Good day all!
     Apologies for not posting every week like I had planned, but grad school is no joke! Cocoa Bean has been doing well. We have been trying to teach him new phrases but so far he has just substituted "Cocoa Bean is good!" for his usual "Cocoa Bean is pretty!"
     I had planned to discuss a feature of Cocoa's behavior each week, and the next topic I wished to bring up was poop. The children's book "Everybody Poops" is true, and for birds, it seems a lot less controllable than it is for children. However, it is possible to potty-train birds. I have seen many owners with birds that will wait to 'go' until they are no longer on the owner's shoulder or lap. Further, there are other birds whose owners have trained them to 'go' only when they are outside of the cage.
     I have been trying to train Cocoa Bean not to poop while on my shoulder. So far, he seems to have gotten the concept, but only follows through about half the time. The method of training was less actual training and more that he did not want to get his long, beautiful tail in the grossness.
     I believe that with just a few weeks of consistent rewards for going when he is held over the garbage or a towel at the command "poop!" will lead to a fully potty-trained Cocoa Bean.
     Cheers and here's to our silly feathered friends!