Animal enrichment

[deranged chipmunk]

Read this article today and found it interesting.

http://adventureaquarium.wordpress.c...al-enrichment/

Obviously, with frogs, some of these techniques are invalid, but some I think are interesting. Offering different foods. Allowing the frogs to hunt for their food, ect.


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[Mentat]

Interesting article Bill. Thing with frogs is that their absorptive skin restricts moving them out of enclosures into most modern home surfaces due to cleaning/preserving chemicals on them. As log as frog is not stressed by it; guess there are ways around it and today saw a member's toad pushing around one of those hamster type clear plastic balls.



In regards to food; yes, a varied diet is the way to go. Myself, think that a frog that "hunts" it's prey in vivarium will probably be more active than one that waits for it's food in a glass bowl. However, those glass bowls are proven efficient feeders, since you can closely monitor all frog's eat well. Also, bowl feeding helps prevent dusted supplements from falling off, as when the feeders roam around enclosure. Guess we can mostly feed off a bowl and then release a couple extra feeders to have frogs hunt too .

By the way, Duncan always keeps an eye on my kitchen's desk monitor while I'm watching a movie or playing games. Guess the animated pictures and movement are an entertainment for him .

[deranged chipmunk]

I agree that most of the ideas in the article don't work for frogs. The bowls are excellent feeding tools, but I think making them hunt say, once a week, is good for them.

As far as pushing a toad around in a hamster ball? No comment.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[LLLReptile]

I am a huge, huge fan of environmental enrichment for pet herps. It doesn't even necessarily need to be feeding only; lighting, cage set up, and size of enclosure all count as enrichment. Full spectrum lighting is one extremely easy way to provide enrichment, and adding live plants is another easy way to add some enrichment. When my mom's roses had an aphid infestation, I actually snagged leaves with aphids on them for my darts to eat. There's ways to enrich the captive life of your animals, you just gotta get creative.

-Jen

[JeffreH]

I was lurking in a group discussion and found that there are a handful of Uromastyx keepers that put a hamster wheel in their lizard's enclosure. The kind that are solid, without rungs (as to not snag the feet) and their Uros actually use them. Not so much for running, but just for casually walking/roaming. I believe the idea was put forth by a keeper or two who found their pet frequently pacing the enclosure and found the hamster wheel remedied the problem.

For the record, I've never used one... just commenting on what others have done to foster enrichment. Interesting topic, Bill! When I have more time, I'll read the article in its entirety.

[chibikaie]

I went for an ambush predator explicitly so I could have a low key, lower stress animal (compared to some of my others who are special needs, or are just plain demanding). I am always fiddling with the enclosure (need to add more plants!), so between that and the food variety, I really hope that is enough enrichment.