The Importance of Enrichment

What is enrichment? Enrichment is anything that enriches life. Simple enough, right? Now, how does that translate to our pets? Enrichment is vital for our pets to thrive, but it can take many different forms and should be tailored to our pets and their personalities. 

Why should I enrich my pets? Simple, you want them to be happy! Enrichment triggers thought, joy, or not regularly displayed behaviors. You are probably enriching your pet already without even knowing it. Enrichment can take many different forms such as a new toy, going for a walk, a treat, playing a game, training, rearranging the enclosure, or simply sitting on the couch with them.

Do any pets not need enrichment? The answer to this is no. Every living thing needs some type of enrichment to thrive, even your snake or your pet millipede. Different species require vastly different amounts of enrichment though. My Blue and Gold Macaw, Petey, requires almost constant enrichment in the way of new toys and things to destroy, but also in social interactions making him a full-time job more akin to having a toddler. My Sonoran millipede colony thrives by largely being left alone with minimal social interaction and receiving all the enrichment they need from me providing different types of produce and fresh leaf litter. Enrichment is not an option for pet ownership, but it is important to be mindful of what you can offer before choosing your animal companion. Not everyone has time or willingness to devote their life to a winged toddler who can snap a broom handle with their beak, lucky for Petey, I do. 

How should you enrich your pets? While it's not hard to enrich your pet, it's hard to lay out a game plan here as it can take so many forms. Enrichment is anything that alters their daily routine without having a negative impact on their health or stress level. Some key things to keep in mind are frequency and impact. Your approach to enrichment should be varied offering many different types, but also with impact in mind. Offering the same enrichment every day or week gets old for you and them. Change it up and keep it fun for both of you. Bigger isn't always better—long training sessions or taking a walk after a trip to town can easily push things into the realm of stress. Enrichment is meant to be fun and joyous. It's fun and games, not work. Who doesn't love going to the beach, but going every day for a year may get old. This is why only you can decide what is best for your pet, only you know what truly brings them joy. Enrichment is not a checklist I can write for you to complete, it is a commitment to try to bring joy to your pet's life every day while continually thinking of different ways to do that. 

There are several types of enrichment: environmental, food, sensory, social, cognitive, and many more. If you are stuck on what type of enrichment to provide, think or learn about what the animal does in its natural environment to find food, move around, and hide. Then you can get creative with different ways to mimic those behaviors at home. How would a sugar glider find food? They would climb, forage around, and figure out ways to get food out of crevices, therefore, food puzzles and varying climbing branches are great for them. What would a Madagascar hissing cockroach be doing in Madagascar? It would be finding safe places under different logs in between short bursts of looking for food out in the leaf litter of the forest floor. Add different logs, hiding places, and plants to help your roaches feel enriched. If you are ever stuck, put yourself in your animal's shoes and think “How would I use my specially adapted body to survive in my environment?”