If you are reading this, you are probably trying to potty-train your Green Cheek Conure – Well, you have found the right resources.
Parrots defecate a lot, and the look and stench everywhere in the cage can be a source of worry or annoyance for the pet owner.
With some luck, you can successfully potty-train your Green Cheek Conure.
This blog post will explain how to potty-train your Green Cheek Conure and the pitfalls to avoid.
How to Potty-Train your Green Cheek Conure
Parrots are brilliant birds that can mimic what they hear in their environment.
But that’s not the only trick up their sleeves. Like all parrots, the Green Cheek Conure can learn a certain number of things, including how to use the toilet.
And that is good news for many pet owners who are tired of cleaning their bird cages every day and instead want to potty-train their birds to do it in a particular area.
If you are one of them, follow these steps:
1. Know When Your Parrot wants to defecate
Understand when your Green Cheek Conure is ready to defecate. You first must observe your Green Cheek Conure and understand when it is prepared to go to the toilet.
Birds tend to display specific characteristics when they are about to defecate.
Some Green Cheek Conures will squat and point their tails up, and when you see your bird in this posture, it may be a sign that it is about to defecate.
You also need to know how often your Green Cheek Conure defecates. Knowing the frequency will let you know how often you need to potty-train it at the beginning.
2. Choose a Command.
Once you know what your Green Cheek Conure does every time it wants to defecate, the next step will be to come up with a command word to use at such a particular time to alert it to use the bathroom you’ve provided in the cage.
You can use the word “toilet.”
3. Choose a Potty Spot.
By this time, you should have a potty spot nearby.
The potty spot can be a small waste-basket, paper towels, or used newspapers.
You can place any of these items in your chosen location, and the space should be in a spot that your Green Cheek Conure can easily access.
4. Move your Parrot to the Potty Spot
Move your bird to the potty spot when it shows signs of defecating.
Once you notice your bird is showing signs of using the bathroom, you should move it immediately to the place you’ve designated as the toilet area.
You may need to employ the step-up command to make the bird climb up to your hand.
Once the bird is in your hand, you can take the bird to the bathroom spot and then hold it up until it defecates.
5. Say the commanding Word at the Point.
Say the command at the point your Green Cheek Conure defecates. Watch closely to know the exact time your Green Cheek Conure will defecate.
At that exact time, you should say the command you chose earlier. That will make your Green Cheek Conure connect that word and go to the restroom.
And if your Green Cheek Conure is taking its time to defecate, you can also command it to speed up by using the word “hurry up.”
7. Reward your Green Cheek Conure.
When your bird defecates in the right bathroom spot, you should reward it with a treat.
I advise you to choose specific treats for your bird, so it understands the connection between the reward and defecating at the right spot.
8. Be Consistent.
When potty-training, you will need to take your Green Cheek Conure to the bathroom spot as soon as you see it showing signs of defecating.
You can then repeat the process of commanding and rewarding your bird. It may take a while for your bird to go to the bathroom spot itself, but with time, it will learn to do so.
Mistakes to Avoid when Potty-training your Green Cheek Conure
If you are not careful, there are some common mistakes you can make that can cause potty-training harder or fail.
Don’t Potty-train your Green Cheek Conure too Early.
Do not train your Green Cheek Conure too early. Your bird will need time to adjust to its new environment.
Trying to potty-train it too early can stress and overwhelm your bird.
Once your bird is relaxed in its new environment and comfortable enough around you, you can start potty-training it.
Setting Realistic Expectations
To successfully potty-train your Green Cheek Conure, you should be careful with your expectations.
You should not expect your Green Cheek Conure to perfect the training overnight.
It will take repeated practice and lots of patience to achieve potty training.
You must stay calm and not get frustrated or lash at your bird.
Be Gentle with Your Conure
Do not hit or shout at your bird. No matter the scenario, you should not yell at or scold your bird if it isn’t learning as fast as you expect.
Doing this will stress out your bird and cause it to behave strangely.
Conclusion
If you want your Green Cheek Conure cage to be clean and devoid of bird feces, you should potty-train it to use a particular bathroom spot for defecating.
You will need a lot of patience and consistent training to get your Conure to learn.
With the proper application and attitude, your Green Cheek Conure will eventually be able to defecate in the right spot.
