[Conrad's Keeper]

Hello Talk Cockatiels!

Does anyone have some creative solutions about how to stop my bird from pooping on my bed?

I recently adopted a wonderful new seventeen-year-old cockatiel named Zeke. Zeke loves to fly all over my apartment, to sit on different windowsills and doors throughout the day, and then to fly back to the birdcage.

I live a studio apartment. I leave the birdcage open all the time because I want the birds to enjoy their lives as much as possible. Unfortunately, Zeke sometimes sits or walks on my bed. He seems to have fun hopping around on the fabric. It's cute, but if he stays there for too long while I'm out, then I come back and find poop on the bed. Gross.

Some solutions I have thought of:
-Put an extra sheet on top of the bed each day and wash it after Zeke poops on it. This is the best option I have thought of so far. Problem: I have to go to the laundromat to do laundry. It seems like a hassle to collect lots of poop-filled sheets to wash all the time.
-Put newspaper all over the top of the bed every day. Problem: It looks ugly and seems awkward to explain to guests.
-Keep the cage closed all day. Problem: I would hate myself.
-Put some kind of canopy over the bed. (Does anyone have ideas about how something like this would work?)
-Put up some kind of perches near the bed that Zeke will find irresistible so he will want to sit on them instead of the bed. (Any suggestions?)
-Train Zeke to stop pooping on the bed. (Any suggestions on how to do this?)
-Any other ideas I failed to consider?

Thank you all so much for your help!

 

[roxy culver]

You can't train a tiel not to poop somewhere, they don't think like a dog. So that idea is out. Is there another room in the apartment that they can hang out in? Honestly, birds poop and it gets in places you don't like. It's not too hard to clean up so I never really worried about it. Having lots of perches up high would tempt Zeke to be up there and not on the bed. The 2nd sheet really does sound like the best option. Do you have any rope perches he can play on?

 

[TamaMoo]

Fortunately, we can close our bedroom door to keep Joey out. What about the second sheet idea, but maybe hand wash the icky spots and let them dry overnight, then only need to wash the sheet properly once a week? It would get the worst of the mess cleaned up daily, but not require taking week's worth of sheets each time.

 

[Pippitha]

Keep him out of your room.
Get a plastic tarp to put on the bed, so you can easily wash it without having to go to the laundromat all the time.
Bird diaper (probably not an option if he's 17, since you usually have to start young with that).
Make him a special perch or playground away from the bed so he won't care to be near it.
Take his butt away.

 

[Conrad's Keeper]

Thank you everyone for your responses!

TamaMoo: your idea sounds the best! I am going to try that from now on--Just hand wash the icky spots until I get to a spot that won't come off, and then take the sheet to the laundromat.

roxy_culver: I will look into arranging other perches for him to play on, so that the bed seems boring in comparison. Great idea! And that idea will have the added benefit of making Zeke's life funner.

Pippitha: I like the plastic tarp idea too! LOLLLL re taking his butt away. And I do have a playground that he never uses, so maybe I can reposition it in a way that makes him want to use it more.

Thank you all so much!

 

[vram1974]

We use plastic tarps on plants and washable fabric on furniture. Unfortunately a lot of tiels don't just fly, they also waddle around like pigeons so there's poo on the ground. It's just something we've gotten used to fixing up. But I think the plastic on the bed or a fabric is the best idea and the one we use around the house as well.

 

[Conrad's Keeper]

Thank you, vram1974! Funny you should say that. When Zeke first came here, he was too scared to do anything but stay in his cage all day. Then he started flying (and landing on my bed). Then today, for the first time, he finally had the courage to try out the floor and he loved it! As you say, he waddled around like a pigeon for a couple of hours. At least my floor is easy to clean.

 

[vampiric_conure]

I second the spot washing of sheets over the bed. That way you don't have to cart around a week's worth of sheets to the laundry mat ( I too, do the laundry mat routine....). I also like the idea of a flight suit/bird diaper, but the trick with that is training your fid to like being in it. And at 17 it might be a challenge. Possible, but a challenge

 

[Conrad's Keeper]

Thanks, Vampiric_Conure!

Ooh interesting idea about the diaper.

 

[BlueDragon109]

I kind of half-trained my bird not to poop everywhere. Basically, I would catch him the instant he pooped, and scold him and take him back to his cage. Eventually he figured it out, and now he'll try to get back to the cage if he has to go. =P

 

[shaenne]

I have somewhat potty trained Zoe also, but with positive reinforcement rather than scolding. It was a slow process, but now she will actively seek out either her cage or a paper towel on the coffee table to poop on. If I can't get her to her cage or a paper towel quick enough she will let it fall where it may, lol, but she usually makes an effort to go where she's supposed to go.