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toilet training help

Exchange information about how to teach specific tricks to parrots. Most of these techniques should apply to all bird species. Share your success stories.

toilet training help

Postby Pricey_boy » Mon Dec 03, 2012 4:39 am

need some good advice on toilet training because i like to hold my corella but he goes like every 5-10 minutes more than any other birds ive known
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Re: toilet training help

Postby marie83 » Mon Dec 03, 2012 6:57 am

When you got to go, you got to go. Just dont try to encourage him to hold it in, just means more work for you to take him to wherever you do want him to poop.
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Re: toilet training help

Postby Pricey_boy » Mon Dec 03, 2012 7:14 am

he likes to sit on my shoulder when im on my computer or on my leg when im laying down i just want him to learn to turn around before he does it not so hell hold it in but so he does it on the floor and not down my back.

also his poos are massive and i dont want to have to change my clothes every time he goes on my shoulder which is several times a day
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Re: toilet training help

Postby pennyandrocky » Mon Dec 03, 2012 7:15 am

my :corella: came to me already potty trained but she always does a dance before she has to go. it's a tail shaking sitting up straight then she goes. so you should get a stand that can move around with you and put yours on it when you see he has to go.
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Re: toilet training help

Postby Dave & Karen » Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:59 am

With my parrotlet, the doo doo is really tiny but still un desirable on my shoulder... First of all, my bird is still just a baby at 6 months old so you really can't be too strict if an accident happens, clean it up and move on...

anyway, he loves to hang out on top of my head and on my shoulder or sometimes just walking around on my shirt as I do things around the house etc.
one time when he was perched on my finger he went and it landed on my other finger so I playfully said "ewww... doo doo!!' and "Yucky stinky birdie doo doo!!"" to him where I guess he got emberassed or just decided to go on the defence with my scolding by tweeting loudly and acting like he was striking at me but not actually striking... like he was warning Me not to tell him about what he just did... lol After this I thought it was funny how defensive this tiny bird got when I did this to him but now if he's on me and has to go, he just flies off, does his business and flies back to me where i quickly gave him Lots of praise and a millet reward. I've actually had him say the word "doo doo" one time where I quickly let him off me and he went, but still trying to get him to repeat that one.

Of course, this took a little more working thru but he knew not to do his business on me. Now the flying off me and doing his business does mean no more clothes changing but I still need to clean up after him and it's a good trade off in my opinion. The best part is that even if he's on my shoulder cuddling and he has to go, he will start to whine to let me know so I can perch him on my finger and I'll ask him if he has to doo doo. He'll do his business and I can put him back on my shoulder so he can resume cuddling or go back to sleep. This only took a few nights to learn and for him to learn to tell me he has to go by whining in my ear. He loves his nightly cuddle time before I put him back in his cage and he can sleep on my shoulder with his beak pressed in between my ear and the back of my head for hours if I let him while I'm watching tv, but pretty much without fail, he whines softly to me and I ask him for a step up where he steps up and sits on my finger as I hold him out and tell him to make his doo doos, he does his business and I return him back to my shoulder where he can either cuddle back up and go back to sleep or just hang out if he wishes.

Now during the day when he's out of his cage he'll just simply fly off to a plastic coat hanger I got hanging up for him to perch and play on where he can perch and do his business, but if we're holding him and he has to go, you gotta read his body language and hold him away or he'll go on you, he's got my wife a few times because she didn't see the body language or she was playing with him and thought he was just being feisty, but she also knows now to ask him if he has to go and he complies for her just as well.

If you're trying to train yours to go in a specific location, this will take a lot more effort, and can back fire as the bird may try to hold it until he can access that location, which can be harmful for their digestive systems if they try to hold in their doo doo til you let them out of the cage or if you're in a different room when he has to go and can't get to that particular spot.

It would be best to teach your bird to tell you ha has to go (the bird may whine in your ear or just get a bit fidgity, but it's an indication for you to release him to do his business off you) or to simply fly off you to go then return. You can always clean the mess off the floor and it won't be all over you.
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