Nutrition and Enrichment Recordings

Nutrition and Enrichment Recordings from Previous Online Events

Missed an online event that was recorded? Or, perhaps you attended, but would like to watch it again! When recording is permissible by our speakers, we like to make them available to anyone interested.

Our monthly educational programs are free and open to anyone. If this information is worth $5, $10, $25 or more to you, please consider making a donation to help us continuing providing online educational programming!

February 8, 2025: "What the Heck Is Enrichment?"
with Debbie Foster CPBT-KA and CPBC

Does the whole idea of enrichment confuse you? Wondering if you're doing it right, wrong, or doing it at all? Debbie will walk us through various categories of enrichment and provide some outside-the-box activities and ideas to keep our birds busy. The right kind of enrichment can prevent boredom and enhance a bird's quality-of-life. A physically engaged bird is a healthier bird. Teaching our birds various active and enriched behaviors will help them to thrive in our homes. Debbie is a certified behavior consultant and professional bird trainer. IAABC CEUs approved.

November 16, 2023: "Nutritional Information and Cuisine"
with Karmen Budai

Karmen is the author of several cookbooks for birds, starting with her wonderful 2018 book called A Parrot’s Fine Cuisine Cookbook and Nutritional Guide. She was inspired to help her own parrot, a cockatoo named Polly. Karmen discovered the value of organic raw foods, herbs, teas, sprouts, and holistic medicines. Given her first book’s success and her continued passion for health, she published two more very informative cookbooks. Karmen is very creative with recipes and ideas, and it’s often how we present food to our birds that can inspire them to eat the good stuff. We hope you will also be inspired to provide more variety and creativity in your bird’s diet as well. Karmen lives in the United Kingdom and is the founder of Polly’s Natural Parrot Boutique store where she sells some amazing avian herbal teas, flowers, and freeze dried food which is another way of helping to provide enrichment to all parrots and goes hand-in-hand with the message she’s eager to share with all parrot owners. This event approved for IAABC CEUs.

October 14, 2023: What The Budgerigar Can Teach Us About Parrot Care" with Dr. Amy Zhao, The Budgie Academy

The budgerigar is one of the world's most popular parrots. These small grass parakeets have captivated the world for many decades and, as a result, are at the center of many studies looking into their biology, nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. These studies unlocked a world of knowledge about them--their opportunistic breeding behavior, how they regulate their reproductive hormones and egg laying, their unique nutritional needs, and more. While the budgie is certainly a unique species among the world of parrots, we see many of these themes popping up across many other parrot species in very similar ways. Our knowledge of the budgerigar provides with important insights into how we can best manage these other species where studies do not exist (yet). Dr. Zhao breaks down the most influential findings in budgerigar care and what they can tell us about caring for all of our parrot species. You can learn more about her work at The Budgie Academy. This event approved for IAABC CEUs.

March 25, 2023: What Does a Wild Parrot Eat and Why? with José Antonio Dìaz Luque

This event approved for IAABC CEUs.Ever wondered what your parrot actually eats in the wild? Intriguing, right? Of course, wild birds lead a totally different life full of activity, exericise, predatory threats, and opportunities to chose their own companions and diets. However, we can learn a lot about our companion parrots and their potential needs by studying the diets and behavior of their wild counterparts. In some cases, maybe there are some beneficial correlations. José is the Executive Director | Endangered Conservation Consultancy. He has 14 years of experience in the field with a specialty interest in conservation and biodiversity. He has participated in or led 13 conservation and research programs in 8 countries, and collaborated on many research papers about wild parrot nutrition. José spent many years as a leader of several conservation efforts in Bolivia. He now works with the Macaw Recovery Network in central America as the Network Program Coordinator.

January 28, 2023: "The Wonder of Parrots" with Rosemary Low

Rosemary Low is the English author of more than 30 books on birds, published between 1969 and 2022. She has published more books on parrots than any other author, ever! She is the former Curator of Birds at Loro Parque, Tenerife, and Palmitos Park, Gran Canaria. Rosemary has a wealth of knowledge and spoke with us about the nature of parrots, their diets and nutrition, plants, and other important parrot care topics. We were joined by Chris Shank from Cockatoo Downs and Susan Orosz, PhD, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice), DECZM for the Q&A session. for the Q&A session.

July 11, 2021: "Nourish to Flourish"

Ann Brooks, Phoenix Landing Foundation

Good food will make all the difference to your bird’s health, both physically and mentally. Let’s talk about the variety of important fresh foods, dry foods and pellets, supplements, and presentation options you can use to ensure your bird actually eats what you work so hard to provide! We also discuss some of the health issues that result from poor diets.

October 18, 2020: "Avian enrichment: Easy DIY Hacks" - a collaborative presentation from Phoenix Landing Foundation and Companion Parrots Re-homed

Michelle Underhill, Phoenix Landing Foundation
Wendy Whitesides, Companion Parrots Re-homed

Give your parrots something to do and things to think about using some easy enrichment hacks! Make some simple toys using common household items, and tweak their setup in simple ways to add variety. Join Wendy from Companion Parrots Re-homed and Michelle from Phoenix Landing Foundation as they illustrate ways to create new toys, and update your bird's area, without breaking the bank.

September 12, 2020: "Healthy Whole Foods for Your Birds" with Jason Crean, M.S. (Biology), EdD

Jason Crean, M.S. Biology, EdD

Animal nutrition continues to evolve and we need to keep finding new ways to not only enrich our birds nutritionally, but also behaviorally. Though species-specific research, particularly that on avian diets, is lacking, it is no secret that the animals with which we live can thrive on diets that consist of a diversity of whole foods. This talk will discuss the concept of diversifying the preparation of whole foods, providing many ideas as to how to feed a whole food diet. Animals in the wild have access to countless food items and we can do our best to bring our birds from just surviving to thriving through increased dietary diversity and enrichment.

August 29, 2020: Interior Design: Setting Up the Cage for ACTION

Ann Brooks, Phoenix Landing Foundation

Birds spend many hours in their cages, and often these cages are not very large, which can reduce the opportunity for exercise, enrichment, and action. Let's talk about how to set up a bird's environment, especially their cage, for fun and multiple activities -- to include ideas for perches, plants, cleaning, privacy, foraging, the outside of the cage, and adjoining play areas.

May 2, 2020: Did You Know? A Gathering of Parrot Care Information

Ann Brooks, Phoenix Landing Foundation

During our numerous events and conversations over the years, many interesting parrot care topics and facts have come up. We've gathered these together into a class that also covers some of the primary areas of health, enrichment, intelligence, nutrition, housing and safety. Join us for a discussion about some of the more intriguing aspects of parrots, and how we can strive to make their lives longer, healthier and happier.