bathing

[kelly]

hi ccan anyone help my grey will not take a bath he hates been sprayed down and gets really distressed when i do spray him i bought a cat litter tray for him to take a bath and while he seems interested if im playing in it ,it just seems such a hurdle for him to actually get in it himself :unsure:

[BMustee]

Well, they need baths if they like it or not. I put Elmo in the bath tub and then start spraying him...he can't get out and he can't get away. Yes, it sounds like I'm killing him for a few minutes, but as soon as we're done he's happy as can be preening himself. It's got to be done, so if he isn't coming around you need to do it with or without his blessing.

[lovemyGreys]

I'm with BMustee they need to get wet !! Here is a previous thread on greys not wanting to bath...

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/training/19874-dont-wanna-bath.html

 

if you have a read fron the forum there are other threads on bathing

[danmcq]

Hi Kelly!! Long time no hear :-)

 

You will just need to try different things. Place a Toy he loves to play with in the water container and make sure he see's it by playing with it yourself. Then let his curiosity get the better of him. I did this with Dayo and you can see the photos at this forum thread:

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/59054-how-to-get-grey-in-water-dayo.html#59054

 

You can also try putting a suction cup type perch in your shower, place him on it and slowly turn the shower on and get him used to it.

 

If it's warm weather, you can roll the cage outside and spray water from the hose in the Air and let it fall like rain down through the cage. They really seem to enjoy this on a warm and sunny day.

 

It just comes down to basically getting them drenched, whether they like it or not. Dayo does not like the spray down with Aloe either, but he gets it whether he is fussy or not. You just need to do it in a very small area like the shower so he can't fly past you, get out or hurt themselves. After several of these sessions, they will just finally resolve themselves to the fact that it IS going to happen. :-)

[MisterDavE]

hahaha that previous thread about non bathing birdies was informative and funny to read so did everyone manage to bathe their birds? and the cabbage leaf what happened there? lol.

Clo is in a mood today she is just sitting in her cage and doesnt want to come out? throwinga tantrum we took her in the shower so she had the mist then she fell over and ended up getting drenched teehee ^.^ silly bird but she is all lovely and clean now i'm going to have to find the sunflower seeds to make her happy.

 

DavE

[DUKEdevils36]

I left all my AG books at school so I can't find out the answer myself but how often should they take a bath?

[BMustee]

It depends on how dusty your grey is, how dry the air is where you live, and how "itchy" your grey seems to be.

 

I spray Elmo down about once a month.

[Keywe]

When you say you spray down with aloe juice, do you dilute it or keep it straight? How often? I have two cages for Keywe, and I use one outside to give her baths. On hot days I take her out and drench her with the hose...she LOVES it! I do it about every two weeks. Do you think that's too much or not enough? I live in FL and it stays pretty humid most of the time. Thanks.

[danmcq]

Use the Aloe full strength. Dayo gets misted 2x a week minimum and more if we have the time.

 

Their skin becomes very dry after just a few days and the dust on their feathers is also very obvious after a few days also. Just watch it fly when they fluff and shake. :-)

 

You can drench your Grey everyday if you wish, just follow the drenching with a good spray down of aloe juice afterwards to keep the skin supple. The water drenching everyday will otherwise dry out the skin.