Oh Syd!

T00tsyd

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Green cheek conure - Sydney (Syd) Hatched 2/2017
We have a good system Syd and I. He sleeps in a smaller cage in the spare bedroom and to be fair it is a bit of a ritual involving kisses and a song. I know - daft as a brush! In the morning we had a similar ritual not involving songs but a treat and a journey on a spare perch (and it has to be a certain one) to his large day cage. Well that's what it used to be.
Recently he has changed the regime. Now he gets to within a few yards and flies to his cage. Now that wouldn't matter except the enormous morning poop no longer happens in his cage. YUK!
We have been gently potty training for a long time and he generally gets the idea that there are certain places where I prefer his poop to happen. He backs up looks down carefully taking aim and 8 times out of 10 he'll get it right but in the morning now having taken flight, although the designated place is within range, the need is obviously more urgent.
I clean his cage every evening after he retires (I just wish he paid wages) so in the morning he has a nice home but today - well let's just say position/aim was well off. He did the biggest poop on top of his cage through the bars, through some toys finally resting on the paper floor, but the mess....!
To add insult to injury he then attacked me as I endeavoured to clean up. You know? I love him but I have real misgivings that the feeling is mutual! I have better ways of starting the day. Perhaps I'll go back to bed and start again! :poop: :cry: :love:
 

LaManuka

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Bless your cotton socks, Syd, and your poopy vignettes too! Your mum has such a marvellously descriptive way with words, it's like being transported straight into your poopy realm :)

Fang the cockatiel is not, sadly, toilet trained in the least, and will offload his freight wherever and whenever he sees fit, often on his dad whom he professes to love. He also will attack anyone who dares try to clean it up, but at least those attacks are unbiased in nature - he attacks whichever one of us is cleaning up with equal vigour. Almost like we are dismantling a valuable organic art installation of which he is very proud, God love him :)
 

Stitchthestitch

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Albie - Pineapple Green Cheek Conure - Hatch date 14 Dec 2019 - Gotcha date - 4 March 2020
Albie and I have a good routine for morning poops, I hope he never decides to change it up!

His cage is next to my side of the bed and heaven help me if we don't say "good night little one, I love you" he will bang his cage, run his beak along the bars, shout, scream and just make noise until we do. In the morning I let him out, I take to the bath room and hold him over the toilet when he does his business we go down stairs, so nice and easy!
 
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T00tsyd

T00tsyd

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Albie and I have a good routine for morning poops, I hope he never decides to change it up!

His cage is next to my side of the bed and heaven help me if we don't say "good night little one, I love you" he will bang his cage, run his beak along the bars, shout, scream and just make noise until we do. In the morning I let him out, I take to the bath room and hold him over the toilet when he does his business we go down stairs, so nice and easy!
Now that is epic! Only once has Syd done that but all by himself. I wasn't ready for this feat at the time and watched in amazement and some horror as he did his usual backup routine since the loo was way out of reach or so I thought. He seemed to size up the distance lifted his tail and like projectile vomit that children achieve with aplomb, sent his discharge almost horizontally right into the middle of the pan. I was so shocked! I have at times waited for a repeat performance but perhaps this was a one off. He never poops when in transit but I am minded to have a go at this highly civilised plan. I will discuss it with him tomorrow and see if he is up for a change of routine. Thank you, an excellent thought. (y)
 
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T00tsyd

T00tsyd

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Now that is epic! Only once has Syd done that but all by himself. I wasn't ready for this feat at the time and watched in amazement and some horror as he did his usual backup routine since the loo was way out of reach or so I thought. He seemed to size up the distance lifted his tail and like projectile vomit that children achieve with aplomb, sent his discharge almost horizontally right into the middle of the pan. I was so shocked! I have at times waited for a repeat performance but perhaps this was a one off. He never poops when in transit but I am minded to have a go at this highly civilised plan. I will discuss it with him tomorrow and see if he is up for a change of routine. Thank you, an excellent thought. (y)
I have had to be out for most of today but Syd and I had a small discussion about this excellent morning plan. We met in the bathroom for our chat and to his credit Syd didn't say much while I explained the outline of a possible change of the getting up routine. He regarded me sagely with his head on one side not taking his one eye off me and replied, I thought, very sincerely, 'OK', when I suggested that it would be good time to start tomorrow morning. I thought he looked quite pointedly at the WC after our chat so I am hopeful that soon he will concede that it is indeed an excellent plan and there will not be any further misplaced humungous splats to start the day.
 
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T00tsyd

T00tsyd

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Green cheek conure - Sydney (Syd) Hatched 2/2017
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... And here we are - you see before you a very proud Mummy of a very clever turquoise Green Cheek Conure who sat on his perch over the loo pan for roughly 2 minutes looking first at me and then at the pan. For a second I admit to being a tad fearful that he had the wrong idea and thought that the water he could see was a potential bath, but no, with some encouragement - SPLAT! Job done! More praise than he has ever seen before plus an immediate treat and we moved on.
Why did I never come up with this idea myself? It is the beginning of a completely new start to each perfect parronting day and I can't thank you enough for the suggestion. Yesterday I simply broached the subject, today I thought we would just give it a try, and this little Einstein in feathers knew exactly what was required. Brilliant!
 

LaManuka

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Congratulations, T00t!! May Syd's aim always be true, and all of his early morning "freight offloads" continue to hit the target for you! 🎯 👍
 
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T00tsyd

T00tsyd

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Green cheek conure - Sydney (Syd) Hatched 2/2017
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Just a little update. This morning (the 3rd of the new regime) I thought Syd was going to make a break for it. I stood for a lot longer and several times Syd lifted a foot as if to move either up my arm or elsewhere. He looked down many times and didn't look as if his commitment was as strong as mine. I waited.... It wasn't in vain! Plop - job done! I read somewhere that for us humans a new habit takes 40 continuous repeats before it becomes embedded. Now does the fact that Syd is a lot smaller and younger than me mean he'll be quicker? I do hope so.
 

PyroParrot

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This is wonderful!! Those first morning poops are certainly something to behold. Always amazed such a big splat comes out of so small a bird. At our house we refer to them as the ‘turkey turds’.
 

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