It seems that bird owners, and non-bird owners alike are aware of how often birds poop. These frequent “bathroom breaks” are necessary to keep themselves light in order to take flight at a moments notice. With their intelligence, it is not surprising that many bird owners have trained their parrots to eliminate on command! With time and patience, you can try training your bird too.
1. Be aware of how frequently your bird goes potty while out of its cage. Try observing cues such as fidgeting, squatting, or nipping that might be your birds way of telling you he needs to go! Sometimes in unfamiliar spaces, a bird will be more wary of its surroundings and need to go more frequently, or forget its training.
2. Choose a key phrase, and be consistent! Multiple family members should use the same signal and / or key phrase. Popular ones include: “Go potty”, “Bombs away”, and “Go poop”, and are sometimes accompanied by a slight up and down shake of the hand.
3. Because parrots are visual, sometimes they will recognize their stand, a trash can, or a napkin as an appropriate target if they are trained consistently with one of these items.
4. If you observe your bird naturally going potty about every 15 minutes, have your bird step-up a few minutes prior to the 15 minute mark, and hold him over a trash can, newspaper, or place him on a small training stand. The trick is to be patient, and be repetitive! Repeat your key phrase every few seconds. When your bird goes potty, make it special for your bird by offering praise in the form of a scratch/pet, treat, or by just plain being excited. If your bird does not go within a minute or two, take a break, but try again after another minute.
Repeat this process of potty break trial and error, and hopefully you will be rewarded by having your bird eliminate on command. Some parrots are naturally very tidy and may only potty while in their cages or on their stands. Other birds may learn to hold it until an appropriate time. It is good practice to frequently allow your bird the opportunity to use the bathroom while out with you. Also, never punish your bird for pooping on you or your furniture- accidents will happen.