Did you know that mental stimulation is just as important as physical activity for your pets? In fact, exercising their minds will often wear them out quicker than exercising their bodies alone.
Here are some simple ways that you can add mental enrichment into your pet’s everyday life:
• Hide kibble in egg cartons, toilet rolls or scrunched up paper to make meal times more interesting for dogs and cats.
• For birds, give them native branches to chew or hide their favourite treats in banksia pods to encourage foraging behaviours.
• Move your rabbit or guinea pig’s food around – hang bunches of their favourite foods around their enclosure so that they have to hunt for it. If they live inside, give them supervised outside time (bonus: chewing on grass is also great for their teeth!)
• Let your dog stop and sniff on walks. It may be frustrating for us, but it’s one of the best things you can do for them. Smell is a dog’s primary sense, so those sniffs are your dog’s way of catching up with their neighbourhood friends (or keeping tabs on their neighbourhood nemesis…)
• Change up their toys – give them a couple at a time and keep some stored away. Every few months, swap them over. They’ll think they’re getting a brand new toy every time!
As you can see, keeping your pet’s mind active doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive – just add in a new little something every day.