Foraging enrichment that requires parrots to work for food activates natural cognitive abilities and dramatically reduces boredom-related behavior problems in captive birds.
Foraging deprivation in captive parrots is a major driver of the behavioral pathologies that lead to relinquishment and welfare deterioration. Feather destructive behavior, once established, is extremely difficult to resolve - prevention through enrichment is far more effective than treatment. Providing foraging enrichment is not optional for parrots - it is a welfare requirement for a species that evolved to spend the majority of its waking hours engaged in cognitively demanding food acquisition. All food can potentially be converted from a bowl delivery to a foraging opportunity.