can lovebirds be "toilet trained" ?

[Ahbao1983]

one of my lovebirds, the most tame one, sometimes i would let him out of the cage to do whatever he wants to, free and easy.... occasionally he would fly and land on my hair or shoulder... i noticed that there were a couple of times, while on my shoulder, he would fly off to the top of the cage, take a dump, and moments later, fly back onto me...

is this all a coincidence or did he really mean to not poop on me? lol.

mind u when he was still a flight-less, unweaned chick he poop on my all the times....

[linda040899]

Birds can be potty trained and some of that training involves training yourself to know when your feathered companion is showing signs of needing to eliminate. Sounds like yours has developed a sense of where to and where not to leave his "calling cards!"

[Brian1]

Rather interesting question as my two lovebirds are not tame and are cage bound and they refuse to poop in the one corner of their large cage which has the most favorite toys. They will actually stop playing with the toys, walk away, poop and then go right back to the corner and start to play!

I think it's great as I've not yet had to clean off any toys. Maybe they instintively don't potty in areas of work and play?

They are much smarter than we give them credit for.

[linda040899]

Some lovebirds aren't quite so particular but it seems like yours like a clean play area. It can vary from bird to bird. One thing I can tell you is that babies will not eliminate where they sleep. They will back up to a corner or, if older, to the nest box entrance, and do what they have to do there. :) I've noticed with my own that they tend to eliminate in the same spot once they've chosen one and they tend to be consistent.

[thebubbleking]

i have several friends with lovebirds who have potty trianed thier lovies.

[light487]

Yup, mine definitely prefers one side of the cage over the other and I've never found a single piece of "dirt" inside the happy hut where he sleeps. He doesn't do a lot of eliminating out of the cage but I still find that he seems to go wherever, with no real purpose.. but then he's only 10 weeks or so now.. still a baby.. :)

[Ahbao1983]

Some lovebirds aren't quite so particular but it seems like yours like a clean play area. It can vary from bird to bird. One thing I can tell you is that babies will not eliminate where they sleep. They will back up to a corner or, if older, to the nest box entrance, and do what they have to do there. :) I've noticed with my own that they tend to eliminate in the same spot once they've chosen one and they tend to be consistent.

you're right that it varies from birds to birds...

like my lovie, this very one i was talking about at home, i used to put a coconut husk in the cage and he would sleep inside at night... next day i got him out and inside the coconut husk were covered in poop and he had poop all over him... he was then just 4 weeks old or thereabout..

i'd recently gotten 2 more baby lovebirds... i put them in a brooder of sort, and place a small cardboard box, which i cut a hole inside... i stuffed them in, they spend the whole night in there.. next day when i checked, there was just 1 poop stain in there and the entrance outside was all watery and poop...

[Z28Taxman]

Some lovebirds aren't quite so particular but it seems like yours like a clean play area. It can vary from bird to bird. One thing I can tell you is that babies will not eliminate where they sleep. They will back up to a corner or, if older, to the nest box entrance, and do what they have to do there. :) I've noticed with my own that they tend to eliminate in the same spot once they've chosen one and they tend to be consistent.

Ditto is one of those particular ones, no matter what he's doing or what toy he's playing on when he's gotta go, he'll hop onto a perch that isn't above a toy or another perch (he's got several places he knows are safe, then will squat down so his butt is below the perch and bomb away. Makes it easy to examine poops to catch health issues because they're usually in about 4 or 5 places.

At night he sleeps in his happy hut but always manages to back up just enough to not poop in the hut.

When he's out he'll also back up so he doesn't poop on me or anyplace he wants to stand.

As for training him? I had nothing to do with it, but it's easy to figure out when he's going to go since he makes a big production of it. He picks his spot and will turn around if he has to, then back up and squat.:rotfl

[kikibird]

They certainly are smarter than we give them credit for! I have 2 girls that are both trained to use the small waste basket when out of the cage. I started this training before they were weaned. But in the cage, one is particular and the other one is not. So they realize the rules are different when out of the cage.

[linda040899]

There's a very cute 30 minute "movie" entitled Bill and Coo and with as many times as I've seen it, it never ceases to amaze me at what lovebirds can be taught to do!! Personality and intelligence all packaged into one small feathered creature. Gotta luv 'em!

[kikibird]

I found one on YouTube but it was 8 minutes long. On the town of Chripendale featuring Bill and Coo. Soooo cute! Maybe it was just part of the 30 minute one?? I'll have to find the full one. Thanks for sharing that one, Linda!

I've spent the last three days cleaning cages and moving everyone around. Put in some new toys and made a couple foraging system. I've noticed that Nefreyu, my black masked male, will play around with a new toy and then start pumping his head at it. He also gained some ground making nice with Nefeli. To which he started pumping his head at her also.

I think is part of the bonding ritual, but does it also show excitement and approval? These little boys are so different than the girls. :lol I'm learning all over again. :whistle:

[kikibird]

Oh I just found a 60 minute one. It shows the beginnings of the making of the movie and the movie. Too cute!!! Bill and Coo have two little star chairs with their names and they climb in. They the director yells "make up" and the birds move to another perch :rotfl:rotfl:rotfl

[Ahbao1983]

can you share the link to the movie/documentary please...?

[Bubblelady]

Buddy potty trained herself, pretty much. She never pooped inside my shirt, When on me, she would hop off, go to the edge of the chair/table, whatever, back up, and poop. I started saying 'poop' whenever she did this. Eventually, she would poop on command when I held her on my finger over a tissue, waste basket, etc. I learned how often she needed to potty & would anticipate this slightly & she would do her business when I asked her too. She was such a special little girl!

[kikibird]

Bubblelady, do you not have buddy any longer? She sounds very special!:D

Ahbao, the link is http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=228&format=movie&theme=halloween

[Bubblelady]

Bubblelady, do you not have buddy any longer? She sounds very special!:D

Ahbao, the link is http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=228&format=movie&theme=halloween

No, sadly Buddy flew off to the Rainbow Bridge 3 years ago, at the age of 14 years, 10 months. And she was VERY special. The most special bird I've ever had. I still miss her so very much.

[Mary in Florida]

I was reading through a number of old threads, and came on this one. So at the risk of coming late to the party, I'll add my two cents on lovie, "potty-training".

Our Sweetpea always seemed to back up to the edge of something, be it the top of her cage, or a countertop, or the table, to do her "duty" off that edge. She'd come out of our shirts, or back up a little when she sat on a shoulder, I think to try and hit the floor- sometimes she didn't make it, so I had a lot of poop shirts.

I worked a lot at home, and Sweetpea was my "office assistant" as she sat on or with me, sometimes running down my arm or out of my shirt to bite an eraser, attack a highlighter ( apparently considering the little "screeeeee" noise they make when you use them as a call to action), or to put her mark on papers ( I can't even begin to count how many papers I sent in to my employer with stripped edges, LOL). It got to where I could predict when she was ready to poop, as she;d go looking for that place she could hang her butt over and let loose. So I'd perch her on my finger, hold her over the wastebasket, and say "POOP!" and she'd do it. She had me trained pretty well, I'd say.

[Fenreya]

Today I have had some great success with this by following everyone's advice!
For the past few days I have been studying his 'potty dance' and right before and after he has gone potty I say, excitedly, "Poopy!" and "Good bird, yeah poopy! What a smart boy" with kisses and scritches...
Today, I had him step up on my finger and I would hold him over a towel and say "Poopy!" in the same excited way, and 3 times he has gone potty on 'command'!
Is this what its like to have kids? LOL I'm so proud :happy:

[apaulick]

I may have to try this with my green cheeks. :D