Conure won’t poop in cage

[reeferguy3303]

Hello. So I’ve found multiple threads on this but led me to potty training but then potty training led me to read about how it’s could be dangerous to a conures health
So my conure has not been pooping in his cage. Just happened in the post two days out of the nowhere, never taught him to do that. How does one fix that ?
May not seem like a big deal but some days I leave the house at 6am and don’t come home till 7-8pm

 

[Littleredbeak]

I've never heard of this . Cod you put him in a different cage or is it all cages? Are you sure it's not health related? Hopeful l y someone with more experience will chime in

 

[Skarila]

I've never heard of this . Cod you put him in a different cage or is it all cages? Are you sure it's not health related? Hopeful l y someone with more experience will chime in

Our Sennie is just about the same, she will litteraly hold if she's in the cage and very rarely let it out there... She is free 95% of the time.

My conure is an oposite - seems he will try to aim to do it in the cage, even while free sitting on the door of the cage. I unpuposely trained him to do it there, it seems.

 

[reeferguy3303]

Our Sennie is just about the same, she will litteraly hold if she's in the cage and very rarely let it out there... She is free 95% of the time.

My conure is an oposite - seems he will try to aim to do it in the cage, even while free sitting on the door of the cage. I unpuposely trained him to do it there, it seems.

Mine is also free 90% of the time but just holds it.

 

[HeatherG]

Maybe whenever your bird poops in his cage you could say “potty!” And tell him how smart and good he is?

I put my bird back on his cage or on a perch and ask him to go, or if we are walking I ask him to go before we enter a store. We wait until he poops and then I tell him “go potty”. “good potty good bird!”

 

[BirdyBee]

Maybe whenever your bird poops in his cage you could say “potty!” And tell him how smart and good he is?

I put my bird back on his cage or on a perch and ask him to go, or if we are walking I ask him to go before we enter a store. We wait until he poops and then I tell him “go potty”. “good potty good bird!”

If you say "Go potty," the bird will learn that he only gets a reward if you say "go potty" and may hold it in for a really long time.

Honestly I disagree with the idea of potty training birds. It's just too risky. What's so bad about a poop you can just wipe up?

Example, you teach your bird to poop on its cage, but you're cleaning it, and the bird really needs to do his thing, but he can't because he'll get no reward unless he poops on the cage, so he holds it in until you bring the cage back in after an hour. That is not safe IMO.

Just my opinion.

 

[StormyPica]

If you say "Go potty," the bird will learn that he only gets a reward if you say "go potty" and may hold it in for a really long time.

Honestly I disagree with the idea of potty training birds. It's just too risky. What's so bad about a poop you can just wipe up?

Example, you teach your bird to poop on its cage, but you're cleaning it, and the bird really needs to do his thing, but he can't because he'll get no reward unless he poops on the cage, so he holds it in until you bring the cage back in after an hour. That is not safe IMO.

Just my opinion.

Yes, I 100% agree with this. Sure, us humans only go potty in certian places, but those places are availible almost everywhere we go. And if nature calls, we can go behind a bush or something. If a bird is trained to only poop in certian places, it doesn't have that option. Poops are a normal part of having birds that you need to embrace (well, tolerate anyway).

I'm not sure how you could reverse this type of training... maybe reward the bird for pooping outside the cage? If it REALLY won't poop, it needs to see a vet ASAP.

 

[HeatherG]

How could it be dangerous to encourage a bird to potty while in his cage?

 

[StormyPica]

How could it be dangerous to encourage a bird to potty while in his cage?

Idk, cage sounds like a perfect place to poop.

 

[HeatherG]

If you say "Go potty," the bird will learn that he only gets a reward if you say "go potty" and may hold it in for a really long time.

Honestly I disagree with the idea of potty training birds. It's just too risky. What's so bad about a poop you can just wipe up?

Example, you teach your bird to poop on its cage, but you're cleaning it, and the bird really needs to do his thing, but he can't because he'll get no reward unless he poops on the cage, so he holds it in until you bring the cage back in after an hour. That is not safe IMO.

Just my opinion.

The reward is being told “good potty! Good smart bird!” Not a food reward. Birds like to please us (most of the time). And in my case, my birds know I don’t care to be pooped on, not that I complain, but I move and it interrupts their comfy position.

Pottying places are many and varied and if the bird needs to go, he will regardless. Cage, basket, perch…in general, over a piece of paper, which makes documents at a bit of risk. Or over garbage can or potted plant…

My Quakers have been so goofy about their cages. they seem to have a very plain idea that they don’t want to dirty their immediate surroundings, I think. Maybe they’re different from other parrots who DONT have a nest as home base year-round.

 

[gapan]

I have only had my green-cheek a couple of weeks now, but she has decided that she wants to poop in a specific place as soon as I let her out. You can tell by the size of the dropping (wow!) that she has been holding it. She poops other places too when she is out, but I rarely catch her doing so in the cage, so I can provide positive reinforcement when she does go there. I'm not sure how else to encourage her to use the cage and not hold it, except to make her stay there all the time, and only let her out as a reward for using it - since I would have to watch her constantly. She's still just a baby, but pretty smart. I am open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

[MyFeatheredFlock]

Hello. So I’ve found multiple threads on this but led me to potty training but then potty training led me to read about how it’s could be dangerous to a conures health
So my conure has not been pooping in his cage. Just happened in the post two days out of the nowhere, never taught him to do that. How does one fix that ?
May not seem like a big deal but some days I leave the house at 6am and don’t come home till 7-8pm

This actually happened with my conure the first few weeks I had her. I’m not sure the actual reason, maybe someone else in here does, but from my experience my conure eventually just started pooping in her cage again. She’s potty trained and poops when I say “poo poo” and still poops in her cage. So idk, you’re bird will probably get over this. Sorry I can’t help much.