The Spin Out Game - Hours of Fun for Dogs, Raccoons, and Other Animals!

This Spin Out Game will fascinate animals of all types! It keeps their naturally curious nature busy trying to get the treats. It gives dogs something to do to occupy their minds and time and creates fascination in the animal world if placed in a location where wildlife lives. This game was fun to make and has been even more fun to see how animals have reacted to it in nature. A few times I have placed pecans in their shells, corn, etc...on top of The Spin Out Game. Birds generally get those treats but a few raccoons have climbed on top to get all of the treats. Cut pieces of apple can be placed on the ends of the dowel rods to attract and feed birds.

Step 1: Let's Get Started Making a Spin Out Game.

Gather the following materials and put it together like this:

2 or 3 bottles to hold corn, cereal, dog food, or other dry feed to spin out. I used a cranberry juice bottle and 2 one liter soda bottles.
1 dowel rod to hold and spin the bottles.
scrap wood for the structure and to hold the dowel rod - make your base sturdy enough that the weight of various animals won't knock it down. You don't want them to be hurt if they jump on it and it falls down. I used 3 pieces of decking I had left over from a sidewalk project. I also used other pieces of scrap wood for the top piece and the side supports.
screws and a drill with a drill bit to drill holes through the bottles for the dowel rod.
tape measure to make sure the sides and the top and bottom are the same length.
Use your drill and drill a hole on each side of the support to slide the dowel rod through.
Screw the wood together. I started with the base. I added one board on each side of the base to make it more sturdy and less likely to fall over if an animal jumps on it.
Slide the dowel rod through the bottles and the side supports.
Cereal, dog food, corn, or any other dry food to "spin out".
Make sure your bottles will spin.
Fill the bottles with edibles....set it out and see "who plays".

Step 2: Intent of This Spin Out Game and Surprising Effect of the Game for Wildlife.

I created this from an idea I got from a friend (Cindy Felio). I modified that idea and came up with The Spin Out Game. My dog was curious about this Spin Out Game and would play with it at times but when I put it on our property where wild animals thrive- they went crazy for it! My dogs seem to have an increased interest in The Spin Out Game when I have it filled with corn, grains, cereal, or dog food and set it out on our property. They want to be the only ones to get the edibles! I have noticed that on my family property in east Texas the crows are extremely curious about anything in the environment. I have several cameras set up on the property to catch clips and pictures of the various animals on the land. In doing so I have been surprised at the number of crows who are seen interacting with items and how curious the raccoons seem to be. I have had raccoons shake cameras and try to take them and I have had crows attack cameras and get on them and try to peck the lenses. They really are fascinating to watch. I intended for the crows to "play the game" more but it ended up being the raccoons who love the Spin Out Game the most! The animals seem to have mastered the game and understand to spin the bottles around to get the food so I have increased the rigor of the game. They still get the treats but I added tape strips to part of the top of the bottles. The animals will have to work a little harder to get the food out. Some of the animal videos from my game cameras on our east Texas property can be found at FoxysMyGirl@YouTube.com. Update: When I went to the feed store to buy more corn to refill The Spin Out Game, the manager of D&D Hardware & Feed, in Warren, TX, Donald Bass, Jr. gave me a free bag of roasted corn and soybean mix and I bought apple and persimmon scented corn. We refilled yesterday with Persimmon scented corn. I will compare animal activity to see if animals are more attracted to this corn than plain corn. I will use the other feed next week when I refill it again.