Potty Training

[NicoleN]

Anyone here have their bird(s) potty trained? If so, how did you do it and where do they go? If not, why not?

 

[Peta]

Yep all mine are potty trained, the little guys will go on the window sill so I put newpapers down for them. Bucc will go on his Java Tree and Kito goes on his little playstand.

I started them off when they were young, well when I first got them home. I take Bucc out in the morning and put him straight onto his Java, when he goes, he gets some *coffee* (this is orange juice, but don't tell him that) or a biscuit, (this is a pellet, but again don't tell him that) Kito was a lot easier as he couldn't fly when I first got him home, so I would put some newspaper on the floor when he was out and stand him on there, now as long as there's newspapers on his stand he goes there, and all for lots of head scritches, He will do cartwheels for some extra head scritches. Yes we still have accidents but they are few and far between now, which is great. I think 99% of the time they just fly over to their stands and do their business.

 

[Redballoon]

I have read that it is pretty easy to do.

You will notice the moves the bird makes just before it poops.
As you watch your bird for a while, you will see when he is about to go.
simply get a catch phrase ready and say it every time you see him about to poop. Appaerently he will eventually poop when you say your catch phrase.
So simple,...to say.
I havent seen it done yet, but i hear it can be.
I also hear you can kill your bird by forgetting to say your catchphrase and the bird just never poops till it dies.

I read and hear a lot of stuff.
A lot of it is crap.

 

[Peta]

Yeah, I don't use a phrase or anything I just watch and wait, eventually they will go and thats when they get the praise/treats Its so second nature to them now I think they just go to their own places without thinking when they want to go.

 

[TexDot33]

Hamlet is (for the most part) and we are working on Mac ... it's really more of US being trained enough to look for sertain signs and knowing they have to go ... they use thier playstand ...

 

[Minzer84]

Iggy is/was potty trained, and I used a catch phrase, as Red described...at first you have to catch the behavior and combine it with a phrase (I use Go Potty) and then eventually they will associate the two and understand. I used to start every morning with that since I knew he had to go anyway...worked pretty well.

 

[Redballoon]

So I am not talking out of my hat?
It actually worx?
I have noticed Skippah is amazingly clean when it comes to poop.
He seems to have found the longest drop from his perch and always goes in the same place. I havent trained it into him, he just likes it all in one place,...as far away from himself as possible. Makes it easy for Debbie to clean up as its all falls within 3 inches of its self.

He is a wonderful bird.

 

[Peta]

So I am not talking out of my hat?
It actually worx?

Yep it really does work.

He seems to have found the longest drop from his perch and always goes in the same place.

Bucc is the same when he is in his cage, but I did have to train him for that, as he would not under any circumstances go in his cage when he was younger, that isn't too much of a problem but I did wonder what would happen if he had to stay in his cage most of the day He will now go in his cage, and its always in the same spot. (I had to put paper on the grate, and he goes on that)

 

[NicoleN]

Appaerently he will eventually poop when you say your catch phrase.

I have heard of this type of training too. I just think I'd prefer for them to go in a 'special' place, rather than on command. Doing it on command is almost like they're doing a trick or something. "Hey everybody...look what my bird can do!"

I guess you just praise them a lot whenever they go where you want them to go. Is that right?

 

[Peta]

I guess you just praise them a lot whenever they go where you want them to go. Is that right?

Yep thats all I do with my guys. Just praise

 

[Eclectica]

Mine is also poop trained. He usually holds out poops till i put him in a place and say the word, and then praise. But if he really wants to go now, he will do the shaky ass thing, and i take him to his cage. He learned it quite fast.

 

[darkchi]

HAHAHA Mine is poopy trained she is has trained her self to go EVERYWHERE!!!

 

[Christy]

Peta, we have been noticing that Mac doesn't go in his cage. There are days when we work for about 8 hours a day and when we come home there is nothing in the cage, but he is ready with an enormous one, morning size one when we take him out of his cage. How do we break him out of this habit? And how horrible is it for them really?

 

[darkchi]

Peta, we have been noticing that Mac doesn't go in his cage. There are days when we work for about 8 hours a day and when we come home there is nothing in the cage, but he is ready with an enormous one, morning size one when we take him out of his cage. How do we break him out of this habit? And how horrible is it for them really?

In the wild birds wont poo, where they "live" same concept with pooing in the cage... thats where he lives, and he doesnt want his house to be a mess.... I really have no idea if that can be changed.

 

[Redballoon]

Skippah now lives on a perch instead of a cage and i have noticed the poops in a 4 inch circle from the longest point on said perch.
So makes for a very easy clean up as 1 piece of news paper, folded in 4 is the perfect toilet mat.
very clean bird is our skippah.
I can show you a picture if you insist.

 

[Peta]

Peta, we have been noticing that Mac doesn't go in his cage. There are days when we work for about 8 hours a day and when we come home there is nothing in the cage, but he is ready with an enormous one, morning size one when we take him out of his cage. How do we break him out of this habit? And how horrible is it for them really?

The way I got Bucc to go in his cage, was to put newspaper on the bottom grate, just under his swing,( I had also done this on his Java Tree) and each time he would go in the cage, he got extra special treats, I moved the paper after he had gone straight away, then only put it in when he went in of an evening. As long as he could go here it was fine. If I forget to put the paper in he WILL NOT go in his cage. It took some time to do, but it has proved to be a lifesaver, When we have been gone all day (very rare) he would go. He used to hold everything until we came home. Its not easy to do but it can be done,

When he was younger I would wait until I knew he was gonna go then quickly move him to the cage, as soon as I got him to go there the first time, everything seemed a little easier, it still took a while but he will go in his cage now, all be it a little reluctant. I think its easier to potty train them when they are out of the cage, but its so worth it to get them to go when they are in. Will Hamlet go in his cage, if so make a big deal when Hamlet goes in the cage, I'm sure that Mac will soon want some of that extra special lovin that he see's Hamlet getting.

 

[Christy]

Thank you for the suggestions Peta. We will have to try it. The problem with mac is that he doesn't really have a reliable tell, as far as we can see yet. He likes to stretch his wings out a lot, kind of like lifting up at his shoulders. He does that someitmes when he poops too, but not all the time and he definitely doesn't poop everytime he stretches. Sometimes he does the little back up thing. Sometimes he just goes. We will have to keep working on it.

 

[Peta]

Oh blimey Christy, thats gonna be hard. If you can spot a pattern then try and get him to go in the cage, I forgot to mention I also put a perch just inside the door so I could stand Bucc on before he went (didn't want him going only when he was on my hand ) If I think of anything else I did to help him I'll let ya know. Good luck and please let us know how you are getting on. This is far harder IMO than actually potty training out of the cage, I really wish you loads of luck, but I'm sure you'll do it

 

[Redballoon]

I think it has been mentioned a little b4 but maybe try this,..
Find a pooing pattern.
Something the bird does in a pattern already.
(For my bird, he poos in a perfect spot by luck).
Look at what he does and think of the simplest way to turn that pattern to your advantage. You can then trun something he already does into a "trick" that keeps him clean and healthy. I find birds are fairly clean about their personal space.

Is that too vague?
Does he lift his shoulders just b4 he goes?
I can "scare" a poo out of skippah by exciting him enough to lift his wings, then he seems to poo by accident,
but then I can take him off the perch and feel safe for 15 minutes or so. I make it seem like "cleva" me taught him to poo b4 getting off the perch, but really, he already did something similar any way.

The secret is in the poo pattern.
look for the pattern Luke, look for the pattern,...the answer is in the pattern,.......