Quick Question...

[Dreamline]

I have read a ton on here about how everyone lets the birds have run of the house, they play on the carpet on the couch on the tables etc....
I really want to let my BGM have run as well, I am building several play stands
but i would like her to be able to get off if she wants and come over, sit on my lap play etc...
SO - heres my question.....
How does all this happen without poo all over the place?
I REALLY want to hold her in my lap while watching tv and let her play anywhere but one or two poohs and my wife will hit the roof.....

[Congobongo]

Ha, mine just pooped on the dog! He has a big patch of poo on his butt.

Well, some say you can train a bird to go back on it's cage to poo but, I don't know the secret to that.

However, their poo does wipe up and clean up easily. Vinegar and water. If it is dry then spray it with a solution of vinegar and water and let it stand for about 15 min. so soften and then wipe it up.

You can also buy a product called Poop Off but I think most out here will agree vinegar and water works just about as well.

On the upside, it doesn't smell like dog poo does!

[silvercb67]

Scarlet never poops anywhere but in the bird room. Even when I take her for rides in the SUV she holds it as well. I did not teach her this, so we were lucky with her. Now I have Jackson & i'm thinking i'll be needing to train him. Anytime I see them poop, I say "poop" so they can identify the word when the training begins.
Good Luck!

[jjones1719]

It's best to potty train your Macaw. It's pretty much like house breaking a Dog. You reward them when they go on paper and make a big deal of it. Both Parrots I own are potty trained and took less then a week to do. I sit and watch TV with a news paper between my legs on the floor. Every 20 min or so, I ask my Parrots to go potty, when they do, I cheer, give then an almond or their favorite treat until they go without me asking and still get the reward. If my parrots are playing on the couch, they come running to me to hold them over the paper. They are very smart parrots. I have a 1 year old Green Wing macaw and a 3 year old SI Male Eclectus. I hope this helps Joe

[Greycloud]

I have a potty trained U2. When Sammy has to go he gets a little fidgety. I just hold him over a trashcan and say "Go potty!" and he does. I praise him highly.

[CaptainGentleGiant]

I do the same thing as Silvercb67 and jjones. If you say one word like poop or bulls-eye, kaka, etc. everytime she does it, than a connection from the action to the word results. Everytime you give your bird food, 20 minutes later be ready for bombs-away. Say your magic word. Hopefully, she will catch on.

[jdlilfan]

I used clicker training with my Grey when we "re-potty trained" her. Her previous owners taught her to jump on the floor when it's poopy time and poop on the floor! Whenever she pooped in her cage, I'd click, give her a treat, and praise her. She eventually started catching on, so when she'd be outside of the cage playing, and you could tell from her body language that it's time to go, I'd put her back in the cage and do the same. Now I just say "Go Potty" and she gets it. It didn't take too long, a couple weeks before she quit realizing that the floor is a bathroom.

[chinniechantel]

Originally Posted by Greycloud

I have a potty trained U2. When Sammy has to go he gets a little fidgety. I just hold him over a trashcan and say "Go potty!" and he does. I praise him highly.

This is exactly how Paco is. I need to train Phoenix how to do this now, the problem is he poops non-stop still! I guess starting off with saying Poop every time he goes is a good start.

[redwing13]

Ditto! My B&G was only 3 months old when I got him (he turned 1 yesterday-Happy Hatch Day big guy!) He learned in a matter of days that he is supposed to go to his cage. If he's on the couch and has to go, he will let you know immediately! Thank you! He has a limited run of the house, tho, because as soon as he turns a corner, he's chewing on door,door frames, cabinets, chairs, etc! But he does sit with me on the couch an he is good.