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Spontaneous bathing


chimaysmommy

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On Saturday, I gave Chimay his daily spritz of aloe juice just like he gets EVERY day...and he fussed about it just like he ALWAYS does, and took his bribe of pine nuts in exchange. All routine for us. BUT, on this day something clicked in his little birdy head and he got really excited. He went straight for his water dish and started splashing and shaking and getting more and more soaked!!! It was such a hilarious sight that I couldn't help but get a bowl of water and put it up onto his playtop. He immediately jumped in and continued the splashing...but then figured out that the bowl can easily be lifted and how fun it is to watch the water spill over the brim.

 

Three days later, no sign of the water-loving Chimay we saw on Saturday. Just makes me wonder if it was a fluke or if he is starting to like water finally!

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:laugh: Haha Chimay is so funny! Maybe he thought if he took a bath by himself he would get an extra pine nut lol. Ecko still hasn't taken a bath on his own yet but I am hoping one day he will. He doesn't mind his showers but he also doesn't enjoy it lol.

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I'll have to make a point to change his water right before bathtime! Ha ha....he just looked like he was having so much fun I hope I can encourage him to do it some more. When it happened Saturday I was cheering for him and telling him what a good boy he is, so hopefully he'll keep it up

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Why is that, Dave? I always know when I have given Max a pretty decent soaking, because she continues it in her water dish right afterwards - but ONLY if she's "wet enough" already.:P I usually shower her under "luke-cool" water, and at that time of day her water dish probably still has an ice cube floating in it. Does she need cooler shower water?

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My feeling is that the bathing somehow stimulates something inside which causes it to happen. It definitely has something to do with a natural instinct. I do know that if a person is bathing their bird in room temperature or slightly cooler water that will make them do it more if the fresh water in the bowl is cold. Many greys love to bathe in very cool water. It's kinda depressing to give a bird a very thorough bath and then put a fresh bowl of water in and within 1/2 hour, it's all over the cage bottom and all over the wall but mine have been doing it for years and I mean All of them. The thing I do which works about 50% of the time is not to put in any water for at least 1 hr. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.

 

PS--yes, I believe you can use cooler shower water. Cool water can't hurt them and it takes the same time for them to dry off naturally in cool water or warmer water.

 

Another PS--My 2 quakers do the exact same thing.

 

Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/05/26 22:37<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/05/26 22:40

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I must have very strange Greys because Adaya & Tyco just love their baths Tyco prefers hers in the bathtub with a couple inches of water then I continue filling the tub with the shower and she will run inand out of the shower wings spread having a grey't time when the water gets up to her crop bath time is done and she's soaked to the skin. Adaya loves being sprayes with the water bottle and also opens her wings and fluffs her seathers until she is soaked to the skin. I guess I just got lucky and found the way they both prefer to bath

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I'm thinking about getting just a little tupperware tub and making it available on the table where I usually give him his spray bath. I have been apprehensive about pushing him any further than the spray mist because he doesn't seem to like it much. We'll start with the tupperware and move our way up to the tub if he likes it. Ha ha! TycosMom I'm jealous! :D

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Thanks for the detail, Dave! Well, now that summer's here, maybe I can make myself take colder showers...see, I'm usually IN the shower when my birds are - that's how I got them both interested! I just turn it colder when it's their turn, but of course I get some of the spray, too. Maxi has made it obvious that she prefers ice water in every way, and Tanner actually pants if the shower water is lukewarm in any way - but he has never bathed in his dish that I've seen.

 

I think I'm going to try them on your method, Pat. They are both accustomed enough to the tub now that they could probably handle it, and I think they'd get a better bath!

 

Meanwhile: good luck, chimaysmommy! Now at least you know The Bathing Parrot is in Chimay somewhere... you just need to find the key!B)

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Yes, Shanti has done the same thing as Chimay. I also give him a water and then aloe mist every day. He avoids it, but sort of tolerates it. A couple of times he has immediately gone for the water bowl dunk afterwards.

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I put out a big terracota pot base (like a bird bath) on the table and fill it with water and then tell them it's bath time and use the mister as well. They seem to know now what that big dish is and Rangi jumps in right away. Kea fluffs up gets excited and throws herself in, realises it's water and flies away. She then repeats this a few times.

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