Is it weird my B&G hates water?

Ok. I have spent a good deal of time on this subject researching it here and Google. Merlin is 19, a rescue, bonded almost immediately with me. Had him just over a month and I can not figure out the best way to give him a bath!!!

He is regaining alot of the feathers he plucked at the rescue. So he must be itchy and uncomfortable. He wont let me groom him yet, but we are making progress, I can get some of the sheaths off the new feathers he cant reach.

He just refuses to take a bath! It's worse than a 2 year old!
Tried the shower on a stand (rainforest shower head). Nope
Tried showering with him on my hand... let's not go there.
Tried kitchen sink with water on slow.
Shallow container in kitchen sink no running water.
Today tried in screen enclosure with garden hose on mist.

He is just a pissed off man when he gets wet. Any clues as how to over come this?

Sounds like you’ve done plenty of research and offered Merlin lots of options. Dirty or not, your Merlin is adorable. Some parrots are like rock stars they actually prefer grunge. I’m joking but in all seriousness baths are personal for parrots and they all seem to have their own ideas about when, where, how and if they should take them. I have a couple of quakers that dance in a mist bath and one Quaker who bathes herself in her water bowl. My amazon hates baths of any kind, he resists even when his neighbor calls him a dirty bird, he also bathes in his water bowl on the rare occasion when he deems necessary. His neighbor loves a mist bath.

No promises but maybe start small, warm water in a spray bottle set to fine mist, spray above the bird and let the water drift over him. Running water or the sound of a vacuum works for some. You’ll know Merlin has the idea when he fluffs up his feathers and gets himself directly beneath the mist. He’s 19, some habits are tough but seldom impossible to change. Be patient, keep being creative and the two of you will get there.

Thank you so much.
I worry sometimes that I may do something wrong with him - I am still learning what he likes and what he doesn't like. Its nice hearing I am not alone.
Thank you for your advise - he is already spoiled, but he deserves it.

You are not alone !!


Arika bath time can be a challenge.
She hates a spray bottle so we tried the shower and no luck with that either.


We tried a large plastic restaurant tray filled with about 1/2 in of warm water. She liked that for a while but is having second thoughts.
Results here in pages 1 and 2 of her story:
http://www.parrotforums.com/incredi...d-lovers/72470-arika-s-world-beginning-2.html


We went back to the shower and the first time she got in with Kelly. Didn't get really wet, but it was some progress. After that she just wants to sit on top the door and look at Kelly.


So we tried the plastic tray again, this time with a fair amount of kale leaves.
She really enjoyed that, played with the kale and it also holds a lot of water to drizzle over her feathers. We'll see how that goes next time.


Good luck and keep us posted !

BB (the cockatiel) thinks he is allergic to water too. Doesn't like to be misted,wont go in a bowl,tried him in the kitchen sink where he just ran around and around. Only TWICE in three years did he actually face-plant himself to the basin,open his arms wide,flair his rudder and roll around in the sink like he was having a seizure lol.
So now he takes a shower with ME He sits on the curtain rod as I go in and do my thing,then make the water temp luke warm and put the shower on a light mist. He'll hop onto my hand and in a circular motion I move him in and out of the spray. SOMETIMES he'll open his arms,most of the times...nahhh
But I can hold him and make sure he gets wet and flip him over to get his tummy and vent area. I know that would be near impossible with a big mac!

Amy,on the other hand,he'll also shower with me as he sits on a perch stick and I can flip him upside down and he'll wave his arms. On a nice day I take him outside and he sits on a T stand and I use a misting bottle,squirting the water up above him and let the droplets fall on him. He goes bonkers over that! Waving his arms high,wiggling his rudder,flipping his head back and forth and yelling with delight lol.

Jim

As so well stated above, they are all different regarding bath time.

With older Parrots with long history of many prior owners, there is no way of knowing what maybe driving their fear to dislike of getting or being wet and just how they end-up being wet.
Sadly, abuse is far more common than one would believe and the use of Water and especially spraying is far too common of an abuse tool. Whether it is used to ground the Parrot or distract the Parrot. The end result is a Parrot with a deep-seated fear or dislike.

Once again, there is just no way to know why and one can only provide choices and with hope find a method that is acceptable.
So, accepting the grunge may be your path until you find something a bit better.
Our big DYH Amazon just loves a bath in his smallest water bowl! Why? I haven't a clue, but when he is splashing, we work at keeping it filled.
In between his splashing, we mist far above his head and let the very light mist fall softly over him. At best, it helps...

So we tried the mist on low water pressure in our screened gazebo. He still wasnt happy, but he didnt flounder all over the place. So some progress. He still didnt fluff up to get the under feathers, but baby steps at least. This time I think it helped my son was with him.

SailBoat said:

As so well stated above, they are all different regarding bath time.

With older Parrots with long history of many prior owners, there is no way of knowing what maybe driving their fear to dislike of getting or being wet and just how they end-up being wet.
Sadly, abuse is far more common than one would believe and the use of Water and especially spraying is far too common of an abuse tool. Whether it is used to ground the Parrot or distract the Parrot. The end result is a Parrot with a deep-seated fear or dislike.

Once again, there is just no way to know why and one can only provide choices and with hope find a method that is acceptable.
So, accepting the grunge may be your path until you find something a bit better.
Our big DYH Amazon just loves a bath in his smallest water bowl! Why? I haven't a clue, but when he is splashing, we work at keeping it filled.
In between his splashing, we mist far above his head and let the very light mist fall softly over him. At best, it helps...

Click to expand...

I am definitely learning the ins and outs of what he likes and doesn't like. Some things I worry may trigger "memories" so I always do my best to have an upbeat attitude around him. So far I have been blessed that he is a well adjusted middle-aged, pleasant man and appears to love his new Mommie. My hand is always getting messy from his "love" (regurgitation).
Patience and time.

This has been one of the most exciting and rewarding rescues I have ever done.

Just wanted to check and see how Merlin is doing.
Hope he is more accepting of showers or baths.
He is adorable. Please more photos

My blue and gold hates the shower head but he's okay with a spray bottle set to the softest mist setting. He rarely opens his wings and really enjoys it but when I offer him a shower he still wants one, he just doesn't do the open wing thing except for maybe 3 times a year. As far as where I do this, I have a shower perch for him in the shower.

Yep each parrot is different in this regard. And just cuz they like bathing one way does not mean they cant change their lil birdy minds about this. When we forst got Salty, I put a corner pvc perch in the shower stall, epoxied it right in there ( cost like $10 to make), and he was happy with that - shower head is removable and with low pressure warm water, he was happy. Then one day he was not. Really not. We tried the sink method - N/G. Wet kale in a shallow oven pan ( st st, not teflon lined) - N/G. Topped off water bowl - N/G. Then we tried warm waterin a spray bottle,set on fine mist and let the mist gently fall on him - success! Full on happy Amazon shower dance, wings out, head rolling around. Thats where we are since then ( about 3 years). I spread a towel over theback of a office chair, and spritz him for awhile, and then he will finish off the job in his water bowl, which we make sure is fully topped off. SO it may take awhile to find the right way for your parrot, and it might take multiple techniques to get him thoroughly soaked. Good luck!

Probably never used to getting showered explaining why he plucks keep trying soon get used to it try misting him with spray bottle

I have a 9 years old goffins cockatoo who was 4 1/2 when I got her from a family that for some reason didn’t want her anymore. Her name was Cosmo and I kept it that way. From the start she has always ran when she even saw a spray bottle of any type or size. A couple of times a year she will take a bath in her water bowl which is way smaller than she is. She has a perch attached to the wall in the shower. Most of the time she just tolerates being on it while I shower. Once in a great while she will step up to my finger and walk along my arm to my shoulder and get a little bit wet and then she is done and wants no more. However, when my wife is in the shower, Cosmo will yell until I take her to her shower perch and she promptly “runs” along my wife’s arm to her shoulder. The whole time with outstretched wings and fluffed up feathers and gets thoroughly soaked. All the while making a deep sounding laughing sound. I am just grateful to have found the one and only way she actually enjoys taking a shower.