My two birds are terrified of bathing. Help??

kewicake

New member
Dec 19, 2007
3
0
So I just recently got a conure and quaker in September for my birthday. The first time I tried to give them a bath, didn't go over so well. But I thought it was a phase.

So I've been attempting to give them baths once or twice a month now, but they are still terrified.

Before I was using a medium sized sink and I would put them in it.
[this worked before on my old quaker]

But today I filled up the bathtub a little bit thinking they might like a bigger space with me in it with them. But they kept trying to scramble up my arms and knees.

Any ideas on how to help their bathing phobia? :[
 

BrittGoBucks

New member
Sep 2, 2007
18
Media
4
2
yes! I need some help with this too. My U2 does not like baths either. We even try spraying him with a spray bottle but he just makes this really loud sound and spazzes. I have tried putting him in shallow water in the bathtub and while he doesn't mind it, he doesn't enjoy it either. When I try to get him wet he tries to climb up my arms..:( I thought he'd like to splash around a little, but I guess not.
 

Lauren

New member
Dec 13, 2007
55
5
Ottawa, ON, Canada
Parrots
Seth - 16 y/o Blue Crown Conure

Lily - 3 y/o White Capped Pionus
I posted on the one you had in the Quaker section, but here it is again:

Aha, the good 'ole "I don't wanna bath and you can't make me" phobia.

I know you may not see them bathe, but usually they wait till you are out of the room or house to do that.

The best thing to do with keeping them clean, is leave it up to them They don't get greasy like us humans and our hair so bathing all the time is not necessary. However, if you notice either of them developing a *ahem* bird odor of some sort, or looking dirty then it might be time to get the 'ole squirt bottle out!

I wouldn't force them to bathe, it will further make them afraid of the whole concept and stop trusting you in this area!

Just like Parrot said before me, make sure the water is not too hot. What may feel warm to us could be very hot for our fids. I usually put a combination of hot water and then cool it down so it is basically more cooler than warmer to the touch.
Don't be fooled by the urge to give them a warm bath, most birds prefer to have cold baths then warm! (I mean, there's not mother nature with a hot and cold faucet in the wild now is there? hehe)
 

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