Many bird owners love their feathered friends but they just hate the little ‘accidents’ that happen during playtime. Many people have argued that it is impossible to potty train birds and say that you just have to ‘live with it’, but it seems that with enough time and patience it is possible.

It all starts by evaluating body language. You need to figure out if you can ‘predict’ when your bird is going to relieve himself by observing things such as posture, ruffling of tail feathers, a ‘look’ in the birds eyes – any activity which may take place directly preceding the event. If you watch long enough and often enough, you’ll soon see a familiar pattern start to emerge. When that happens, you will have completed the first step in potty training your bird. The second step is noting how often your bird chooses eliminate waste. This will help you later when you need to determine exactly when your bird will be needing his next potty break.

Once you’ve got the specifics figured out, it is all a matter of timing. Once you’ve chosen the spot where you want your bird to get down to business – be it a garbage can, a bird’s cage, or a piece of newspaper – you simply have to take your bird to the item (or hold it under the bird) each time you see him give you the signals that he is ready for his next movement. This is where knowing how long it takes between movements helps as you can be prepared in advance. In the beginning the bird may not poop on schedule. If this happens you can allow him to go back to play and return him to the spot a short while later. If the bird gets it right, you should lavish him with praise, kind words and plenty of yummy treats. After a while he will quickly understand that pooping in the proper place means that he will be greatly rewarded.

No one said that potty training your pet bird would be easy – it may take months to get right and certainly requires a lot of dedication on the part of the bird owner. Even so, mistakes may still happen and your furniture and clothing may get soiled from time to time – but it certainly wont happen as often as it used to. Play time can become a pleasure once more and the relationship between bird and owner can be greatly improved.

Related posts:

1. Clicker Training for Pet Birds
2. Target Training Your Bird
3. Teaching Bird Tricks: The Wave