How cold is TOO cold for a bath?

[MomtoPercy]

We are going into winter now and good hot days are rare. I don't want to blow dry Percy and I am terrified of using a heater around him that may have teflon or that may injure my naughty (read : gets into EVERYthing) pug. So, how do I ensure Percy still gets his regular mistings? He hasn't had a bath in two weeks and I can feel the change in his pin feathers. He needs a mist soon but I am so afraid he will catch a chill. Our temps currently hover around 17 degrees celcius at mid day - is this too cold? Luckily, our winters never involve snow and such but it does get to below zero some mornings.

 

[MikeyTN]

17 degree C is fine for bathing! That's not too cold. Do you guys have central heat over there or does it not get that cold??

 

[MomtoPercy]

Mikey, central heating is not the norm in our country. There are some places that have it but it is mostly hotel type establishments and homes in areas where snow is common in winter. People here mostly rely on fireplaces or electric heaters if there is a need. I can't stand 'fake heat' so I don't have either of those. Unfortunately, Percy doesn't want to wear socks, sneakers and a fleece top when it is cold like I do, the willful little stinker

Jack, my budgie, baths in his water bowl come rain or shine, even in the midst of winter. I usually just make sure that there is no draft when I notice him swimming and he's always been fine. So perhaps I'm a bit too overprotective where Percy is concerned

 

[Anansi]

So if you don't use the more common forms of heating in your country like electric heaters or fireplaces, then what kind of heat do you use? And what's the average temperature in your house during the winter?

 

[MomtoPercy]

I use nothing LOL!! I can't stand that dry heat created by fires and heaters so I've never used them. I've always moved Jack to the kitchen in winter because its warm there and he has a warmer winter blanket covering for night time. The temp in my house in winter varies from about 14 - 17 degrees in the day to below 10 some nights. I know it sounds like I'm living like a cave dweller but its not that bad

Anyway, I may have to invest in some from of heating for Percy's sake because his cage can't be "wrapped up" snug like Jack's.

I gave Percy a bath just now and he loved it!! It was the most I've ever seen him relish the misting. He even held his wings up at an angle (lying on his side) for me to mist underneath and held his butt and tail feathers for some mist action too!

 

[Betrisher]

I'm glad you asked that question, Michelle! I've been wondering the same thing. Like you, we don't use any kind of heating either, but rather choose to rug up as warm as possible. I do blow-dry the Beaks and they love it probably more than they enjoy their mist-baths. Don't be afraid to try it with Percy: it won't hurt him, so long as you keep the blast a fair distance away from him and only use the 'warm' setting. The Beaks love being blasted with the fan set on 'high' and they fight and jostle each other to get right in the path of the warm air. It's a great way to dry them after a thorough wetting and they'll spend a good half-hour preening, then sleep for ages.

But, as you say, is it OK to wet a bird to the skin in the midst of winter??? Especially a bird of tropical origins???

Additional: You could make a sort of bottomless box arrangement for Percy to roost in of a night. I just made some hanging curtains out of a piece of old fleece for my lot to roost in. Needless to say, you'd think I'd just introduced Godzilla to the cages, but I'm going to leave my arty-pharty curtains for at least a week. I'm especially worried about Dommie, who is naked on his back and on his front. If it gets really cold, I'll have to figure out some way of bringing him inside again. You'll hear my husband hollering if it comes to that! LOL! I'll let you know how the curtains pan out. If they pan out. LOL!

 

[MomtoPercy]

I was considering making something like that, Trish. Great minds think alike, eh?

 

[MonicaMc]

I've actually seen pictures of a parrot bathing in water in the dead of winter..... snow on the ground, water must have been icy, but that little bird was enjoying it!


Parrots can't catch a cold, so as long as they can dry off, I think it's entirely up to them when they want to bath or not!