Bird Makes No Sense

OutlawedSpirit · Apr 17, 2016

I have been trying to figure out how to best bathe Aria. She is okay with misting her for the most part, but I would like to get her soaked pretty good because I think she would really benefit from it, and I would have to mist her forever. I tried putting a pie plate with water down for her, and she ran away from it. However, then I later watched her hand upside down in her cage and stick basically her whole head in her water bowl. I just don't get it.

Terry57 · Apr 17, 2016

Have you tried running a vacuum? I found a vacuum running on Youtube, then switched to this one, and all my guys go crazy for their baths when it's running.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDq6TstdEi8"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDq6TstdEi8[/ame]

chris-md · Apr 17, 2016

It's really nice outside today (at least in DC). If it's not to bad where you are what about putting her in a travel cage and soak her with the mist setting on a hose nozzle?

OrnithAudrey · Apr 17, 2016

I had a similar issue with Rio. He started off being a complete baby and pitched a fit every time I would mist him with a spray bottle. After several mistings, he realized he actually enjoyed it, but being as large as he is, it would take forever to really drench him. Had a lightbulb moment and pulled out the hose and set the nozzle to the mist setting. He LOVES it. Gentle like the spray bottle, but much better and faster saturation. If you can't do it outside, they make shower head attachments (bought mine at Petsmart for bathing the dogs) that do the same thing.

OutlawedSpirit · Apr 17, 2016

I misted her pretty good today, with a spray bottle, and she was not a happy camper. If it's still nice out tomorrow, maybe we'll go outside for a "bath". She likes going outside in her travel cage. Maybe if she gets to go outside tomorrow, she'll forgive the bath while she's out there.

Christinenc2000 · Apr 17, 2016

I had a cage for BB on the deck. Our house is 15 feet off the ground so shooting up a mist of water was nice. But inside its a pain in the butt to bath him

Brittany741 · Apr 18, 2016

With Persie I had no choice but to bathe her, and she was pissed.

I put the little table perch in the sink and sprayed her down good. I used Feather Shine shampoo. Believe it or not, she is STILL greasy after four baths. Five years of no showers is just awful on feathers.

While I would like for her to enjoy showers, she will eventually. For now, we are doing what we must out of necessity. She will be using the shower perch once we get her truly clean. I am not doing the invasive bathing in the shower as I don't want her to associate it with the shower. Doing it in the kitchen sink makes is a totally unrelated activity.

DexMom · Apr 18, 2016

I had a hard time getting Dexter to bathe. Now he takes a dive every time I run the vacuum (which, with two dogs, is often). If I put a shallow ceramic dish in the bottom of his cage he'll bathe in that. But, if I forget to provide him with a bathtub, he will happily dive into his water dish, which is really small compared to the size of his body. Silly goose. On days that I'm not running the vac, I sometimes put the dish into the bottom of his cage and toss a few treats in to pique his interest (fresh cranberries work well, or pine nuts) and he usually splashes around at least a bit.

Scott · Apr 18, 2016

OutlawedSpirit said:
I have been trying to figure out how to best bathe Aria. She is okay with misting her for the most part, but I would like to get her soaked pretty good because I think she would really benefit from it, and I would have to mist her forever. I tried putting a pie plate with water down for her, and she ran away from it. However, then I later watched her hand upside down in her cage and stick basically her whole head in her water bowl. I just don't get it.

There is a big difference between offering a bath/misting and the bird deciding on its own to give it a try! How tame and trusting is Aria? While I greatly prefer misting - even a heavy mist - some will grudgingly allow me to hold them below the kitchen sink faucet with a lukewarm gentle flow. It goes very fast, as I can open their wings and turn their bodies to get a very targeted moderate soaking.

camo · Apr 18, 2016

Have you tried the shower? My girl absolutely hated the spray bottle, she accepted it at first, but eventually it became an issue where she simply thought we were attacking her with it.

Both Gizmo and Pebbles enjoy the shower (Gizmo is obscessed by it). If Aria is used to being on your arm or shoulder, I would try putting on some old cloths and stepping in the shower, if she runs up your arm, simply go in with her. Pebbles initially was not convinced of showers, but I found if I got her under the water she would stay, and she soon grew to like it. My pair are just using the perch now, so my guys learned to use the shower being on my arm, and I think apart from the fact that your cloths get wet, it's probably the best way to introduce them to it (as they feel safer). Obviously if she freaks out, then take it in slow steps (shower on and stand near it, then over time your arm under the shower, etc etc, this may take days or longer, but I think the shower is the easiest way in the long term).

Cheers,

Camo

OutlawedSpirit · Apr 18, 2016

Maybe I will try the shower. I was going to take her outside today, since it's warm out. No, I lied, it's hot. However, I couldn't find the hose nozzle in the shed. I am probably going to have to break down and go buy another one. Until then, maybe the shower would be the next best option.

Although, speaking of weather, what about rain? I don't mean if it's storming or down pouring, but would it hurt to take her out in a travel cage if it's warm and lightly raining? I know a lot of you have said hearing rain makes some birds more willing to bathe, so what about actual rain?

OutlawedSpirit · Apr 20, 2016

camo said:
Have you tried the shower? My girl absolutely hated the spray bottle, she accepted it at first, but eventually it became an issue where she simply thought we were attacking her with it.

Both Gizmo and Pebbles enjoy the shower (Gizmo is obscessed by it). If Aria is used to being on your arm or shoulder, I would try putting on some old cloths and stepping in the shower, if she runs up your arm, simply go in with her. Pebbles initially was not convinced of showers, but I found if I got her under the water she would stay, and she soon grew to like it. My pair are just using the perch now, so my guys learned to use the shower being on my arm, and I think apart from the fact that your cloths get wet, it's probably the best way to introduce them to it (as they feel safer). Obviously if she freaks out, then take it in slow steps (shower on and stand near it, then over time your arm under the shower, etc etc, this may take days or longer, but I think the shower is the easiest way in the long term).

Cheers,

Camo

Thank you so much! I decided to try giving her a shower this morning. I definitely did not need to go in with her. As soon as she realized what was going on, she ran down my arm, as close to the water as possible! Then there was a lot of flapping, and throwing of water, then she settled down with her wings open and just let herself get soaked. She loved it!

camo · Apr 20, 2016

OutlawedSpirit said:
Thank you so much! I decided to try giving her a shower this morning. I definitely did not need to go in with her. As soon as she realized what was going on, she ran down my arm, as close to the water as possible! Then there was a lot of flapping, and throwing of water, then she settled down with her wings open and just let herself get soaked. She loved it!

That's great news!! Wow it sounds like she really took to it!

Hopefully Aria maintains this good shower etiquette, Gizmo thinks shower time is the best, except he loves to run down get soaked then run up my shoulder and dry himself off on my shirt, neck and hair, then back down for more fun. I bought a perch, but now he will sit on the perch, get wet, jump onto my shoulder and dry himself off on my shirt, neck and hair before going back to the perch to get wet (not exactly the goal I was looking for when I thought of the perch

).

Cheers,

Camo

Brittany741 · Apr 21, 2016

Definitely going to try your method to see if I can get either Persie or the baby to take to it more easily. This whole bathing in the sink thing they both hate.

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Fabulous inventive new play area

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