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The Finster Log
Everybody Needs Toys
Posted on: 09/27/02, 14:59:41
All creatures need something to do, particularly when they are in captivity. They spend most, if not all, of their day locked in a cage, and if they get too bored, they can go crazy. So it's a good idea to give them new things to do. Cleaning everything and moving all the perches around can help, although if you change things too much it'll take them awhile to settle in.
Apart from the once-yearly major Finsterium cleaning, about every three weeks I take the three trays out one by one, clean up all the seed squeezins, and put another three weeks' worth of paper liners in the two side trays (the middle tray gets cleaned every day since most of the food sits there). The Finsters just love checking out the bottom of the cage when the trays are gone. This photo shows the late Snow Dude peeking out (Zebra Finster, he's still a juvenile here, his cheek patches aren't in yet, and his beak is still a little black).
This photo shows another good Finster toy. This is a strip of cloth that I tie around the end of the perch hardware so Peanut won't accidentally bump into it when he flies over to the Finsterium. Peanut will chew on it, but if you look closely you'll see that one end is inside the cage. I think Frank is the one who manages to bring this inside, since I see him chewing on it a lot. Some of the Societies like it, too.
Another good toy is plastic vines I hot glue to the tops of nest boxes. The Finsters spend a lot of time chewing on the leaves, and trying to rearrange them to make a nice nest. This is Sally on the box.
Any item that could possibly be used to build a nest is also fair game for toys, but I try to discourage nest building, to try to keep the hens from laying too many eggs.
For the most part, though, Finster toys are food. Put a pepper heart in the cage, and they'll fly right down to check it out and eat the seeds. Same with cucumbers, corn (either thawed frozen kernels or chunks of cob), broccoli, etc. Except for a lettuce leaf, which they get every day, I try to give them different food items all the time, so they'll have something new to check out.
Apart from the once-yearly major Finsterium cleaning, about every three weeks I take the three trays out one by one, clean up all the seed squeezins, and put another three weeks' worth of paper liners in the two side trays (the middle tray gets cleaned every day since most of the food sits there). The Finsters just love checking out the bottom of the cage when the trays are gone. This photo shows the late Snow Dude peeking out (Zebra Finster, he's still a juvenile here, his cheek patches aren't in yet, and his beak is still a little black).
This photo shows another good Finster toy. This is a strip of cloth that I tie around the end of the perch hardware so Peanut won't accidentally bump into it when he flies over to the Finsterium. Peanut will chew on it, but if you look closely you'll see that one end is inside the cage. I think Frank is the one who manages to bring this inside, since I see him chewing on it a lot. Some of the Societies like it, too.
Another good toy is plastic vines I hot glue to the tops of nest boxes. The Finsters spend a lot of time chewing on the leaves, and trying to rearrange them to make a nice nest. This is Sally on the box.
Any item that could possibly be used to build a nest is also fair game for toys, but I try to discourage nest building, to try to keep the hens from laying too many eggs.
For the most part, though, Finster toys are food. Put a pepper heart in the cage, and they'll fly right down to check it out and eat the seeds. Same with cucumbers, corn (either thawed frozen kernels or chunks of cob), broccoli, etc. Except for a lettuce leaf, which they get every day, I try to give them different food items all the time, so they'll have something new to check out.
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