Astro hates baths

[Birds-of-middle-earth]

Hi everyone! Lately I've been thinking Astro needs a bath, but he doesn't seem to want to touch water--he doesn't even drink a lot of water lol. I've tried a spray bottle, a dish full of water, as well as wet lettuce leaves, but the most he's done is walked through the water dish, getting exclusively his tail feathers wet. A lot of people have said that parrots love to take baths, but not Astro... Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Bluberrytheparakeet]

Do you spray above the cage or straight at the bird. My budgies only enjoy if i spray the water about a foot or two above the cage, to have the raining affect.

 

[SailBoat]

Assure you have a misting bottle as the goal is to create that very light rain effect from above.
Each Parrot has their own joy or lack of joy of baths.
Continue to leave the flat dish with water as Humans tend to not leave them available long enough for the Parrot to adjust and then understand what they are to do with it. Most of what Parrots like or dislike is based on what they see other Parrots (and Humans) doing.

 

[Terry57]

I play a video I found on Youtube that has the sound of a rainstorm. Once I started playing that, all of my birds except my Greys (who prefer bathing themselves) started to get excited for their misting.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Hi everyone! Lately I've been thinking Astro needs a bath, but he doesn't seem to want to touch water--he doesn't even drink a lot of water lol. I've tried a spray bottle, a dish full of water, as well as wet lettuce leaves, but the most he's done is walked through the water dish, getting exclusively his tail feathers wet. A lot of people have said that parrots love to take baths, but not Astro... Does anyone have any suggestions?

As much as I love watching my birdies "bathe", all they are really doing is getting wet. Its not like they are using soap, scrubbing, and rinsing and its not like they get so dirty they really need it. Birds are very clean animals and clean themselves by preening. Dirty, worn feathers are molted and replaced a few times a year. If Astro doesn't like getting wet, don't stress him out by trying to make him learn to enjoy it. I'd keep offering Astro water to bathe in because he may suddenly change his mind. Try offering water in different containers. He may be enticed to bathe in a shiny stainless steel bowl by seeing his reflection in the bottom of the bowl.

 

[Terry57]

I firmly believe that birds need baths. In the wild they use puddles and rain to do it, and I believe it makes them feel better.
No soap is ever required for a bath for them, just nice, clean water at a temperature that's comfortable for them.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I firmly believe that birds need baths. In the wild they use puddles and rain to do it, and I believe it makes them feel better.
No soap is ever required for a bath for them, just nice, clean water at a temperature that's comfortable for them.

I agree but it can't make them feel better if they "hate" it!

 

[Terry57]

I agree but it can't make them feel better if they "hate" it!

That why it helps to come up with ways to allow them to enjoy them. However, they will still feel better after a bath even if they hate it while it's happening, especially when they're moulting.
Now this is completely different for a parrot who is terrified of a bath, everything has to go much slower.

My Alex was punished with a mister bottle in his home before us, and it took a long time for him to allow himself to get wet. I'd literally spray a fine mist as I walked by him.
Within a couple of months, Xander loved his bath more than any of the other ones except for my Pionus. The playing the rainstorm really helped him turn the corner.

 

[Oopsadaysey]

I've sat and watched budgies in the wild and they quite often just drop into a pool of water literally dunking themselves. My mum had a budgie who wouldn't leave it's cage even though the door was never closed, wouldn't have a bath, just drank a little. My neighbour has a cockatiel as old as mine and he has never had a bath ever, he appears ok. My girl has a complete fascination with water and loves baths. My old canary bathed every single day, winter or summer, and also lived to 20. What I am saying is all birds are individuals, some love water, some hate it.