Although some people don’t believe it, cockatiels and other parrots can be toilet trained so they don’t eliminate on their owners. If you want to toilet train your bird, you will have to choose a word or phrase that will mean the act of eliminating to your pet, such as “poop” or “go potty.” While you’re training your pet to associate the word or phrase with the action, you will have to train yourself to recognize what body language and actions indicate your cockatiel is about to eliminate, such as shifting around or squatting slightly. Use the phrase every time you see your cockatiel eliminate.
Once your bird seems to associate “go potty” with eliminating, you can try picking her up and holding her until she starts to shift or squat. Tell the bird to “go potty” while placing her on her cage, where she can eliminate. Once she’s done, pick your bird up again and praise her for being such a smart bird!
Expect a few accidents while you are both learning this trick, but soon you’ll have a toilet-trained bird: You can put her on her cage about every twenty minutes or so, give her the command, and expect the bird to eliminate on command.
