Water is Evil

[Helitorian]

A few weeks after Con arrived at my store, I witnessed a coworker spraying him with a squirt bottle we used to mist reptiles. Being very new to the store, I knew nothing about how to quiet a screaming bird but knew that spraying him until he cowered in the corner was wrong.

Two months later, he is now my bird and I come to realize the damage she did is far worse than a fear of spray bottles. He's terrified of any water that is not in his water dish! He's going through his first molt and I want to help relieve some of the itching and remove the dried poop at the end of his tail. I filled a small shallow dish with water while he was on my shoulder and just the sound of the water was enough to catapult him from my shoulder and try to escape.

What I want to know is: Can I help him get rid of his fear so he can enjoy a bath or shower?

 

[roxynoodle]

They do need baths or showers. If he won't do it on his own you will have to find a way to get him to. I think I would try leaving a shallow bowl of water at the bottom of his cage. If that doesn't work after a few weeks, you may have to reintroduce a spray bottle set to a gentle mist and try spraying so it falls down on him gently. After some time of this hopefully he will relax and enjoy it.

 

[Helitorian]

I'll try the shallow dish again. I'll put it in his cage while he isn't in it or on me so he doesn't freak out. I just want to help him get over this fear. It makes me feel bad

 

[Remy]

Poor baby!

I take Puck in the shower with me. I put on a necklace that is bird proof, so he can hold onto it, put him on my shoulder, and go in.

 

[SunMommy]

Maybe you can wet your hand and then stroke his feathers. Keep rewetting your hand after each time you pet him until his feathers get sufficiently wet. I'm not sure if this will work, but you can try.

 

[Mamanda]

Poor baby!

I take Puck in the shower with me. I put on a necklace that is bird proof, so he can hold onto it, put him on my shoulder, and go in.

I always wonder, what about shampoo? Is it a concern if shampoo were to get on your bird?

 

[suebee]

let the bird watch you in shower!, but be prepared for it to freak it our to begin with, nut was terrified of the shower, till she started watching us go in it, i only wet net every now an again, like the other day when i let her hang out with me in the kitchen while i made chilli, i was convinced she absorbed the smell lol

just to give you an idea it took nut well over a month, we never forced her in, allowed her to leave, now when it comes on, she's 1st onto our heads lol, where we just stand, let her drink or wet herself, but its winter now, so we are having more baths, she just likes to drink the water (before we use soaps etc)

take it slow introducing your bird to water, very little steps, but keep trying, get it use to the sound of water, ie when your fillin a glass or doin dishes, its a start

 

[Spiritbird]

Lots of good ideas here. I think taking the bird in the bathroom with you is the best. Let him experience the steam and the sound and see you animated having so much fun. You will need to repeat this several times. Then let him sit on the curtain rod or door frame of the shower without the water running at first. Just expose him to water every time you can. Faucets running, showers or even a Cd with water fall and rain sounds. It is a matter of desensitization.

 

[roxynoodle]

There are commercial shower perches you can buy to give your fid a place to hang out while you are washing yourself. What I've been doing lately is taking my shower, wrapping in a towel, getting the amazon and then giving him his shower. I used to have a shower perch but it broke years ago. He's difficult to hold onto and shower at the same time, lol!

I'm also trying to encourage him to begin bathing himself but putting a plastic dog bowl at the bottom of his cage. So far though he is relying on me to take him to the shower. Last night I thought he was finally going to get in, but he just used the "bathtub" as step stool! He was trying to grab onto a hanging ladder type toy from the bottom of the cage and couldn't quite reach. He dragged that big bowl over to the toy, got on the edge of the bowl and tried again. He almost got up there, but I guess I should put this toy on a chain to lower it to the bottom of the cage where he can get on from there.

 

[Helitorian]

Wow thanks for all the awesome advice! This forum is so much better than the one I came from! You guys are amazing! I need to make some T Stands so that he can watch me do dishes and use the sink and shower.

 

[beckybird]

I like Remy's advice about taking the bird into the shower. Two of my birds really like the shower! I have a shower shelf where a bird can sit and not be hit by the full stream of the water- the water bounces off my back and a fine mist just barely touches the bird. My Buzzy and Lincoln looooove this. Some birds don't like the shower though...

Lola and Connor don't like the shower, so I give them "pie pan baths." I fill a shallow (only 1 and a half inches deep) sturdy round 9 inch pie pan with water and set it on the counter. When I say, "Do you want a bath?" Lola rocks back and forth with excitement and watches me fill the pie pan. She flies right down to the counter when she sees that it's ready for her. Connor didn't like the pie pan at first, but he saw the other birds bathing in it. Sometimes I would pick him up and gently place his feet inside the pan filled with water. The first few times he walked right back out, but now when he fancies a bath he'll jump right in.

I used to have a lovebird that would waddle right over when the sink was turned on. That was Charity's way of telling us she wanted a bath. When she came to the sink, we'd turn the water down until it was only running a little bit and then splash the water gently so little drops of water splashed lightly onto her back. She was in heaven when we did this!

There are so many ways to give a bird bath...I am confident that there is a way that your bird will love!

 

[Helitorian]

Unexpectedly found out how he likes his baths. I set him on my shoulder after I got out of the shower and he bathed in my hair and preened me like crazy. It was worth all the wing smacks to the face to see him being all cute and happy