About Us
Supplying enriching toys with a focus on safety and enjoyment for your pets, Animal Enrichment Australia is a small business based in Brisbane, Australia.
It is run by me, Kirsty. I have been a veterinary nurse since 2008 and have been providing pet toys since 2012 – over 10 years! The natural parrot toys that I still hand make were the start of it all and range has expanded greatly since then. I am very passionate about enrichment and foraging for all pets and have dedicated a YouTube channel to videos that you can use for inspiration. Please browse through the YouTube playlists which cover DIY ideas as well as many of the toys available in the store. When viewing individual products, check for the ‘Video Tab’ below the description to see videos of birds, cats and dogs using the actual foraging toy.
Birds
My main passion has always been birds. I have kept a wide variety of bird species in the past 20 years and spending 2 years working for an avian specialist has given me lots of toy safety knowledge which I apply to my toy making process and in selecting the other toys that I stock. After seeing that good quality, FUN toys and decent advice were very hard to come by for most parrot owners (resulting in many birds became sick or injured due to inappropriate toys), I made it my mission to supply an enriching range of safe toys and as much advice as I could give.
Starting out as “Kirsty’s Natural Bird Toys” in 2012, when I started making toys for family and friends. I now supply much more than the natural toys that I hand make with Australian seed pods and other natural items. There’s a wide variety of items for birds.
Cats, Dogs and Exotics
I started ‘branching out’ into foraging toys for other species in 2016, having been interested in this area and also seeing a need for more information and availability of foraging and other enrichment products. With this change, it became apparent that I had outgrown the original business name, hence “Animal Enrichment Australia” was born.
Now with over 400 products, the range of current toys can be seen via the categories on this website, however do be sure to follow my Facebook page for updates on new items as well as photos, videos and DIY enrichment ideas for your pets.
My Family
I live with my flock of 6 Parrots, a Dog, my husband and half the time, his 2 kids as well. Because we are in Queensland, unfortunately we can’t have Rabbits or Ferrets, though I have had Guinea Pigs in the past. In many of my YouTube Videos, you’ll see Nibbles, Marnie and Elle the blue Quakers, Scribble and Boo the Green Cheek Conures, Raindrop and Petal the Cockatiels, Popcorn and Chicken the Budgies, Jewel the Galah and Precious the Short Billed Corella. You’ll also see some of Rosie who is a Red Cattle Dog X Greyhound, Whippy the Mastiff Cross and Num Num the long haired Cat. Sadly, some of these pets are no longer with us, through age and various medical issues.
All but one of these pets have been adopted either as unwanted strays or surrendered at vets. Most of them have medical or behavioural problems that we are always treating or working to improve. They get the best possible care and love to try out new toys before they’re released 😉 Your support of this small business helps us to care for our special, ageing babies (all are over 10 years old now).
Ironically – Nibbles, the one pet I purchased from the breeder and the most special “good girl” that ever lived has had the largest array of medical issues and has cost me countless thousands at avian vets. She is worth every cent and we treasure every moment we have with her.
