Getting wet

[Cinnyminis]

Radar is about 18 months old. He HATES to get wet, unless he is bathing in how own water dish, which does not happen all that often. My house has been cry dry this winter and the vet told me I had to spray the ires down several times a week. I have previously tried spritz bottles, the shower, and more recently, a sprayer/container used for gardening. Radar HATES every single thing. I usually have to corner him and spray him while he is screaming at me.

This morning I decided to leave him in his cage and spray from the outside since he couldn't get away. (I know now that was a very bad decision!) When all was said and done, we were both bleeding and he was barely wet. I toweled him and stopped his bleeding right away, but in the process, he cut up my arm and hand.

I would welcome any suggestions on how to handle getting him wet that y'all may have. Should I just let him stay dry?

Beth

[Luvparrots]

My three parrots love to get sprayed. They come flying and open their wings to get thoroughly soaked. I use a fine nozzle sprayer and spray up at them not at them. Not in the face/eyes. They usually sit on their cage top perches (higher than me) and wait for their turn to be sprayed. Try lightly spraying at first to get your grey use to it.

[carolz7]

Also start with a humidifier. That helps a lot with the dry air. I run mine all the time. If you need info where to get one i have a lady i got mine from with drops to put in the water, made specially for our pet birds and that is safe.

[Cinnyminis]

Thank you Carolz7. I do run a diffuser with essential oils in it all the time in the room. I started that about 2 months ago and it has made a bit of a difference. I have tried everything with Radar as far as getting wet. A good friend of mine suggested this morning that I put him in my shower stall with both doors closed and mist from over the doors. That way he would be moderately safe and contained. I will try that next time as see how it goes.

Beth

[Inara]

Hi Beth. Always a bit of a conundrum, but after awhile your guy may start actually liking it. What really helped with Inara was this:

 

I got a mister from a pet store that has a pump action on it so that the water is more atomized and spritzes in a very fine mist.

I put cold filtered water in it (our water is hard and chlorinated so that would/could make her skin dry out more and itch more as it sure does to mine).

I situate Inara on my arm, and we walk with the mister into our shower area with the lights dimmed (this naturally makes her more calm). Next, at first, I began by spraying the mist over the top of my own head and let some of it fall down upon her on my arm. I would shake my head in a fun way, and with delight in my voice say how great it feels! Each time we did this, I sprayed myself less and her more with the spray always misting from up above. Now, I can move in close and soak the living bejeebuz out of her and she loves it. She happily steps up when I ask her if she's ready for her shower. When we first got her, she would hiss, bite at, and move away from the sprayer. Baby steps.

 

Baby steps having been said, regardless of whether Inara liked it or did not like it, at our altitude and arid climate it is imperative that she have the moisture. I don't use a humidifier because of the mold and bacterial risks to me as well as to her (although other people use them with no problem). So misting it is and misting it was going to be even if she squawked about it (and she did). She now likes it in the shower area, while sitting on my arm. She is not as thrilled about it when she is in her cage. Keep trying, and you'll find the way that works for you and Radar. At his young, age he will have plenty of time to become used to it, and may wind up eventually welcoming it

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

It is important for a Grey to get wet. Even though Sophie trims herself well... she has so much dander, it is an issue health wise. All my birds love a shower, she has watched and politely said " NO THANK YOU!" for a decade. She won't do it! Spritzing... nothing worked. As she loved me quickly after adopting her at age two, within six months, she got a shower as nothing worked. She still hates showers... " I feel her pain", but it still gets done. I'm forgiven pretty quickly as she trusts me. Is she mad at me? Hell yeah! Does that bother me? NO! I empathize with her, but it doesn't change the course of my actions. It is important for hygiene. I feel her pain, but she is going to get showered! Nancy

[katana600]

Try, try again. For three years I have been trying to find a way to get a shower in for Miss Gilbert through many trials, failures and frustrations. We just had our first ever, no drama, good session. We have a very small, 1/2 pint pump sprayer on the finest mist. I took the advice to spray upward and still it's one success for 150 attempts but it feels like we won the lottery. I think Radar is in good grey company.

[ausage]

Yesterday was bath time. My conures, a green cheek and a blue crown, love their daily misting and getting into the shower with me once or twice a week is a special treat for them. I wish I could say the same about Alexandra the Grey. Misting her is completely out of the question. She will take off and fly away, inspite of clipped wings, at the first drop of mist. I can put her on the shower perch if Caileigh is already getting wet but she hates getting wet and after the shower I get the evil eye until she is dry. Once dry, an almond will bring forgiveness.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

We do all we can for them to trust us. We also do all we can for them for health reasons. I am happy that I am at the point in life, that " it hurts me as much as it will hurt you"... a shower is going to happen! She gets it. It is done and we are all good. Nancy