pooping on arrival?

Hey, just curious if anyone else experiences this.

Angel poops, seemingly, when i arrive home from the day. And she doesn't seem to poop until that point. I have verified this by changing her paper in the morning. She wont go until i get home and after i take her out, a HUGE poop. Every time, very consistently. If i leave the house for a few hours on the weekend its the same thing, she will poop immediately after i take her out.

I wouldnt guess there is any downside to this, like healthwise. But i just thought it was weird and wanted to see if anyone else has the same thing happening.

Hmm, just maybe, could she be making a statement?

Flboy said:

Hmm, just maybe, could she be making a statement?

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ahahaha that actually was very funny!

jasper19 said:

Flboy said:

Hmm, just maybe, could she be making a statement?

Click to expand...

ahahaha that actually was very funny!

Click to expand...

Thanks, I have my moments, few and far in between!

Was Angel adopted? Sounds like she may have been potty trained to poop on command. Have you tried telling her "go poop" and seeing if she goes (or tries to go)? Plenty of people train their birds to poop over a trash can. It is actually potentially harmful for them to hold it if they go too long. A couple hours is ok, but if she's going 8/9 hours without pooping you need to consult with an AV on how to work with her to teach her it's ok to poop when she needs to go.

Quite an unusual problem... I agree that she shouldn't be holding it the entire day you're at work! As far as learning how to correct this problem, I'm not sure if that would be a vet or behaviorist? I'm actually surprised she does this. Have you noticed this from day one, or is it just real recently (I know she's fairly new). Raven is the exact opposite. He poops at least as often as a budgie, and small too, so you know he wasn't really ready to go.

Kiwibird might have the right idea. Try various words that people might use, like "poop", or "potty" or others. Holding it too long is not good. And if she was trained to hold it, she will. Also, some birds do not like to poop in their cage. A psychological holdover from their nest box/cavity behavior. You say, "After I take her out...". Does she wait until out of her cage?

Flboy said:

jasper19 said:

Flboy said:

Hmm, just maybe, could she be making a statement?

Click to expand...

ahahaha that actually was very funny!

Click to expand...

Thanks, I have my moments, few and far in between!

Click to expand...

Well, they do regurg on us, maybe Flboy is right & Angel has just taken this statement to a different level ! ! !

BillsBirds said:

Kiwibird might have the right idea. Try various words that people might use, like "poop", or "potty" or others. Holding it too long is not good. And if she was trained to hold it, she will. Also, some birds do not like to poop in their cage. A psychological holdover from their nest box/cavity behavior. You say, "After I take her out...". Does she wait until out of her cage?

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Its just weird i have seen her poop in her cage though when i am there.

I will not say i am 100% sure she has never pooped while im gone. Just the time i tested it that was true, and ever time i take her out she will poop. Either while i am holding if i hold her for a minute, or if i set her on top of her cage.

While i am not an expert on bird poop size, i do know these are huge poops. So she is holding it to some extent for when i get home.

I have tried teller her to poop, potty, etc...i have a few other ideas i am going to try. I have heard her count down from 3,2,1....and this morning she said half of it then pooped. So maybe that is the trigger? Well i am more worried now that nobody else has this :52:

I'm betting good money she was potty trained at some point, you just don't know her cue word, and she may have forgotten some of her training since it hasn't been reinforced (thus she's confusing when she should poop). I would try counting down if that seems to be her cue to go and see if that makes her go. A lot of people actually consider the "poop on command" method of potty training a parrot dangerous for this very reason- overtraining and holding it for long periods of time. This is why Kiwi is trained to let us know when HE has to go (or more, give us fair warning he's about to if we don't put him home) so we can move him, instead of us telling him when and where to go.

well whoever called it that angel was potty trained was right!

last day or two i have been just saying "go poop" a few times, while holding her over a trash can. Sure enough, she goes poop!...so i give her a peanut? I feel like its something that should be rewarded?

So now just every so often when i am with her i will just hold her where i want her to go and say "go poop"....i am not sure how to tell if she has to poop or not, so have been just doing it occasionally.

Any thoughts on this? Good call