Enrichment to Enhance Species-Specific Behaviors

In the wild, especially on coconut plantations, the Moluccan cockatoo is known to be a pest because they will tear through the coconuts and eat them. All the layers and breaking it open with their beak. They’re in pursuit of the coconut innards, which is a delicious treat. Just in case you need to be reminded how powerful these creatures are.

Coconuts could be considered “natural enrichment” for the Moluccan cockatoo. Natural enrichment is enrichment found in the wild that the birds would investigate and interact with in order to get food or maintain grooming. Browse can also be super fun for parrots to destroy and chew, but you have to be sure that what you are giving is safe for parrots. If you gather enrichment from outside, like I love giving them bamboo from down the street, you have to be sure that is is properly harvested. Too close to a road, sprayed with pesticides, animal waste on the beaches all can be detrimental to our parrots. You may think “well they would encounter this is the wild, it’s safe” but our spoiled parrots do not have the same immunity built up as wild birds because they’re not exposed to as much.

Let them have fun, chew, destroy, waste, that’s what parrots do. But make sure what you’re giving is as safe as possible!