Cockatoo bathing...questions.

[TonyCagg]

I posted our problem yesterday, my son seems to be allergic to our new cockatoo, Nic Nic.

For the past few days I have been cleaning the cage morning and night and wiping it down well.

I have given Nic a bath each day as well.

It seems to be helping, my son barely had any issue today.

MY QUESTION...

How often can I give Nic a shower or bath without him having an issue?

I realize it can be in issue once winter comes, but our house is warm without drafts so I will be sure to keep him away from drafts when he is wet.

Can anyone suggest a shampoo or something with which I can clean him and possibly cut down on the dust he creates?

Once again, I want to be careful NOT to damage his feathers and or his health.

We adore this little bird, but I cannot have my son ill all the time. My wife and I both feel that birds like him are few and far between...he is so easy to care for and a pleasure to be with.

Trying our best to make this his Forever Home

 

[Pedro]

Here Tony this link may help with some ideas.

My parrots bath almost everyday even in winter. But of course I live in a tropical climate so our winters don't get that cold. I don't think it would be such a good idea to use anything but water on your bird. As far as i know shampoo of any sort is a NO.

BirdsnWays Cockatoo Heaven - Cockatoo Dust

 

[IcyWolf]

I shower every other day with our birdie and she loves it. I was looking online and in my books when I first got her and everything I read seems to suggest that daily showering is okay for them as long as they are kept warm and allowed to dry completely before going to bed, and if you think about it, many parrots are tropical and even from the rainforests where it rains daily. So the way I see it, it not only seems okay, but natural for them to shower quite frequently, even birds that aren't from the rainforest live in places where there is generally a rainy season where it will rain every other day if not every day. I live in pa, definitely not tropical, but we still have periods where it will rain days on end for weeks at a time.
Oh, and I also was reading that some hair dryers can release toxins off of the heating element so it is best not to use them on our parrots. I know you didn't ask about that but I thought I would throw it out there.