grey that will not preen or hates baths.

[pippi]

Hi,

My friend has a grey and it won't preen and it hates water it is 11 months old, I just wondered if anyone has a solution to this.

Many Thanks

Mags

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Pipi & Welcome,

 

Greys need to bath or be sprayed at least 2/3 times a week, they need this to maintain their good feather condition, a great deal of a grey's time is spent preening.Are you sure this grey doesn't preen at all ?

 

If he won't take to the bath at all from a dish, you can try a spray bottle. Just spray a fine mist from a clean spray bottle above the bird, Kind of spray so it creates a misting rain. Don't spray directly on the bird, that may scare him and possibly hurt if the stream is too strong. He needs to get his feathers wet so start gently, he may well scream but it will be over in a few minutes & wet feathers will encourage him to preen.

Many greys hate to take a bath & others will love it but it is a necessity

[judygram]

Yes hey do need to bathe or shower at least twice a week whether they like it or not, mine does not like it either but she endures it.

 

Why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us a little about you and your friend's grey.

[Dave007]

Many greys hate water so the bird must be misted frequently. The bird won't like it. The bird will yell, squawk, and growl but the bird will eventually put up with it. Basically, it's breaking the ice. The bird will probably never like the water but it's a necessity.

 

Never preens? Does your friend watch him 24 hrs a day? Many birds like to preen when they're alone, when it's very quiet and no disturbances are present.

 

Tell your friend to use cold water when spraying. Most prefer cold water. Don't spray him in the face. Tell him to do it once a day everyday. Tell him to approach the bird slowly and calmly. The bird will jump around in the cage. Tell your friend to just wait next to the cage until the bird stops bouncing around. The bird will get used to it and the jumping around will lessen. Some will say to use some aloe spray but for now, just get him used to being sprayed in general then your friend can use the aloe combined with water..<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/17 01:08

[pippi]

Hi,

Many thanks for reply, but she sprays her and she sits growling and when she as finished she just sits there in one place and is soaked, the thing that troubles me and I won't say it to my friend is that the oil glands on the back is really matted and has been for sometime.

Mags

[judygram]

Then this bird needs to be seen by an avian vet, those glands could be clogged up or not working properly, why don't you ask.:huh:

[Dave007]

You can't see the preening gland. The bird pushes an oily substance from that gland and immediately spreads it on to all the feathers that are water proof. The substance is what makes the feathers waterproof. If the rear end of the bird seems clogged or sticky feathers look like they're there, then the bird needs something stronger than just a misting. It's a hard situation to give advice about....you say the bird hates water but you also say that the bird stands there and is soaked. The only feathers that will stay wet for a while are the breast feathers, the area under the wings next to the body and the base of the tail ( white feathers). So, am I right in assuming that the bird allows the person to give a thorough bath?

 

If there is a clogged or sticky area at the base of the tail, the bird needs to be held by one person and the other person takes a very well soaked wash cloth, turns the bird on it's back and thoroughly soaks and wipes that whole area.

 

Feces can make feathers stick together. When feces gets hard, a misting of that feces isn't going to loosen it up. Tell the person to look at the dry feces on the lower bars of the cage by the tray . He'll see that the droppings are hard and everyone usually has to put some effort in to loosen it. The bird might not like being held while the area is thoroghly cleaned but it needs to be done.

 

PS---even if the preening gland was a bit clogged, a good soaking and wipe down will clear it.

 

Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/17 01:40<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/17 01:50

[lovemyGreys]

Thank you Dave for your advice on this post,very much appreciated as usual