Hello everyone, I am going to to explain to you the way I am training Jack, my B&G macaw, and again, this is how I do it. Jack is not completely potty trained but he getting close to being there (no bird will ever be 100% potty trained and you must be able to accept some accidents).

Have your bird out on his playstand and just sit around doing something where you can keep looking over at him. Every time you see him get ready to poop (Jack backs his but as far over the edge as possible), say "Go Poop" or whatever phrase you want to use,how about "Bombs Away? Time your bird so you know how often the bird goes poop on average. Just make sure you use one phrase, don't change it around. So you say go poop, and the bird goes poop (it was in the process when you said go poop), so then you give the bird a treat and extra cuddles or attention, maybe some scratches on the head, whatever floats his boat. Do this as much as you can and get him used the phrase "Go Poop" so he knows when you say it, he will automatically go (unless he has nothing to drop).
When you have the bird on you or playing with you out on a couch or your bed or whatever he is on, when you see the signs of him going over to the edge or fidgeting (getting antsey..sp.?) , take him over to his playstand before he poops. As soon as he is on the playstand, say "go poop" and he will because he has to but you will get to the point where he will go because you tell him to, and he will hold it in until you get him somewhere to poop (he will not hold it in forever though, so don't forget that he has to poop when he is playing with you, if he really has to go, he will go). After you have had your bird out with you, keep a close eye on when it is usually the time he would go poop (if your cockatiel goes poop every ten minutes, when ten minutes is coming up, either take the bird to his playstand or wait until you see he needs to go). Then, before you take him out of his cage or off his playstand, say go poop and he should depending on how long you guys have been training and how fast of a learner he is.
*REMEMBER*keep rewarding him with what he wants most/likes best (if it's safe).
Now I can have fun playing with Jack somewhere I would rather not have to clean bird poop off, I am working on training him to go poop even if he isn't on his playstand, I hold him over his playstand and say go poop, that way if we are somewhere without a playstand, he will go anywhere I tell him to.

By the way, if you potty train your bird, you will not have to say go poop to get the bird to poop when he is on his playstand, don't worry about having to say that phrase 4 million times a day.

An additional thing you could do is get a basket with a handle and when your bird has to poop, put him on the handle and say go poop, so the poop will just go in the basket, this way you can just take a basket with you when you go somewhere.

A potty trained bird can make a lot of peoples lives much easier.
so Good Luck to you!
Make sure you tell me how it goes, I will post updates on Jack too.
If you have any questions/comments/concerns, feel free to ask

-shane

IMHO, I disagree with potty training. One of my rescues (the severe w/kidney problems) was taught by his previous owners not to poop in his cage---only outside his cage. He held it for at least 24 hrs after he came to our house.

We do not know the source of the kidney issues, but it is my opinion that they should be allowed to "go" as "nature intended for them to go."

Well Kally is about 90% potty trained.
When she is out of her cage and hanging on me, I take her over to her cage and tell her to go pee about every 15-20 min
There have been times that I have waited to long and she has gone on me, but if I take her back to her cage about every 15-20 min, she will go everytime.
This works perfect

Ingrid

If the rescue held it for 24 hours I can see why it would be bad but why is it bad for them not to poop on you or what they are on if they still go as often as usual just not at the same exact time as they would, they would only hold it for a little bit.

The issue is that if you train a bird not to "go" in their cage and one day you get stuck in traffic, get sick and end up in the hospital---you end up with a bird holding if for a very long time.

To each his own. There are as many ways to do things as there are people to do them.

well, there are good things about potty training...

first off, i wouldn't make the cage area a "no poop" zone. that is really inhumane if you ask me (especially if that is where they are during the day). im sorry to hear that your rescue was taught that and im glad he is in your care. your rescue, i think, is one of those cases where poop training went way too far, and its a good warning to people who hope to train train their birds to poop on cue ALL THE TIME. i dont think that this training should be taken that far as a bird thinking he can never poop unless given the cue.

i am giving my birds the cue after i see their little butts shake (their poop cue) while on me. i step them up on to my finger, take them to anywhere that is easy to clean and give them the "poop" command. and they'll do their business. but of course, they do it when they need to and its really my fault for not catching them in the act when they are on ME.

most birds, if not been told to go poop yet, and have to really go, will go even if not been told to, jack goes all the time when even when I don't tell him to when he is on his playstand or in his cage, but I respect your opinion and agree with "To each his own. There are as many ways to do things as there are people to do them."

I guess I've been lucky. I've done no training and my Greenwings have never pooped on me. They both will not poop in their cage at night, they wait until I get them out of their cages in the morning. Maybe it's because they're older.

Before training Jack, he would never poop on me either, a lot of birds won't poop on their owners. Jack also does not poop during the night but he will poop in the morning when he wakes up in his cage, usually a huge poop.

i think its the bigger birds that dont tend to make poop on their owners...my amazon doesnt poop on us but once on a playstand or on his cage, he lets loose.

but my small conures - they make poop every 10 - 15 minutes, so its hard NOT to poop where they stand