Making your Grey Angry!!

[Motomazzo]

Hey All,

 

This is going to sound like a really immature, not-well-thought-out question, but I assure you it isn't:

 

Is it o.k. to make your bird upset at you repeatedly, by doing something that's really good/necessary for them even though they may HATE it???

 

The reason I ask: And let me preface by saying that my wife and I are ANIMAL people. We have no kids and love animals to death. I'll put it this way. I will capture a spider and throw it outside before I will smash it....and spiders give me the weebie-jeebies. That's just how we are. It was no different when we took on Bug. We knew how much work owning a parrot is and accepted the responsiblity full-on, sparing no sacrifice in time, money, etc.

 

Having said that....Bug as far as I can tell is a model-Grey so far. He is calm. Very affectionate. Fairly equally adapted to both Alicia and me (although he prefers me a little more ) He took to Harrison's pelleted diet right away and hasn't looked back. No plucking. No sickness. We just couldn't be any more pleased with him.

 

But this bird HATES water more than any animal known to God under heaven, in any form other than drinking his own water I just can't win. And I know he needs a bath regularly. He's powdery. Itchy...dry skin. I have done my homework on the site...searching this issue before bringing it up and a lot of reading. Tried many techniques to coax him into it peacefully. He just won't have it.

 

The only successful attempts that have acually yielded a wet bird were spraying him with store-bought, parrot-approved bird spray while he is perched on my hand...but he tries to fly off...hates every minute of it...and I just have to stay after it until he is wet. I really like the spray too because it has aloe-vera in it and seems to really moisturize his skin.

 

Now, I can keep doing this and actually give him a bath he really needs. But I just hate it. I would hate to think that I am ruining our relationship and/or a really good bird.

 

I remember the first time I took him to the avian vet. I asked him if the experience would shock him or make him dislike the vet and/or me. He told me they don't hold grudges long. And so far, that has been my experience with Bug. I have really soaked him several times...and once he dries off, he comes around like nothing happened...but he seemes very angry or like he got his feelings hurt for most of the day....especially while he is wet.

 

Should I just do what he doesn't like, or does that have nasty consequences?

[ImagoX]

You've tried the usual "put the bird in the bathroom on a suction-cup perch attached to the mirror while you shower" thing, then move the perch slowly towards the shower stall? It might take weeks, but I bet if you took it VERY slow he'd eventually adjust. How long did you stick to that technique before abandoning?

 

I ask because it took Dexter about 3 weeks of being in the bathroom before he'd let me actually put him IN the shower stall, and I had to flick water on him with my hands for another few weeks before he weas comfortable enough to actually get directly sprayed...<br><br>Post edited by: ImagoX, at: 2008/07/01 19:28

[Motomazzo]

Well, I don't know if it's the same thing but...

 

We have one of those corner showers...with a tall glass door. He goes in there with us each night at shower time. He sits on top of the door and whistles his head off and watches us while we take our showers. Try to get him wet either at that time or any other time and he freaks out.

[danmcq]

Hello Motomazzo,

 

Your Grey definitely needs a regular bath and you are doing the right thing whether he likes it or not. Most Greys hate water, but a few actually enjoy it.

 

However, I personally would not hold on to my Grey while misting him. The reasoning behind this, is that he will eventually decide he can just bite you hard and you will of course let go.

 

I bath Dayo in two different ways depending on whether it is summer or winter. In the winter, I take him and place him in the bottom of the shower. I make sure I have the exit blocked and Mist him from a spray bottle with Aloe juice until he is soaked.

 

In the Summer, I roll both my Parrots in their Cages(one Grey, one Conure) out onto the Pool deck. I then have a water nozzle I set to "Cone" and spray it straight up in the Air from a distance and soak them and their cages down real good. After Dayo and the Conure are both done. I mist them both down in their Cages real good with Aloe Juice. Once done, I set the nozzle to "Jet" and blast all the cage grates and perches to thoroughly clean them. Then towel dry the cages and let the birds soak in some Sun for a couple of hours.

 

Hope this helps. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/07/01 20:03

[M2MM]

Kumiko hated showers/baths for months, until he realized that no matter how much he ran from the spray, it was going to get him anyway! Now, he runs towards the spray bottle. :laugh:

 

He still can get cranky, if he's in the wrong mood to get wet, but at least he sees the bottle as the bad guy and not me.

 

When he's in a good mood, he will fluff and flap (while on his rope perch) and present all his various body parts to the spray. It's weird getting 'mooned' by a Grey.

[Tycos_mom]

Why don't you try getting a suckion cup perch and put it near the top of the shower then let him stand there instead of on top of the door then every night move it down a 1/2 inch or so until he's actually taking a shower with you he might except it better that way I know I had big problems with Tyco also until I found a way that was comfortable for her. I didn't bath her for about 2 weeks because I was so afraid of losing her trust for ever she aready had no trust

in humans to endorse that even more was something I wasn't ready or willing to do she need to see patients, love, and understanding not more abuse. She now baths three times a week and doesn't mind a bit. She actually likes it now I think it makes her feel really good after it all done.

 

[Motomazzo]

Hey Danmcq,

 

I love your suggestion about the outside misting. Great idea.

 

You wrote: In the winter, I take him and place him in the bottom of the shower. I make sure I have the exit blocked and Mist him from a spray bottle with Aloe juice until he is soaked.

 

So during this misting session, is he running away from you (to the extent he can)..trying to get out of getting wet?...and the shower keeps him pinned in? I'm just checking to see if others are going through the same process.

 

Like I said...I can get him soaked! That's not the problem. I just want to make sure I'm not the only one having to pin up my Grey to get it done, if you know what I mean.

 

Also, when they are in their cages outside getting misted..do they show visible signs of "not wanted to get wet"....maybe even flopping around in their cages running from the water. Just asking so that if I try this method I have someting to compare Bug's reaction to.

 

Another idea my wife had (which was an awesome idea) is a ***NEW***, hear me out here.... a new pump-up insecticide sprayer. You know the ones you can buy that you can fill with whatever and pump up to generate a nice quiet mist. Anyway, if I decide to take my Grey outside in his cage, this might be the perfect amount of spray for him.

 

Thanks for the reply. We are also going to continue with the shower thing. I want to get a suction cup perch and move him down slowly as TM suggested. I want to be careful though and take it slow. If he decides to freak out, the last thing I want to be is naked, trying to wrestle a bird.

[danmcq]

You Wrote: " the last thing I want to be is naked, trying to wrestle a bird. "

 

Been there, done that, no fun!!

 

I tried the moving a shower perch down over a a week or so. Once the droplets of water started hitting him, it it was all over, but for the getting the hell out of his way.

 

I block his way out in the shower, he runs around in circles for about 30 seconds, tries to climb up the bottle, bites the bottle and then just finally sits in submission, knowing this is the way it ALWAYS goes and lets me drench him.

 

You can certainly use a "pump-up" sprayer as I know of some Grey owners that do.

 

Regarding your question if they flap around in their cages, no they do not. The Conure by nature loves the water and even a good 15 minutes of soaking still results in his squawking for more when I stop. He climbs all over his perches, lifting all his feathers, almost making a cooing sound and twirls in circles, hangs upside down etc. He absolutely loves the water.

 

Dayo on the other hand HATES water. I always spray shooting the fine spray in the air and let it fall gently down on both the birds. Dayo will start running around his perches, climbing up and down the bars etc. at first. After about a minute of that, he just finds the spot with the least amount of water droplets hitting him and Parks until I am done. :-)

[danmcq]

M2MM wrote:

It's weird getting 'mooned' by a Grey.

 

Hahahahaha - Truly!!

 

{Feel-good-0002006E}

[HeatherStrella]

never mind. <br><br>Post edited by: HeatherStrella, at: 2008/07/01 20:48

[Motomazzo]

O.k. Danmcq,

 

One more question and I will let you off the hook!

 

You wrote: I block his way out in the shower, he runs around in circles for about 30 seconds, tries to climb up the bottle, bites the bottle and then just finally sits in submission, knowing this is the way it ALWAYS goes and lets me drench him.

 

 

This is obviously behavior after multiple bathings....even knowing what's coming. Were there even more "difficult times" at first? Squawking, etc? Did you just keep on keeping on? How did he act towards you after the first or second time? Again, did you just "go for the gusto" the first time and get him soaked...and repeat a few days later...or did you stop....try a little more the next time, etc?

 

Thank you!!

[M2MM]

I know it would be nicer if they all liked getting a bath, but the reality is that a lot of them hate getting wet. They seem to be akin to 4-year-old boys in the summer.

{Communicate-0002011F}

[danmcq]

Motomazzo wrote:

O.k. Danmcq,

 

Did you just keep on keeping on? How did he act towards you after the first or second time? Again, did you just "go for the gusto" the first time and get him soaked...and repeat a few days later...or did you stop....try a little more the next time, etc?

Thank you!!

 

Yes, I just went for the "Gusto". The very first Time Dayo ran around a little more as I talked to him gently, he flew up to my arm and then my shoulder a few times and I gently put him back down and kept on squirting.

 

I repeated this everyday for the first week. Then reduced it to 3 times a week. He still runs around, but he does not fly up and he stops running the oval after about the 3rd lap now. :-)

[shanlung]

:-)

 

You worry too much.

 

Just do that as-a-matter-of-fact.

 

I do think they know what is needed to be done and what is tormenting and they can differentiate very well between those two.

 

They might not like it, but I cannot believe they will hold that against you.

 

ps. Tink didn't like baths, but she got it anyway.

[Talon]

They sell spell misters that you pump up just for birds, and they emit a fine mist that goes for quite a while. Talon HATES water also, and this is the best I can do for her. She will tolerate this above all else.

[Motomazzo]

Well....Bug just got a bath. It was the longest I ever stayed at it and the wettest he's ever been. I laid a towel in the bottom of my bathtub....put him in there and misted him with the pump-up sprayer. He ran back and forth...trying to get away. He squawked louder than I've ever heard him squak....then he got pressed against the side of the tub and just sat...defeated. When I moved a little closer (I was trying to get in some areas like under his wings, etc) he just bit at the nozzle like crazy. I thought that might be good because it was like I didn't even exist at that point. When it was all over, I put away the sprayer and leaned down to pick him up. He stepped right up and I took him to his favorite chair in my office. He's just sitting there now....mad at the world. I don't think he has moved an inch for an hour. When I come in the room and walk close to him....he walks away from me on the chair. He's mad a me. I hate it.

[kittykittykitty]

I use an eight ounce spray bottle with purified or filtered water. Should I use aloe vera or half water, half aloe? I started calling it "rain" and misted very gently. Now Precious comes with wings spread and dances when I say "rain" and show her the bottle. I can do both top and underside. I don't remember any fear or anger. Maybe I was just lucky. kittykittykitty

[Amber]

Tuki hates water too, although she will sometimes have a bath in the dogs water bowl! She hardly ever does this however! I just get her on my arm and put her in the empty bath, that way she can't get out, then I get the shower head and spray her gently until she's really wet. I can't put the shower head too close to her as the climbs on it in an attempt to escape! All the time I spray her, she repeats "Tuki up!" She just wants me to pick her up! I make a bit of a fuss of her and put her on her perch to dry, and she's fine!

[Amber]

Tuki hates water too, although she will sometimes have a bath in the dogs water bowl! She hardly ever does this however! I just get her on my arm and put her in the empty bath, that way she can't get out, then I get the shower head and spray her gently until she's really wet. I can't put the shower head too close to her as the climbs on it in an attempt to escape! All the time I spray her, she repeats "Tuki up!" She just wants me to pick her up! I make a bit of a fuss of her and put her on her perch to dry, and she's fine!

[danmcq]

Amber - "Tuki up!" "Tuki up!" LOL!! Thats is so cute.

Tuki knows what she wants. :-)

[Motomazzo]

Amber....yeah..Turki up is cute!!

 

How does she act towards you after the shower? Mine would not have anything to do with me until finally last night we cuddled. I was really scared he wasn't going to come around. He acted really mad. When I came into the room, he started his "nervous" clucking like he's done anytime he's done something new. Anyway, just curious if any of you go through this period after the baths.

[danmcq]

Dayo never shuns me or my wife after one of us have given him a misting in the shower or an outside in the cage soaking.

 

He will however, sit and dry out, then preen himself and start vocalizing with every sound, whistle and words he knows.

[Motomazzo]

See, that's weird. Bug won't preen, whistle or anything. He just sits there like he's covered in some weird goo or something. And he acts like his world is destroyed. Maybe it's becuase I haven't been "regular" with his baths thus far. I guess I really need to make it a routine for him. After a couple weeks and several baths, maybe it will be more "normal" to him. I hope anyway!! I have decided I'm going to do it every 3 days.....so tomorrow we will try another one.

[danmcq]

Thats GreYt!! Consistency is really a key factor in how they respond to things. After a week or two, the shower will just be part of the routine. :-)

[Acappella]

I don't know if this sounds weird, but maybe he's picking up on your apprehension and it's contributing to his reaction. If your body language, your voice etc... is saying "this is going to be bad, please don't hate me" he may be thinking "wow, dad's really nervous, something bad is coming!"

 

Something that helped with Dorian. He's seen me use a spray bottle (filled with water, not aloe) spray my own face, my hair. He's also seen me brushing the cat and using a spray bottle on the brush, even on Jac, to keep the flying hair contained. When I'm brushing the cat I give him lots of praise and attention, talk in a happy voice, all in full view of Dorian. He's not afraid of the spray anymore, although I don't think he'll ever be friends with it!