Potty-Training

So I would like to train my Patagonian Conure to poop in "authorized locations" the way my partner has trained his Alexandrine to do. Sadly, we've discovered that success with one bird doesn't translate into success with another!

Baby the Alex has a clear "gotta go" face that allows Matt to send her to an approved location before the deed is done. That, and her food motivation, made potty training pretty straightforward and she's about 90% reliable in not making manure at random. Baby is a confident flyer and happily flies to her boing and returns, no biggie.

Lucky the Pattie, on the other hand, heeds nature's call about twice as often as Baby (mercifully with about half the contents). She gives no indication that I can read. It just happens. She is timid/lazy about flying and is mostly a floor-birdie. Love and cuddles are her only motivation, though a sunflower seed might be enough of a treat to at least reward good pooping.

Does anyone have any ideas or strategies for dealing with a bird like Lucky? To be clear, I won't be heartbroken if she doesn't potty-train, but it would be great not to have to wash the floors so often!

First, getting to know your Parrots 'general' timing is important thus having a 'general' idea of when you need to move your Parrot to the proper location(s), i.e. any place that is easy to clean-up!

Once you have a general time and have moved your Parrot to 'the location(s).' You will need to wait until the 'move occurs' and than apply whatever reward you have selected.

With time and a little respect on both sides things begin to fall in place.

You will need to be attentive to any signs from your Parrot of a 'need to be moved' to the proper area(s).

Our DYH Amazon has a 'general' timing that pushes four hours. Miss his signal and you quickly get reminded 'in size' of your error.

My conure is easy to read, I can feel it in his feet when he's gotta go. He also leans back before he does, and takes his time.

My pi on the other hand is very hard to know. I finally figured out her "tell" though. She gets very still, and then she goes with nary a movement. She looks straight ahead but isn't paying attention to anything specific.

If your patty sits on your hand, or arm, or any bare skin.. see if you can feel anything different in her feet or legs. Watch her posture, her feather positions, where she's focusing her attention, her activity level.

I never had to resort to treats to potty train, but both my birds make an effort not to poop on me or others (except my bratty Beau will go to people he doesn't like just to take a crap, then leave). I think they get it. You don't poop on your friends.

I always twitch when this subject comes up. It is important to remember that this is being done for your benefit not theirs! My concern is it becomes rigid because parrots are smart and trainable that they may actually "hold it” and by doing so make themselves ill if they are removed from their designated poop area, for example, during boarding or a move. Think it through and make it relaxed.

My friends Patty will voluntarily fly back to his cage to poop.

plumsmum2005 said:

I always twitch when this subject comes up. It is important to remember that this is being done for your benefit not theirs! My concern is it becomes rigid because parrots are smart and trainable that they may actually "hold it” and by doing so make themselves ill if they are removed from their designated poop area, for example, during boarding or a move. Think it through and make it relaxed.

My friends Patty will voluntarily fly back to his cage to poop.

Click to expand...

I think my goal would be to have a couple designated pieces of newspaper in each room where she could easily go, including some under her cardboard project. I wouldn't want to wind up in the situation you describe where she feels pressure to "hold it" unless placed in an authorized area. Maybe the best analogy is that I want to reduce the available pooping-space from the entire floor to maybe 1/4 of it?

I'm less worried about poops on me, but slowing that rate would be a bonus!

Firstgoatsnowthis said:

plumsmum2005 said:

I always twitch when this subject comes up. It is important to remember that this is being done for your benefit not theirs! My concern is it becomes rigid because parrots are smart and trainable that they may actually "hold it” and by doing so make themselves ill if they are removed from their designated poop area, for example, during boarding or a move. Think it through and make it relaxed.

My friends Patty will voluntarily fly back to his cage to poop.

Click to expand...

I think my goal would be to have a couple designated pieces of newspaper in each room where she could easily go, including some under her cardboard project. I wouldn't want to wind up in the situation you describe where she feels pressure to "hold it" unless placed in an authorized area. Maybe the best analogy is that I want to reduce the available pooping-space from the entire floor to maybe 1/4 of it?

I'm less worried about poops on me, but slowing that rate would be a bonus!

Click to expand...

Would sending her back to her cage or playstand work? She can choose then?

Piasa said:

My conure is easy to read, I can feel it in his feet when he's gotta go. He also leans back before he does, and takes his time.

My pi on the other hand is very hard to know. I finally figured out her "tell" though. She gets very still, and then she goes with nary a movement. She looks straight ahead but isn't paying attention to anything specific.

If your patty sits on your hand, or arm, or any bare skin.. see if you can feel anything different in her feet or legs. Watch her posture, her feather positions, where she's focusing her attention, her activity level.

I never had to resort to treats to potty train, but both my birds make an effort not to poop on me or others (except my bratty Beau will go to people he doesn't like just to take a crap, then leave). I think they get it. You don't poop on your friends.

Click to expand...

Part of it is that we let her play on the floor, so I'm watching her but not watching every movement.

It sounds like I'll need to devote myself to learning her body language better, and then seeing what I can do to at least curtail the areas where she will choose to poop.

plumsmum2005 said:

Would sending her back to her cage or playstand work? She can choose then?

Click to expand...

We'll need to choose a location for her in the room we spend the most time in. Her cage is in the other room. Do you think that the paper texture on the floor could be a signal to her to use as a designated poop-space?

The interesting thing about her is that once we succeed in communicating what we want, she's all for it. It's just telling her with such limited tools. We are pretty proud of successfully training her not to charge at the cat by putting her in a location that she doesn't like to be in (on the boing). We would say "NO" and scoop her up and put her on the boing and walk away, so we didn't reward with attention. It took about five or six go-rounds and she's left the kitty in peace since then. (so far!)

Firstgoatsnowthis said:

plumsmum2005 said:

Would sending her back to her cage or playstand work? She can choose then?

Click to expand...

We'll need to choose a location for her in the room we spend the most time in. Her cage is in the other room. Do you think that the paper texture on the floor could be a signal to her to use as a designated poop-space?

The interesting thing about her is that once we succeed in communicating what we want, she's all for it. It's just telling her with such limited tools. We are pretty proud of successfully training her not to charge at the cat by putting her in a location that she doesn't like to be in (on the boing). We would say "NO" and scoop her up and put her on the boing and walk away, so we didn't reward with attention. It took about five or six go-rounds and she's left the kitty in peace since then. (so far!)

Click to expand...

It is a good idea for birds to have a tree or stand to hang out on - something that is not their cage and flying her back to it with 'go poop' may work. It may also keep her off the floor. Please be very, very careful with the kitty and your bird, accidents happen in the blink of an eye.