More than just a pet in a cage—exotics need enrichment too

Exotic pets, typically defined as anything other than a dog or cat, are part of more than 19 million households in the United States, according to the American Pet Products Association. While birds, small animals and reptiles can’t readily hop in the car to head to the dog park, they still need interaction with their owners and time out of their cages. A lack of environmental enrichment can lead to behavioral and health issues, which often end with the pet being relinquished to a shelter or rescue because the pet owner can’t handle the pet anymore.

“Surrender is absolutely preventable”

Surrender doesn’t have to be the ultimate outcome, as many of these issues can be prevented through enrichment, says Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP (avian), who owns Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics in Bedford Hills, New York.

The most important thing you can do when clients come to your clinic for help with their pets is to know what’s normal and what’s not, says Hess. If you don’t know what’s typical for that species, how will you then recognize abnormal behavior, she continues.

“The pet is outside of its normal habitat and it has often been taken out of its normal social group, like a flock, and it’s been put into a foreign environment,” Hess says. “That can be stressful.
n the wild, these animals might spend a good part of their day foraging for live food, making a home and looking for a mate. In a human home, those activities may not occur on a daily basis, but they can be recreated through enrichment items.

“This is particularly an issue with birds. Sometimes they’re good for the first few years and then the bird reaches sexual maturity and then it starts screaming and biting because it’s frustrated and wants more attention,” Hess says. “The bird isn’t fun anymore, so the pet owner doesn’t want to be with it as much, which leads to more cage time. It’s kind of a vicious cycle.”

Hess says putting birds on a schedule from the start can help. Provide them with toys and let them hear the TV, or put their cage near a window (as long as there’s nothing scary outside of it), and give them a schedule. The bird then knows that it’ll have cage time when its owners are gone where it can eat and play with toys, and time later when the pet owner is home to be out on their perch. Then it’s more comfortable in the cage and doesn’t view it as a prison.
All species benefit from foraging for food. Food can be hidden in crumpled paper, stuck in the bars of a cage or even buried in material on the floor of the cage. The pet then has to work in a way that’s mentally challenging and fights boredom to find its meal.

“Pet owners may be grossed out by the thought of live mealworms (versus purchasing dead ones), but reptiles, sugar gliders—even chickens love foraging for live mealworms. They like to catch them and discover what it is and it’s a tasty meal for them,” Hess says.

All species benefit from foraging for food. Food can be hidden in crumpled paper, stuck in the bars of a cage or even buried in material on the floor of the cage. The pet then has to work in a way that’s mentally challenging and fights boredom to find its meal.

“Pet owners may be grossed out by the thought of live mealworms (versus purchasing dead ones), but reptiles, sugar gliders—even chickens love foraging for live mealworms. They like to catch them and discover what it is and it’s a tasty meal for them,”