I’m not sure, but I think I started a “trend” on Instagram by accident…
I wanted a way to keep my birds safe and secured in a foraging space that was separate than both their regular cages and the travel cages.
I currently live in an apartment with carpeted floor (in most rooms), and was trying to come up with a place for the boys to play, forage for snacks, and just hang out while I did other things (clean cages, clean the house, work on the computer, etc.). I wanted to give them opportunities for foraging beyond the ones in their cage (foraging toys, wheel with snacks), but not make a huge mess on the carpet.
I had gone into my local PetCo and PetSmart stores, looked into doggie playpens (metal cages, fencing, plastic fencing, etc.), and everything was super expensive, didn’t have a top enclosure feature, or was just unsafe due to heavy metals (like aluminum or zinc coated metal).
I started researching alternative doggie playpens and came across a pop-up, folding nylon fabric playpen (on Amazon), that had a side door and fully enclosed zip-off mesh top. This product was not costly, light and easy to use and break back down to store when not in use (it folds down into a small, flat circle and comes with a bag to place it in), and gave me flexibility on where to use it in the house.
I currently keep the playpen up all day long, and honestly, have never stored it away because the boys love using it so often.
For the majority of the time, they use the playpen in the living room, but they enjoy going in it to spend time with me in the office when I’m working from home, or even to go out on the patio to get sunshine on warm days (which luckily, is most days, because we live in Los Angeles).
So in the bottom of the playpen, I add a sheet of packing paper (which I buy at a local office store, comes in a box of 200 sheets of plain, recycled paper sheets).
I have a small plastic shoebox-sized bin that is filled with paper shreds, then I add some toys (such as rattan balls, sola wood balls, paper straw pieces, mahogany pod slices, and other small items they like). Lastly, I add in my dry mix treats (some on the bottom, under the shreds for added challenge, and the rest sprinkled on top).
Be sure not to add too many treats or it becomes too easy and they won’t want to work for the hard ones at the bottom. Change out (fully replace) all the dry mix every few days for freshness.
If you’re interested, my shop, Busy Bird Toys, sells a custom hand-packed mix, The Triple D Mix. Check it out here in my shop. It contains a blend of dried herbs, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and more.
Your birds may need time to “desensitize” to the playpen, so start by exposing them to it daily for short amounts of time, then longer and longer. Birds are notorious for being scared of everything new (especially cockatiels, like my sweet, Cooper). Be sure to make the birdie playpen a fun experience for you and them along the way.
Happy foraging, every-birdie!
