Q: My parrot poops anywhere he wants when he’s playing outside his cage, and it’s hard to clean up. Is it possible to house-train him?
A: The quick and easy answer to your question is to only let him play in areas with floors that can be lined with paper or are easy to clean, such as tile, laminate or luxury vinyl. Cover furniture with towels or other washable covers when your bird is out.
But yes, birds can be house-trained. With patience and consistency, you can teach your bird to relieve himself on cue wherever you want him to “go.” Young birds seem to learn most quickly, but it’s possible to teach old birds new tricks. Start by noting what times of day your bird typically relieves himself, and pay attention to his body language just beforehand. Maybe he waggles his tail feathers before dropping a load? Choose a cue, such as, “Go potty,” “Hurry up” or whatever phrase you want to use. When you see your bird getting ready to go or it’s the normal time he relieves himself, ask him onto your hand and hold him over the area you want him to go: a lined wastebasket, a paper plate or other “poop zone” of your choice. Say your potty cue and praise when he goes. Eventually, he’ll start to associate the phrase with the action and respond appropriately on cue.
Bear in mind that larger birds can “hold it” longer than smaller ones. Budgies and cockatiels may need to go every 15 to 20 minutes, while macaws and cockatoos may go several hours between poops. And no bird is perfectly reliable. Sometimes, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
The bottom line? Parrots are messy, and cleaning up after them is part of living with them.
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