My cockatiel won't stop pooping in her bowls

[loriinae]

I've had my cockatiel (Tuna) for about 2-3 years now and the most consistent thing about her is her insistence to poop in her food and water bowls every single day.

I've tried switching the locations of the bowls to various places around her cage, and one of those water feeders (I didn't like how they're made of plastic and Tuna never really figured out how to use it).

She will just sit on top of her bowls, her butt right over the food/water, and poop in them all day and night. She has countless places to sit that isn't her bowls, a massive variety of perches and a seagrass platform yet her bowl is still her favourite.

I think she's probably (I say this endearingly) the stupidest cockatiel I've ever met. She knows she doesn't like her water with poop in it because she refuses to drink it if she's pooped in it and if I haven't noticed in time she'll start screaming at me and looking at me like, "Well? Aren't you going to get me new water?"

And don't worry, I am properly washing her bowls each time she does this which is essentially everyday.

I just have no clue how to keep her from doing this.

 

[zERo/]

I’d recommend putting the bowls so high that she can only comfortably eat out of them but not perch standing upright.

Your baby is really cute too!

 

[SumitaSinh]

I've had my cockatiel (Tuna) for about 2-3 years now and the most consistent thing about her is her insistence to poop in her food and water bowls every single day.

I've tried switching the locations of the bowls to various places around her cage, and one of those water feeders (I didn't like how they're made of plastic and Tuna never really figured out how to use it).

She will just sit on top of her bowls, her butt right over the food/water, and poop in them all day and night. She has countless places to sit that isn't her bowls, a massive variety of perches and a seagrass platform yet her bowl is still her favourite.

I think she's probably (I say this endearingly) the stupidest cockatiel I've ever met. She knows she doesn't like her water with poop in it because she refuses to drink it if she's pooped in it and if I haven't noticed in time she'll start screaming at me and looking at me like, "Well? Aren't you going to get me new water?"

And don't worry, I am properly washing her bowls each time she does this which is essentially everyday.

I just have no clue how to keep her from doing this.

Sorry, I laughed... But it's so common in every flock. Every birdie of my flock does it. Sometimes I think whether they consider the food bowl equivalent to WC

 

[haze]

It seems like my cockatiel Pepper ONLY poops in the water bowl haha. Just make sure you’re cleaning it and refilling it multiple times a day so that they aren’t drinking poopy water. I don’t think there’s really much to do about it honestly.