Update on Elton

[Rachel_]

I never knew Sun Conures could be so much fun!! He is has become a real member of our family. He is mimicking some sounds made around our house already. I would dearly love to toilet train him but I don't know if that is possible or how I would even go about it.

Elton is one of the best decisions I made!

Rachel

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm glad things are going so well, and Elton has become a family member.

I didn't do a very good job trying to toilet train my conure, but maybe someone else can advise. What I ended up with was a bird that poops, and then says brightly, "Poop!" I was trying to get her to tell me before she went, not after, lol! I also accidentally taught her that I like poop and she will poop for me on purpose. So I have to be careful. It's been more than 11 years since I tried to teach her and she still will poop to try to please me.

 

[mnkeastman]

I'm glad things are going so well, and Elton has become a family member.

I didn't do a very good job trying to toilet train my conure, but maybe someone else can advise. What I ended up with was a bird that poops, and then says brightly, "Poop!" I was trying to get her to tell me before she went, not after, lol! I also accidentally taught her that I like poop and she will poop for me on purpose. So I have to be careful. It's been more than 11 years since I tried to teach her and she still will poop to try to please me.

Oh dear! LOL well hopefully someone with a better OUTcome will be able to help out.


Happy to hear that Elton has brought you and your family so much joy

 

[FutureDVM]

I'm glad to hear Elton is doing so well! Conures are definitely fun birds!

What I did to "potty train" Penny is actually very simple. First, I observed her to see what times she was most likely to poop. I noticed that she would almost always poop immediately after I took her out of her cage. So, what I started doing was placing her on her playstand immediately whenever I took her out (the playstand sits on top of her cage). I would wait for her to poop, and then pick her up and give her attention. If she didn't poop right away, I would walk away for a couple minutes and come back. She caught on very quickly and now she knows she has to poop before she can sit on my shoulder. I did not use any commands because I didn't want her to think she could only poop when I told her to.

Of course, she will still poop on me if she can't hold it in any longer. In order to minimize this, I put her on her playstand about every 10 minutes or so, allow her to poop, and then put her back on my shoulder. I'm not sure if this works with most birds, or if I just got lucky, but I figured I would share the method that worked for me.

 

[lexx510]

I also observed to see when she goes potty, and whether there is specific body language that leads up to it. For example, I noticed that she usually fluffs up, squats, and takes a few steps back right before she goes. So when I figured that she wanted to go, I'd quickly pick her up and place her on a toilet paper ply on top of a counter. Right before I knew that she was going to go, I'd say, "Go Potty, Guava." I'd reinforce her verbally and give her lots of kisses as soon as she went. Consistency is key, so make sure to always take her to the same location. If I remember to take her every 20 minutes or so, she'll usually potty on command 9/10 times. Of course, if I forget to take her and ignore her body language, she'll eventually potty either way.

 

[lexx510]

PS: She's actually gotten pretty good at letting me know that she has to go. For example, if we're in bed snuggling, and she all of a sudden forces herself out of my hand and runs to the edge of the bed - then I know she's got to go. So definitely learn how to read their body language.

 

[Rachel_]

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to give it a try. My DH doesn't believe it is possible to toilet train a bird and I would love to prove him wrong on that one.

Elton at the moment is sitting next to me as my little messy study buddy as he tears up some wooden blocks.

Rachel and Elton

 

[roxynoodle]

Rowdy is pretty elaborate in her body language though, so at least I know she's going to go. And I slip a paper towel under her. We don't often have accidents. I got the idea to get her to tell me because I saw an African Grey in a pet store that told it's owner, "I have to make a poop." I thought that was pretty awesome. I didn't know if Rowdy could say all that, but figured just "poop" would do, but as I explained, I messed up.