A major nuisance has emerged

[Learner]

Dec 10, 2017 8:14:23 GMT Hezz said:

Dec 10, 2017 2:13:55 GMT Learner said:

He is a beaut! (What is he? Not a conure?)

He is a sun conure. There is a bit more about him here ....
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/15625/meet-loki
and here .....
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/15928/loki-air
and then a little more here ....
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/thread/15934/nuther-world

Thanks for the links. I thought he might be a sun conure. He looks similar to my son's 3 conures. His are not sun conure though. My son bred his a couple of years ago. He has one favourite that he hand reared - the bird is a real softy and belts around the house to find him, nibbles his ear, pulls at his clothing for food and is happy to lay on his back in my son's hand to the groomed.

I have a feeling that as well as being brighter and prettier, sun conures have a much louder "call".
Lovely looking birds.

[Hezz]

We have been potty training, which has been coming along quite well, but I am not so sure how well we will continue now that he is flying (flies like a butterfly - no such thing as a straight line ) and can remove his backside from my piece of toilet paper. I was reading his body language really well there, but I guess time will tell. Patience and persistence ......
Flight recall is our next target. The lure of a piece of peanut or almond is a wonderful thing.

[Marianne Marlow]

Can you really potty train a bird?, that's fascinating

[Shirls]

I saw a video on-line Marianne Marlow where this lady used to take her parrot (can't remember what breed it was) to a nursing home to visit the people in there and she had the bird 'potty' trained, it used to go to command, so it went before going in to visit and usually before leaving the home. Absolutely brilliant!

I think you are doing a fantastic job Hezz and am quite sure you will get there with all your training in the end. When you said Loki flies like a butterfly I thought 'and stings like a bee!' Do you remember Mohammed Ali used to say that? And I expect Loki's bite would be quite painful like a bee sting!!

[Deleted]

Potty training to use a particular perch as the toilet is a handy idea, but them going on command worries me. What if they really need to go but you haven't told them to or they force themselves because you have?



Loki is adorable, by the way! <3

[Hezz]

Potty training can certainly be done. Budgies, I think, would be hard to do as they poop about every 15 minutes, you really would have to be on the ball! But even the budgies will rather hang their backsides over the side of the cage rather than poop in it. Loki is much easier as conures don't really like to poo where they sleep. If he can, he will wait until I am doing his morning cleaning. Before he became airborne he would become a bit restless when he needed to go - maybe he learnt that I wasn't terribly fond of being pooped on - and if I could get a bit of toilet paper under him, then well and good. Now that he is flying, often he flies off.

It is not so much about pooping "on demand" but pooping in an appropriate place, whether that be onto a piece of paper I am holding, or where-ever, but preferably not on the couch, or the kitchen bench, or while on my shoulder.

[clt80]

Hezz I have an image in my mind of you standing in your living room holding a piece of toilet paper and Loki flying over to poop on it then flying off. I bet it's hilarious to see albeit very clever!!!!

My friend had retired guide dogs and they could go on command. She'd say 'get busy' and they'd squat and do their business. Will never forget when I first saw them do it; my jaw was on the floor. Exceptionally clever as I don't think humans could go on command at the best of times!

[Deleted]

Hezz, your budgies are obviously more cultured than mine. xD He just hoes anywhere.

[Learner]

Hezz - I will have to have a word with my two Zebras - they would be better at plastering than training I think. Within minutes of cleaning out their indoor flight the floor looks like it has been badly emulsioned!

Interestingly I think they avoid making a mess when nipping out and on top of the Budgies' flight... I'll have to keep an eye open for that. (Or perhaps closed!!)

Best of luck with the training. Perhaps some sort of washable garment for the conure is needed if the training is difficult and hit and miss

Conure nappies?

[OP]

Conure and bigger bird nappies are already sold on the internet.

[Hezz]

Whoa, guys; I haven't potty trained the budgies!! Loki is still very much a work in progress, as well. clt80, it is much more like me following him around with a piece of toilet paper, saying "Loki need a poo?" like some demented toilet-training mother. He is not fond of my hand hanging around his tail end, either.

[clt80]

Do Sun Conures learn and recite words?!

[Hezz]

They are not known for their talking skills ( I shouldn't have to worry about him flying around saying "Loki need a poo"!! ). He does a version of "hello" and even possibly "bye, bye".

Now little mister clever will open the door to the buds cage and pull it closed behind him. He has done it with his own cage as well, so now I have to lock the door if I don't want him inside.

[Learner]

Dec 13, 2017 8:23:59 GMT OP said:

Conure and bigger bird nappies are already sold on the internet.

That is unbelievable! Whatever next!!

---

Hezz Loki opening cage doors is not a surprise (closing them behind him is).

My son's tame green conure is a dab-beak at opening his cage door so it too had to be fiddle-proofed. Not a good idea to have an over-friendly conure mixing with the new kitten when no one is in!