The larger macaws all love to be given large pieces of primate biscuit, which they can grind in their bills. These food items are perhaps even more useful behaviorally than they are nutritionally. Smaller species, such as Bolborhynchus parakeets, love to have spray millet hung in the cage from which they can hang and pick off the seeds one by one. On a similar theme, we often provide our young macaws in their large free-flight aviary with branches of palm fruits suspended by rope from the roof of the aviary. Thought should always be given to not only providing a balanced diet, but also providing the birds with food in a way that will perhaps also stimulate them.
Many people concentrate too much on preventing waste and the ease of cage cleaning.
The size, shape and way in which food items are offered to the bird are all areas that can benefit from new thought from time to time. Roger G. Sweeney the Curator of Birds at Loro Parque S.A., Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Fancy Publications Inc. All rights reserved.