counter top, they will dry out but will not grow bacteria in any significant numbers.
If fresh, well-washed vegetables are used in the foraging blocks there is little risk. It must also be remembered that it should not be our goal to try to eliminate all bacteria with which our companion parrots come into contact. After all, these are birds who might have drunk from pools of water and foraged for food on the ground or tree canopy where bacteria are present in staggering numbers. The important goal is to feed parrots in such a way that their immune systems function well."
You, of course, are the one to make the determination whether or not to use fresh vegetables as foraging material in The Fantastic Foraging Blocks. If you remain uncomfortable with the idea you can always stuff the holes and slats with nutri-berries, nuts, avi-cake, nutri-forage, cinnamon sticks and even bobbles and beads.
|
I've had several customers ask if the toys are made in a bird-free environment and the answer is yes. We converted our 3 car garage into a wood working shop. The garage is on a separate heat system from the house. In the summer the house is air conditioned but the garage is not and we run ceiling fans out there with garage doors open. We have flighted parrots. For their safety we don't allow our birds access to the garage at any time of the year. All the toys are made in the garage and I have an area set aside for storage of toys, toy parts and packing materials. Any toys made for my parrots are kept in the house in a spare bedroom converted to a craft / toy making room. The for sale toys and toy parts stay in the garage stored in plastic bins.
|
|
