Bird Diaper/Potty Training/Just clean it

[notscaredtodance]

Reading from an avian breeder's website near me says that potty training can be done in as little a 72 hours and that it is a myth that it will hurt the bird because the bird holds it in, since the bird is taught to poop on command, not NOT poop when it isn't told. This site offers an information packet for purchase on how to train step for step.

The bird diaper says it keeps a parrot clean undereath because of the deep pocket, and that the suit fits comfortably on the bird.

Obviously both people are trying to sell me something, so I'm wondering from bird owners I can trust not trying to sell anything, just wanting best for the bird, which is better? Or are they both rip offs? Have you personally tried either of these techniques or do you not believe in potty training your bird?

I personally figure if a bird can be trained to do so many tricks, potty training would be the most useful trick of all.

[Michael]

What a load of birdshit.

[lzver]

It never even occurred to me that there were such things as Bird Diapers. Sounds like a load of crap to me. Never in a million years would I consider putting one on my birds. Just trying to put one on could present a challenge especially if they don't like it. On top of that, I'm sure almost any bird would chew on it to try and get it off and I'd be concerned about what it is made out of.

Jessie is the one that spends the majority of time hanging out on me or on the couch. I can count on one hand in 4 years how many times he's had an accident and he has never pooped on me. I keep our cuddle times to a max of 10 - 15 minutes at a time and return him into his cage or on top of his cage. I have never trained him to hold it he just seems to do it.

Lucy is not a very hands on bird. I take her out and give her scratches and kisses several times a day but she doesn't tolerate for long. She quite happy to hang out on her cage and just goes whenever she needs to.

As a result, I very rarely have to clean poop up. Keep in mind that even though their wings are not clipped, they don't fly very often at all - only when spooked. They are either hanging out on or near me or on their cages. I'd say the only time I have to clean up poop is if one of them gets spooked, flies somewhere and almost literally its like they had the poop scared out of them

[Michael]

Since this has been a recurring topic lately and I've been asked about it several times, I added an article about how I potty trained Kili without potty training her. Basically it's easier than you think and having a flighted parrot proves to be a greater advantage than a clipped one!