Don't Wanna Bath

[Guest Skuffy]

:blush: Its the only way to learn,Theres alot of Bird Forums online..Ive looked at a few..But this is the Best ...Really nice ppl on here...Some very interesting stories too...I'll stick my 2-Penth in when i can,plus Max Loves you guys..{Nature-00020095}

[lovemyGreys]

:blush: Thanks Mark, we love Max too :kiss:

[judygram]

Skuffy wrote:

Theres a lot of Bird Forums online..I've looked at a few..But this is the Best ...Really nice ppl on here...Some very interesting stories too..

 

 

Thanks Mark for that glowing remark, it is the best by far:P

[Jaco1007]

Hi

 

My 7 month old CAG, Jaco, "dislikes" the water as well. I live in Arizona (hot desert) so I can roll the cage outside and gently shower him with a special nozzle for the hose. He kinda screeches and "hides" in one corner. But I take the lead of an earlier post by the member "hveusnthbrige"... "Deal with it." It's also how I clean his cage from the bird poop (with the blaster setting). His reward is sitting in the warm sun, watching the wild birdies, and people watching while the cage dries. He loves that part. He doesn't get irritated afterwards, nor does he bite. So, I am hoping this turns into a weekly event where he will like it.

 

P.S. Anyone else in Tucson, AZ???????

[LiloForever]

Hi all,

 

My grey doesn't like the spray bottle much either, but enjoy his bath once in awhile..here is a clip of him playing in the water.

 

I started by leaving a bucket of fresh water everyday at the bottom of his cage and couple days later (one hot summer day) with his curious nature he was standing on the bucket!! I found that not only does he like playing with the water, he also likes to make different sounds by the bucket (because the echoes I believe). He doesnt do it all the time, but when he does.. its a joy to watch. ( love it when he puts his little feet inside the water)..Good luck everyone!!

[zooman]

wow i didnt realize how many poeple have trouble with giving their greys baths, im really lucky in that zuri my timneh loves baths by misting. Once he sees the bottle he'll shake out already and stay hopping around. Other times we'll be sitting together and ill here him say "I wanna shower" " are you all wet" and thats my cue for shower haha. Laomst weekly he wants one. I give him an extra misting during the hot days.

[TinyTimneh]

hnoestly, i've no trouble at all either. all three of my birds are pretty eager bathers. Most parrots, given time, will accept baths, it's a natural instinct. if your bird hates bathing (the tiel was a good example of this) back off for a couple months.

wait for a really hot day or a molt, then, take him out of the cage and away from it (some birds just won't tolerate getting wet in their houses) take him into wherever it is you want to bathe them, (i use the bathroom, gets nice and humid plus no water to clean up) place them on a stand and holding the mister up and back, mist them gently so it falls over them. praise and repreat. if it gets to a point where they really begin to protest, back off, tell them how good they were and return them to their playstand/cage. I really don't believe that anyone putting their birds in the sink are setting themselves up for success. Think about it, if you're a bird and you suddenly get plunked in this steep-sided hole full of water... no doubt frightening to the bird. just stick with the mister.

some grey will do the whole crazy wet bird dance and flap around (my TAG does this in his cage, not outside of it) but most greys don't really bathe like other birds and it seems most just kinda like to sit there and just let the water fall on them. and i think if the bird is just sitting there calmly and relaxed while you mist him, don't push it. he's having a bath and enjoying himself, just maybe not the way we expect.

[sebastianmx2]

I go to this great avian doctor here in florida and i asked her about bathing because my daughter Shadow doesnt like to take baths either. She goes crazy if i get her wet.

 

Well the doc told me not to worry about it because unlike other birds the african greys are from africa where its dry. She said they take dust baths in the wild. So not giving your bird monthly baths isnt necessary. However she did say to maybe give them a bath a couple times a year because the birds are inside the house and oils and such things can accumulate on the birds from the kitchen etc.

 

She also suggested to bring my bird to a place and have them give her a good bath. That way she wont be mad at me or take it out on me. but someone else.

[jencrane63]

I have read in several different sites that are dedicated to educationg people about the habitat and and behaviors of the African Grey that frequent bathing is essential. I have included one such web material.

 

 

 

 

African Grey Bathing:

Method and Technique

Donna Hefton

 

 

 

 

The African grey parrot has genetically developed for millions of years in some of the most humid and lush forests on Earth. When one considers the annual rainfall measurements in the countries these birds inhabit, one may begin to understand their biological need for water, moisture, and the frequent shower. To illustrate this I will ask you to compare rainfall calculations in some of the areas where the grey parrot has developed to those in which we now keep them as captive-bred companions. Rainfall West Coast of Africa:

 

Equator to 10° North

Recorded variation: 100" per annum

1" in 5 minutes/ 4" in 1 hour

20" per day rare but occasionally double

Rainy season: May - October

 

Country of origin average annual rainfall:

 

 

Liberia: 100" - 5" Sierra Leone 80" - 105" Congo river basin: 100"

Cameroon: 163" 400" on the west side of the Cameroon Mountains

 

U.S Average annual rainfall:

 

 

New York: 42" Chicago: 35" New Orleans: 57" Los Angeles: 14"

 

Now you may possibly see what we have been overlooking in dealing with these animals. Frequent showers and an increase in the amount of moisture makes an African grey feel better in our environment.

 

Simply because your grey was captive bred does not eliminate 35 million years of genetic evolution in environments such as those mentioned above. The need for frequent showering of these birds is essential and fundamental for their care and well-being. The lack of, or infrequent showering may be the probable cause of feather plucking in these birds, followed only by psychological problems due to weaning trauma, environmental changes, and the lack of understanding of the species. Using the process of elimination I would first begin a frequent showering regime to see if the lack of showering is the reason behind the feather-plucking problem.

 

"My grey hates showers" is what I commonly hear from many grey companion people. Having developed Showerbird and studying the bathing behavior of psittacines for nearly half a decade, I have learned one of the most important aspects of bird bathing behavior and that is that they all do it differently. Essentially no two birds bathe the same way. This is not too unlike their human counterparts, some people brush their teeth before they shower, others afterward. It's a personal thing. Some companions of greys tell me that their grey loves the shower and is exuberant during the process, others say that their grey will have nothing at all to do with bathing and even seem to fear it. I have to tell you a secret...greys bathe differently from nearly every other parrot I have encountered. To those that flap and play I must say BRAVO! For those that don't I will explain what I've observed. The wild grey will simply sit on a branch and let the water fall on him, shaking his head to relieve himself of the accumulated water, horizontal in posture to get the back wet, then under the canopy of the trees when he's had enough. And that, as they say, is that. No big deal. Even if your grey friend is from captive-bred parents he will still carry with him this genetically programmed method of bathing. It is the human caretaker that expects more than the grey is emotionally equipped to give. We want exuberance, we want to see this grey get into the shower like an amazon or a macaw. If your grey is not the "flapping" type it is not likely that this will happen. Therefore we find that our expectations lead to disappointment and we conclude that the grey hates the shower. This is not usually the case and should be reexamined by the careful and concerned grey keeper.

[GinniKoko1]

Koko hates bathing as well. I bought her a shiny bowl bath, spraying, putting her in the shower. No luck. I made her take a bath in the shower with me and she did not make too much fuss but I could tell she was just tolerating it. But she looked so beautiful after she dried off. I will try the leaf roll as well...

[pearllyn]

Alfie hates water too.

I think, basically, it's my fault for not starting her sooner. When we got her home as a baby, I thought it better to let her settle in to her new environment before we tackled unpleasantries like bathing. I didn't try bathing her for about 8 weeks, and by then she already had a routine that didn't include a shower!

I've tried a bunch of the tricks I've read on here, without much success. The only thing I haven't tried is the bowl of water with toys in it, i thought no way she's gonna go in voluntarily!

Any how, she does go in the shower with me almost every day, sits up on the shower rail and seranades me - doesn't mind the steam hitting her, but it has been worrying me a lot that she doesn't get a proper bath. I've tried the hands on approach acouple of times, and while the bites I get aren't malicious, it really is her just trying to get out, I got a couple of sore ones and it put me off. I shouldn't have let it but there you go.

Today I took the bull by the horns and gave her a shower in her travel cage. I started off keeping the water just off her so not to freak her too much, but then i noticed she was trying to get to the hand that wasn't holding the shower. I stuck my fingers through the cage and she instantly climbed on to them! A breakthrough? As I slowly moved the water towards her, she jumped off, but I left the water running over my hand, and sure enough, within about 5 minutes, she was making her way back to my hand. This time, as soon as she stepped up I removed the water, then gradually got it close again. Every time, she moved away, but then made her way back to the watering hand, untill, in the end, she must have decided it was better to sit on my hand and get a shower, than just sit on the perch! When she had finished her shower, I had mine and she was back seranading me again!

Gave her loads of fuss and a treat when we were done, and she doesn't seem any worse for it. I'll try it again next week and see how we go. Fingers crossed!