Can Parrots Be Potty-Trained? (Steps To Toilet-Train A Parrot)

Parrots are sociable and adorable pets. They win the hearts of people around them by their cuteness and lovable nature. At the same time, parrots are intelligent and can understand instructions.

However, one of the major problems that all parrot owners face is the creation of a mess. So, can parrots be potty trained?

Yes. Parrots can be potty-trained. Parrots possess cognitive skills which help them to learn new things.

House training a parrot includes tutoring him to defecate on command or to excrete at the designated place. House-training a larger parrot breed is easier as compared to a smaller breed.

So, parrots can be potty-trained. But, do parrots poop often or everywhere in the house that it needs to be potty-trained?

Let’s understand in-depth all the information about how parrots can be house-trained without stressing your beloved pet bird.

How Often Do Parrots Poop?

The frequency of your parrot’s pooping depends on its size. The smaller the parrot is, it will poop frequently. However, the quantity of poop will be lesser. Don’t be surprised if you parrot poops every 15 to 20 minutes after eating the food.

Similarly, if you have a bigger parrot, it will be vice-versa. Your bigger parrot will be pooping less frequently with more quantity.

As per the Study of Ornithography of birds Energy balance and thermoregulation. Parrots have a much higher metabolism than most mammals do. After having the meals, the food passes through the parrot’s digestive tract in about half an hour.

After eating, the food gets stored in the parrot’s crop. The food then slowly gets through the digestive tract. That is why you often see your parrot pooping for 2 to 3 hours after having their meals.

Despite the size, parrots have a natural inclination to poop and will not make themselves dirty. Parrots are considered to be inclined towards cleanliness. So, you will not find your parrot playing in the poop and making himself dirty.

Okay! So, parrots poop frequently. So, they do poop everywhere in the house and create a mess all around?

Do Parrots Poop Everywhere?

Parrots can poop anywhere in the house unless it is trained to excrete at a designated place. If you have your parrot in the cage most of the time, it will be obviously be pooping in the cage.

You will then be saved from the effort of cleaning the entire house every now and then.

But even you know that you cannot keep a bird in the cage all the time.

Parrots need to be out of the cage, fly around, and have social interaction to be healthy.

Parrots are sometimes notorious and can poop everywhere. Especially after eating their meals, they are more likely to poop.

When they have a flighted path and land at someplace, chances are that they may poop there.

You need to closely observe how often your parrot poops and when it frequently poops to have an idea. It will help you in keeping your home clean.

Interesting Further Reading:

Can Parrots Control When They Poop?

Parrots cannot control their poop for too long. They have frequent bowel movements, and hence it is difficult for them to hold their poop.

If you try to train your parrot to control the poop, it can damage your bird. Parrots poop after having their meals or while landing from a flight.

Parrots can be house trained to excrete at a particular place. This does not mean that they can hold their waste for too long. Unlike humans, parrots do not have control over their bowel movements for a longer period. It may control itself till your parrot reaches the toilet spot.

So, you must be wondering how to toilet train a parrot. Is it possible, and can it, in any possible manner, be stressful for your pet?

How To Toilet Train A Parrot?

Toilet training your parrot requires a lot of patience. Your parrot doesn’t need to be trained in a few days. It may take several weeks or even months before your parrot is completely toilet trained. The first thing that you must do before toilet training your parrot is to train yourself.

The following steps are helpful if you want to toilet train your parrot.

Observe your parrot’s behavior

The first and foremost thing is you have to notice your parrot’s movement closely before it poops. Every bird is unique, and therefore there is no specific behavior that every bird follows. You need to look out for signs that your parrot displays.

Your parrot may perform a squatting motion or flick their tails up when they are about to defecate. Look out for the precise movement of your parrot. It will help you to understand better when your pet is getting ready to excrete.

Select a command

When you understand your parrot’s behavior, the next step is to choose a command.

You need to have a specific command to reinforce the behavior and that is easy for your bird to relate to.

You can use simple commands such as “Go potty” or “Hurry up.” These will alert your parrot that it needs to go to the pooping area.

Allocate designated place

The next step is to allocate any designated place in your house. The place can be in the cage or anywhere else in the house. Most pet owners prefer a newspaper, paper towels, wastebasket, or even paper plates.

You can lay down these things in the allocated place and make a habit for your parrot to defecate on the plates, newspaper, or anything else that you may choose.

Initially, you can help your parrot by taking him to that designated place. Your parrot will eventually learn that he needs to go to that place and then excrete.

You need to ensure that the place that you select needs to be easily accessible by your parrot.

Reinforce toilet training

Parrots are intelligent and hence can relate to your commands. You need to reinforce toilet training to your parrot continually. Initially, it will not immediately follow your instructions.

It will take some time for your parrot to train himself. Eventually, your parrot will be able to relate your commands and will march towards the potty area to relieve. After some time, you will be surprised to see that your parrot will not even wait for your commands and poop in the designated area.

Reward behavior

Parrots respond well to praise and positive reinforcement. Every time your parrot goes into the toilet area, offer a treat and praise him for his deeds. You can treat your parrot with some yummy food or something else that your parrot loves to do.

Rewarding him will boost your parrot’s confidence, and it will understand that pooping at the designated place has its benefits.

Though it is not easy and requires a lot of patience to toilet train a parrot, it is still worth taking. Once adapted to the art of toilet training, your parrot will be saving a lot of your time and effort in cleaning the mess.

Certain things should be avoided while training your parrot. Let’s have a look at them.

Mistakes to Avoid While Potty Training Your Parrot?

Parrots are just like small kids that need love and affection. In the wild, parrots poop whenever and anywhere without thinking much. So, when you have a pet parrot and decide to house train your pet, you need to be very cautious in your approach.

It should not happen that in the process of house training your parrot; you are indirectly causing stress to your beloved pet. Hence, you need to avoid any such mistakes that can prove fatal to your parrot’s well-being.

Do not train immediately: Whenever you get a new parrot as a pet, do not ever try to toilet train the parrot immediately. Your parrot needs time to acclimatize itself to the new environment and people around it. House training or any other training can be devastating if done too early. Once your pet is friendly and adjusts to its captive environment, you can start house training.
Have patience: Patience is the most vital thing for house training a parrot. Your parrot will take some time to house the train. It is possible that even after house trained, your parrot may not be consistent and poop elsewhere. So, you need to be patient on such occasions and give the desired time to your parrot. Make your expectations realistic and do not frustrate while training your parrot.
Do not scold or hit: Scolding or hitting a parrot is the worst offense. Your parrot will not learn house training faster by your scolding or hitting. It will only make things worse. Scolding can create stress for your bird. Stress causes behavioral issues. The mental stability and health of your parrot may deteriorate if we subject it to aggression.

Alright! Now that you are well aware of the toilet training and the blunders that should be avoided, the next big challenge is to set up a pooping station for your pet.

Recommended Further Reading:

How To Set Up “Pooping Stations”?

Setting up an appropriate pooping station is one of the challenges that most pet owners face. Fortunately, unlike some birds, parrots have the intelligence and can be trained to poop at the pooping station setup by you inside the room.

You have to identify a place where you can set up the pooping station. This is based on your bird’s habit. You need to observe the flight route of your pet bird and accordingly install a strong large perch, with a shelf under it, attached to a wall that would serve as a pooping station. You must understand that your pet parrot would poop after landing or before taking off the perch.

The shelf below the perch should be able to catch all the poop. You can keep newspapers or paper plates handy in the toilet area. This will ensure that hygiene maintenance, as the pooping station, will serve its purpose.

Conclusion

Parrots can be potty trained. However, it does take a lot of effort and patience to toilet train your feathery friend.

Proper training and rewarding your parrot are the key elements for your training. Never scold or punish your parrot if it takes time or does not follow your instructions.

Arrogance towards your parrot will create stress and behavioral problems in your bird.

Good luck in your attempts to toilet training your parrot.