Parrot Bathing

Bird bathing: when left to their own devices… may not be an effective form of bathing.

Many birds like to bathe in their water bowls. This can be very effective for the small birds, since it’s easier to find bowls that fit their bodies into it. Plastic bowl covers, or unconventional types of water bowls that aren’t recommended like the gerbil water bottles or similar dispensers, can limit proper bathing. As for the big guys, water bowls that come with cages are often far too small to allow for proper grooming. This can be seen when only the feet, face (particularly just nest the beak and eyes), or abdomen only get wet and the rest of the bird is dry or barely moist. That means bathing was effective in some areas, but not the majority of the bird.

This is where we may need to add better bathing practices for our birds to utilize. This could be a bigger bowl at the bottom of the cage, or on top of the cage, filling up the sink just over their feet with lukewarm water… this could also be spray bottles, misting systems, and putting the bird in the shower.

Every bird prefers a different methods of bathing, water pressure, water temperature, times of the day, environments, etc. you can always teach your bird to accept bathing as well, as it is incredibly important for this skin, plumage quality, and respiratory system! They may not get “dirty” like a dog, but that doesn’t mean they still don’t need frequent bathing. I cycle my birds so everyone gets bathed at least once a week, though twice is ideal. We don’t want to strip them of natural oils and feather down coatings by bathing too frequently, but we need to still allow for excess to come off, get some exercise for your bird, and initiate healthy preening habits.

If your bird has difficulties with showering, we can work on it together! You can contact us here to get the training process started!