# Potty Training



## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

I was just wondering how many of us own potty trained cockatiels. Of course, when nature calls Machi goes ahead and does her thing somewhat regardless of position; however, if I time it correctly and put her out over a paper towel every 15-30 min. (depending on time of day and her metabolism) asking her to potty then saying "Bombs Aweigh!", she does it! The man who raised her obviously did a fabulous job. I read that it isn't difficult to encourage this behaviour though. Check out this article from the Hartman Aviary.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I don't potty train my birds and here is another link about potty training http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=6774


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## xMissy-Rayne (Oct 31, 2010)

I actually like the idea,though mine aren't..I'd consider training them..

I tried to train all my pets..my rats,rabbits,mice,chinchillas,etc all in the past,even hamsters were litter trained...
& my daughter was out of diapers before she turned one lol...(due to my beliefs& my family's,we all get potty trained before our 1st bday).

Thanks for the links..something new for me to try now!!


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## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

xMissy-Rayne said:


> my daughter was out of diapers before she turned one lol...(due to my beliefs& my family's,we all get potty trained before our 1st bday)


Wow, that really awesome! It's a matter of refusing to discount a being's capabilities, methinks. Kudos!


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## xMissy-Rayne (Oct 31, 2010)

shelagh said:


> Wow, that really awesome! It's a matter of refusing to discount a being's capabilities, methinks. Kudos!


Thanks  Majority of my family were out of diapers long before 1 though..we just don't believe in them.There's whole cultures who never wear a diaper on their kiddie& lots of info books,sites,etc dedicated to training at birth.Being a first time mom,I waited til she was 6-7 months.My next child will be either at birth,or starting to train 3 months the latest

Either way,I never tried to train a bird,sounds like fun.A great learning experience at least.Most animals by nature are quite clean.When I trained my rodents,it was just a matter of figuring out what corner they preferred to use as a bathroom..
I know one of my birds like using one of the water dishes as a toilet  Silly bird :blink: hahaha


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Sometime my bird poops on my boyfriend as soon as I hand him over... hahahaha. He's now known as "the toilet".

I wasn't aware you could potty train a bird! Arnie seems to poop in the same place in his cage which is nice, and he will wander elsewhere to do a poop off me or hang his bottom over the edge of my shoulder/couch/perch. My boyfriend and housemate aren't so lucky, hehe and sometimes when there's nowhere else for him to go he'll go on me. At the end of the day bird droppings don't really bother me, I know exactly what's in them.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Reading the Hartman article, it says young birds cannot control their bowel movements (just like human babies I suppose) so does anyone know at what age should we be potty training tiels?


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## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

I'm not sure what age you can start potty training. And I suppose I should mention that it's not flawless potty training---she doesn't always go where desired, but through positive reinforcement and timing, we can sometimes go all day without an accident. She trys to excrete on command, and usually with success. Otherwise, she does try to leave her food/play areas to do the deed.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

wow that's cool


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## Louiiiseeeee (Aug 29, 2010)

Goldie is sort of potty trained, but I've never really taught him. He has somehow learned by himself to not poop on me or my bed. Whenever he is on my bed, sometimes he hints to me he wants to go onto the floor, and as soon as I put him down he poops, then he climbs back up on to my finger. :3


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## shelagh (Nov 2, 2010)

Louiiiseeeee said:


> Goldie is sort of potty trained, but I've never really taught him. He has somehow learned by himself to not poop on me or my bed. Whenever he is on my bed, sometimes he hints to me he wants to go onto the floor, and as soon as I put him down he poops, then he climbs back up on to my finger. :3


That's the key-notice your bird's timing and tendencies, and they gladly poo away from their people/play areas/food. As soon as Machi is taken from a shoulder and offered a towel she does her business (given the timing isn't too short or her metabolism hasn't slowed too much, which happens before bed with her). I notice that Machi must be holding it for a while when she's on a person (mind you, for a short period of time-she hasn't many qualms about soiling if she absolutely must go). But if she is focused and I ask her, she can usually poo (or I see her try to do so, then retry in a few minutes).
Just be sure to offer a paper towel every 15 minutes or so, and connoting "potty", "poop", or (my fav) "bombs aweigh!" with the action of defecation. If the target is hit, we praise and occasionally offer a treat. If we/food/furniture is pooped on, ignore it. They learn through positive reinforcement.


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