top of page

Gourd Surprise

Lionesses
Type

Physical & Structural

Animals

Most land animals

Nesting

Hiding

Behaviors

Object manipulation

Why We Like It

We love this enrichment because it is naturalistic and can be used with almost any animal. Fill it with food for a foraging exercise, or put straw and paper inside to encourage nest building.

Materials

  • Dried gourd

  • Hole saw

  • Bedding, straw, wood wool, or other stuffing

  • Food if desired

How to Make It

  1. Use a hole saw to drill one (or multiple) holes through the gourd

  2. If you'll be hanging the gourd, use a smaller drill bit to drill two holes across from one another near the top of the gourd, and thread some twine or rope through. Be sure that there is no chance of entanglement

  3. You can fill the gourd with food, nesting material, scents, or you can just put it directly in you animal's enclosure

WildThink did not create and does not own any of the enrichment items shown on WildThink's enrichment database. Enrichment items are the property of their respective "sources", which can be found below the title of each enrichment item. WildThink is not responsible for any animal injuries or deaths that may occur whilst using enrichment found on WildThink's enrichment database. It is the responsibility of animal caretakers, managers, curators, and attending veterinarians to ensure that each enrichment item and the materials used to make the enrichment item are safe and suitable for an animal prior to use. WildThink is not liable for enrichment malfunctions.

bottom of page