# Potty training cockatiels



## dakisgirls (Jul 15, 2010)

My cockatiel, Momo, just came home yesterday, and he is adjusting very well. He comes out of his cage all the time, and is on my shoulder constantly. I would like share some advice on potty training, because it seems to be working out well.  I have started by, every time I take him out of his cage, I hold him over newspaper until he starts to go, and I say go potty. When he finishes, I give him lots of praise. Then, every twenty min. or so, when he starts to fluff up his wings and lift his tail up, I hold him over the newspaper again. This seems to be working for me, and he starts to get agitated when he needs to go. He nips me and paces until I hold him over the newspaper. Thanks for reading this advice! I just want to help people who may be having trouble potty trainig their cockatiels.


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## cinnamon (Jul 16, 2009)

I never considered potty training my tiels. I only have one that is truly tame and she might poop on me once a day. I am used to the poop as we have conures. The method you use is what we do with the conures though and it works!


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## jessdavies (Jul 18, 2010)

Wow I have never heard of a potty trained cockatiel that amazing great job


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## dakisgirls (Jul 15, 2010)

Thanks! He is VERY smart. He has learned to step-up since we got him (He didn't know how before), and he is doing so well. The trick is, knowing your bird's signs. If you watch the bird close enough in their cage, you see what happens BEFORE they need to go. Once you learn that, then you know you REALLY know your tiel. lol.


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## kirbulous (Jul 21, 2010)

I used a similar technique with my birds. Although I use a trash can; I'll hold Kirby over the trash can and he knows what to do. I actually learned the technique from one of my high school teachers that brought her green conure Merlin to class regularly. He was potty trained to poop in a trash can as well. I was amazed and now that I have birds used the same technique.


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## Dave & Tito (Aug 1, 2010)

Hi everyone

A question for you about potty training; do your birds 'go potty' as they normally would if they need to when you're not around?

I've read a few reports of birds, admittedly larger parrots, injuring themselves by holding on too long waiting for the prompt so they can get the praise. I was alarmed at this and wondered if there was any truth in it at all... what is your experience?


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Yes, it is VERY dangerous when it comes to potty training birds, not just certain birds, all birds. I highly suggest you re-think about doing it. 



> *...although it is possible to train a parrot to defecate on verbal command, this method is dangerous. Occasionally, a bird may be so eager to please that it will incur life-threatening kidney damage waiting for that verbal command. This becomes an issue if the owner is ill or injured or must go out of town. A forgotten instruction to command the bird to defecate has proved fatal on at least one documented occasion (Athan 50).*


Someone on another board got a bird that had been potty trained, only the bird was straining to even poop even if he didn't need to go!

There is also cloacal problems that can arise with a potty trained bird.


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## greenpeppers311 (Aug 23, 2010)

Solace. said:


> Yes, it is VERY dangerous when it comes to potty training birds, not just certain birds, all birds. I highly suggest you re-think about doing it.
> 
> Someone on another board got a bird that had been potty trained, only the bird was straining to even poop even if he didn't need to go!
> 
> There is also cloacal problems that can arise with a potty trained bird.


Sometimes my Quaker will do fake poops. Naughty girl.


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## Enimsajeel (Aug 26, 2010)

Is it only dangerous if you have vocal command? could the bird also associate going potty with the presence of the newspapter? So if the cage is lined with the newspaper, it'll know it can go?

Just a thought, I would like to potty train my bird.


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## clem&peeps (Nov 17, 2009)

Solace. said:


> Yes, it is VERY dangerous when it comes to potty training birds, not just certain birds, all birds. I highly suggest you re-think about doing it.
> 
> Someone on another board got a bird that had been potty trained, only the bird was straining to even poop even if he didn't need to go!
> 
> There is also cloacal problems that can arise with a potty trained bird.


I Completely agree. A while back i taught my two to poop on command and it was surprisingly easy to do, until i read it could be dangerous. So now when I'm with my birds i just return them to the top of the cage every 15 - 20 min. with out any verbal praise or command, if they go that's great if they don't that's OK to, And if they happen to poop on me that's what old shirts are for


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## Abby (Jul 30, 2010)

I'd never thought potty training would be dangerous. I've never tried it, but now I know not too! Besides, a little drop of poop isn't ever that bad, is it? I think we can live without potty training our birds successfully.


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## gbaromman (Sep 1, 2010)

could i train a tiel to go only in its cage when it needs to like fly over to its cage or something like that ? 

i can see in voice commands that could be dangerous but if i take them there when they go could they learn from that that is there poo place or something would be handy to teach them that sort of thing but not if its dangerous


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## Safwah (Mar 3, 2010)

My bird is trained to poop, she will always poop when she sees me approach the cage and to take her out, and if i pick up on the poop signs ill hold her over something and say poop. I dont make a big deal about it and if i dont time it right she will poop where ever she wants 

But it is a very handy thing to train ur bird IF u dont over praise them about it, and i really dont see it as a danger to her the way ive trained her.


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## kab0116 (Mar 17, 2010)

gbaromman said:


> could i train a tiel to go only in its cage when it needs to like fly over to its cage or something like that ?


I've heard of people doing this. I've been trying to get Noki to do it for a while. She has learned to poop on command really well; I usually take her and set her on the top of the cage and she goes. But she's never really figured out that she can fly over there and do it herself. If I don't take her she just goes wherever she wants. 
Never heard of potty training being dangerous though. I'm glad she's never had those problems.


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## Dave & Tito (Aug 1, 2010)

Thanks for your advice everyone!

Here's an interesting observation; I have NOT started to potty train Tito, but I've noticed a large number of times he'll go to his t-stand I have had made for him and he'll do his terrible runny ones there haha, I think he's peeing. He'll still poop on me, but they're the smaller, more managable ones to clean up.

When he does this I praise him a lot, but only circumstatially, I am not taking him there to do them.

It's almost like this problem (which lets face it isn't really that big a deal) is resolving itself.


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