Potty Training Your Bird in 72 Hours
Parrots in the wild develop a habit of defecating in certain areas and under certain conditions as a matter of survival. Most breeding hens will sit on eggs all night long without leaving the nest, parrots that are territorial during their breeding cycle tend to potty at the edges of what they consider their territory, and most pet parrots do not go potty at night. We can assume, from this information, that birds have a conscious and subconscious awareness of where and when they potty. By observing the innate behaviors exhibited by parrots in the wild, we can understand their needs and modify their behavior to help them to fit into their domestic home.
Parrots learn quickly, and tame parrots can be potty trained no matter their age. Potty-trained parrots can make better house pets on a long-term basis, and the habit can be developed in as little as 72 hours.
There are three main steps to potty training your parrot:
Pay attention. Every bird is different, and the age and feeding habits of your pet will determine when it will need to have a bowel movement. Babies consuming formula will potty as often as every 20 minutes around the clock. Older birds will vary from 30 minutes to as long as eight or more hours. Watch your pet for a while and determine the frequency of bowel movements. Consider the time of day and if your bird has eaten recently.
Leave your bird in the cage or on a perch and watch for a bowel movement. When this occurs, you should give a verbal praise and immediately remove the bird from the cage or perch, which is usually the greatest reward you can give a bird. This praise should be in the form of a word, which you will use to command your bird to potty when you need him to. At the Parrot University we say, "Good Potty".Since you now have an idea of how long it will be before the next bowel movement, you can prevent an accident by putting the bird back into the cage or on the perch when half of the expected time has passed.
The last step is to wait for your bird to go potty and repeat your chosen phrase until your bird understands the meaning of the words.
If you follow this method on a consistent basis, within 72 hours some birds might be trying to go potty every time they see you enter the room. (Because they want to get out of the cage). Once the bird has a grasp on the concept, you may start using this command to encourage your pet to potty on command under most circumstances.
This training, so far, will not teach your pet to have bowel control. Your bird will not know to wait until you give the potty command, it will only teach him to go on command. Once your pet understands you want him to go potty on command you can begin working on teaching the concept of holding it until appropriate.
This bowel control behavior will take longer to teach. When you notice your bird squatting and lifting his or her tail to potty, say "No", and if possible, try to hold their tail down to stop the process. Now move your bird to an appropriate location and give the potty command. Stay with them until they go, then praise and reward them when they finally do. If your bird has already defecated, do nothing. Just clean it up and try again next time.
It is important not to startle your bird when trying to change this behavior. He or she is not intending to make a mistake. By positively encouraging appropriate behavior, your bird will let go of the old behavior.
For a young bird, just like a human, bowel control may not be possible until your baby is at least a year old. When an accident does occur and you did not catch it as it happened, do not reprimand your bird. In as little as a few seconds after going potty, your pet will probably be thinking about something else. If your bird is now thinking about how nice it would be to snuggle up to your neck and you tell your bird no, or punish them, they will be confused.
It is very important not to punish your bird for making a mistake until they totally understand the behavior you want them to perform. You will just confuse them and prolong the learning process. Always use positive reinforcement by praising the behavior you want to reinforce.
The most important concept in potty training your bird is when your pet poops on the couch or on your friend, it is not their fault! A parrot that does not know when and where it is appropriate to potty does not understand that they are doing something “wrong”, and it’s important to keep a positive attitude around your bird.
Beware; there is an urban myth that potty training your parrot is a bad idea because your parrot may hold it until he dies. This is just a rumor, and nothing to worry about! The behavior of “potty training” is a natural process that many animals, including parrots, dogs, and even hedgehogs practice normally under wild circumstances.
