How to Potty Train Your Parrot or Cockatoo

Training your pet bird to evacuate on command takes time and patience.

Parrots and cockatoos have fast metabolisms and poop quite a bit. Training your parrot or cockatoo to poop on request, even if it doesn't make the target all the time, can be useful and save on clean up time. You will need powers of observation, patience and time to teach your bird to "go potty" over a specific material, such as a newspaper or paper towel, or at a specific place, such as the toilet.

Things You'll Need

• Paper (brightly colored or newspaper)
• Trashcan-small

Instructions

1. 

   Parrots are somewhat intelligent and can learn tricks.

   Spend a day or two observing your bird and his pooping habits and signs. Writing notes may help you with this. Most parrots poop when they get let out of their cages, about 10 minutes after eating, and when getting ready to fly or jump to a new perch.
   Signs that a parrot or cockatoo is going to go poop can include crouching, going to the end of the perch or cage, or slightly raising his wings.

2. Teach your parrot or cockatoo what "go poop" means. Start telling your bird "go poop" as she poops, when she is in her cage or playing away from you. When your bird is out with you, have a brightly colored piece of paper or special trash can nearby at all times. Try to get your bird to the potty place as soon as she starts to exhibit signs of pooping and tell her to "go poop." Even if she misses, it is important to say "go poop" every time you see your parrot or cockatoo pooping.

3. Reinforce going poop in the right place by lavishing your bird with praise.
   Especially if she spends a lot of time out of her cage, always have the target near you to hold your bird over and say "go poop" when she starts to exhibit signs of having to go. Say "good bird" enthusiastically and immediately when your parrot or cockatoo correctly goes potty in the right place when you ask her to. Parrots and cockatoos love attention.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient and consistent. Some birds are easier to train to go on a certain target, such as a waste can or their cage, and others are more in tune with verbal prompts.

• Yellow legal paper can be a great potty tool, since it is easily disposed of but doesn't look too much like non-trash paper.

• If your bird is stressed or sick, it will probably poop much more frequently and appear to lose its training.

References

• Birds N Ways: The ABC's of Potty Training

Resources

• How to Potty Train your Parrot as Easy a
• Winged Wisdom - How to Potty Train your Pet Bird
• How to Potty Train your pet bird by Rei