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How on earth do I get her to poop while I'm not home?!

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Parhelion7

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I think this is kind of a bizarre situation...

And let me preface this by saying I have NEVER tried to potty train her and she DOES NOT and HAS NEVER gotten a reward for pooping.

...But for some reason, she won't poop while she's alone in the house. She saves it up and poops as soon as I get home. I have no idea why, and even less of an idea of how to get her to stop holding it. That can't be good for her. I have a fluctuating schedule, but for the moment I'm gone every day for about 2 or 3 hours most days, and around 8 hours twice a week. It's the longer days that worry me most. She's been doing this for longer than my current schedule, though.

Any ideas?
 

Bokkapooh

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How do you know she holds it? Do you take her out and she poops once she steps up?
 

Parhelion7

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How do you know she holds it? Do you take her out and she poops once she steps up?
Yes. When I'm gone for longer, it's especially clear - I take her out and she poops almost immediately, and it's big enough that she had to have been saving it up.
 

tozie12

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so she's not pooping inside her cage?

I have a macaw that wont poop inside his cage. i dont lock him up anymore, but when i was locking him up, he would hold it as long as he could and then poop thru the bars...projectile poo.
:eek:
 

AmberMuffinz

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Maybe she just doesn't like pooping in her cage? Neelix would not poop in his cage when he got here but started doing so months after being here, not sure why he decided to all of a sudden. Not any help here I know lol.
 

KatherinesBirds

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Frankly I have never ever heard of this happening! I know that I tried to potty train my bird and it resulted in a problem later since she kept it in all the time. Was this bird rehomed and if so do you know if the owner potty trained her?
Is this a Poi? Mine was never potty trained but she sure seems to hold it until I am around!
 

Mizzely

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Koopa refused to poop in her sleep cage, but does fine in her big cage (which is het day and night cage both now). I think "nesty" cages are a problem for some? I echo asking how big the cage is.
 

cosmolove

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Ralphie will hold it as long as he can to poop outside his cage. He will poop in it but he most certainly prefers outside of the cage.
 

KatherinesBirds

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I have a thought and occasionally I do get them........have you ever given any thought to leaving a tv or radio on while you are gone for the long days? I wonder if your bird is very, very lonely and has decided that it must hold it until you get home. Just a shot in the dark. Also, I have two cel phones and I call home when I am gone and the other phone picks up right next to Shadows cage. Sure enough. She has several poops when I get home. I am just wondering if she is holding it until she hears YOU?
 

roxynoodle

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Merlin is embarrassed to poop I think. Part of it is her bornavirus, but I'm convinced part is psychological as well. She doesn't want to poop ever, and holds it for hours no matter what I do. Several times a day I have to hold her over the garbage can and she has accidentally learned "Push" means poop. Sometimes though I have to ask her several times before she will finally let the bomb out.

The only time she poops normally is during the night. So I think someone tried to potty train her and led her to believe she isn't supposed to poop, ever.

I like the idea of the TV or radio. It's worth a try.
 

KatherinesBirds

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I am learning so much here! My blue crown occasionally lets one on me but tries to move to the edge of my knee so she won't get it on me. If she does she looks at it real hard and then at me and if she can reach it she lifts it and drops it away from me. I first thought this was so gross but now I think she is just really self conscious.

I would try the TV and maybe look into an answering machine so you could call and it would go on right next to your birds cage. You could call and talk to her and I bet it would work. Radio Shack could set you up with something for very little $. I have a speaker by my big cage in the livingroom and I can call and talk to Shadow. She answers back. The whole bird room hears me and the chatter is incredible! Yes, I do this while I am out shopping. Just another crazy bird person.
 
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JLcribber

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Being a "hen" she does have the ability to hold quite a few hours worth of poop which is what they would do if they were sitting on eggs anyway. It's also possible she does not do much and is basically a perch potato while you are gone. Once you arrive home she starts to move around again and then poops right away. Just some thoughts.


It does sound like she was potty trained at some point and that she might not like pooping in her cage.
 

mjones

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Tinkerbell does this too! She rarely poops in her cage and always had a huge poop when we get home:eek:
 

65sunnyday

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My Nicky (SC) would rather NEVER poop in either of his cages, preferring always to hold it 'til he's out of his sleep cage, holds it allllllllll the way downstairs, then goes when he's put on his cage top. I don't think he's ever pooped in his sleep cage, & there has been twice that he didn't make it all the way downstairs.
 

Skyler

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I have two birds my female sun and my male quaker and only once in awhile will either poop on me. When Rika is on my shoulder she will wait till I olace her on the cage door to poop or she will flutter (she has a clip) to the floor. CC who is not on my shoulder for a long period will either run down say "I gotta poop" and then do so, or he will stick his butt out and miss me. I didn't "train" either it was just them.

With that said---- isn't there one theory that suggests birds can "hold it" a result of being prey animals--- That they hold it all night so as not to alert predators below the trees (plus females not soiling the nest) If that is true perhaps your bird doesn't feel safe enough without you and then perhaps having the radio or tv on will help.

PS Rika never pooped IN her hut---- but the outside was really covered.
 

PortaPerch

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I took advantage of Greybeard holding it all night and made a potty perch for his Morning Do. He never poops in their night roost, but Chewbaca does. As long as I catch him in time, he will go in the pot. Her, not so much.
 

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rocabird

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My CAG, Roca, will not poop all day if she is in her cage because I'm at work. She will eventually if I work late. Yet she will poop whenever if she is in her second cage upstairs. It's the same length but only half the height so I always wondered if that had something to do with it.
 

jmfleish

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This is actually a fairly normal behavior as you can see. There are a lot of birds that prefer not to poop in their cages. Tuchis used to be like that but I'm convinced it was because he loved to poop on the carpet when I got home and took him out. I got sick of the huge dung piles and worked with him to get him to poop into a garbage can right away when I took him out and now it's not as much fun so he no longer holds it. I don't think you have anything to worry about though, it's normal for them not to want to poop in their cages.
 
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