- Written by: Kris Porter
- Category: Enrichment Tips by Kris Porter
In my busy house, I often use diversionary tactics to re-direct a parrot's attention. I always have what I refer to as "strategically placed clutter" on the kitchen counter. Usually it is a large bowl of parrot toy parts, a cardboard box, a crock of foot toys, a container of colored pasta and anything else I can think of that might divert the attention away from the task I'm trying to perform (preferably without parrot interference). I find if I rotate the items that I have laying around on the counter and the breakfast bar I can keep their attention focused on those areas, at least for a few minutes. Time enough for me to wash and chop vegetables or prep supper.
I will also sometimes arrange a novel spot to place items of interest around the house to provide my birds a different place to explore. When you have your parrots out of an evening, you could set up a small table or TV tray in a corner of the living room with a crock of foot toys or toy parts and 1 nut hidden amongst those items. On that same table you might place a used paperback book to chew. This provides your parrot with a fresh new exciting area to investigate and hopefully keep busy for a little while.
Here is an activity that kept Zorba busy long enough for me to fix a quick supper. For this occasion, I happened to have an empty water bottle on the counter. I filled it with spare toy parts and set it on the counter hoping Zorba might focus on the new item and keep busy while I cooked. It worked!
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