Penelope Hates Baths

[BanalityBob]

Since I've gotten Penelope (about a month ago) she has never bathed once. I have given her ample opportunity by setting a bowl of water on her playtop several times, but she treats it like an intruder and either waddles away squeaking, or starts biting it and trying to push it off the top of her cage. At the recommendation of one of the ladies at the bird rescue, I misted her gently with a spray bottle last night. She hated it. My neighbor (I live in a duplex) came over to see if she'd gotten hurt because she was screaming so loud. Penelope would not let me get close to her for the rest of the night, bit, screamed, and acted generally miserable. The problem is that she is dry. When she lets me preen her, her skin seems dryer than it should be, and from my parrot research, she needs at least a bath a week.

Any ideas? She starts screaming anytime she sees me with a glass, spray bottle, or bowl of liquid. To clarify the way I was spraying, it is an extremely fine mist spray bottle, and I was letting it fall on her like rain, not spraying it right at her.

 

[merlinsmom13]

I have the same problem, except Merlin doesnt seem too dry, just stinky. I make sure that he sits on the shower door when I take a shower. I also run a humidifier. Sometimes he will come down & sit on my shoulder in the shower (but not get wet) & sometimes he will come down on my arm & run under the spray. Not often enought, I have literaly had to hold him in my hands & take him in the shower w/me. I think that my house is on the cool side & he bathes more frequently in the summer months. Maybe Penelope will bathe more in the warmer months? I have read that some spray w/aloe to relieve dryness. but theres the spray bottle problem. good luck

 

[Blackfang320]

i was thinking maybe if you take her in the bathroom and shower in really warm water then she will get damp from the humidity this might work but she might freak out , i was just thinking it might help...hope it did =)

 

[vedwed]

Hehe, Oliver hates baths as well, I have to just spray him down, and let him be mad at me the rest of the day. My 2 conures on the other hand, they will take every chance they get to bathe in their water bowls

 

[merlinsmom13]

Wonder if its a amazon thing? I never resort to drastic measures until he smells like "pee boy". Then its in the shower or else. Of course he is mad @ me for the rest of the day & becomes daddy's boy. That will show me.

 

[BanalityBob]

Unfortunately, showering with me is not an option. My bathroom is super ghetto fabulous and does not have a shower, just a shower curtain around the free standing, claw foot tub and a shower wand that I have to hold. There isn't even a place to put a perch...

Also, my hot water heater literally heats about 5 minutes of hot water at a time, so the bathroom never even gets steamy.

Other ideas?

At least I'm not alone with a bird that doesn't like baths.

 

[dollibear]

I cup my hands under the kitchen sink and let the water run slowly. It takes a while but usually after a few weeks of doing this they start to like the water, he might just drink it at first, but eventually they start to take a bath. Now both of my birds love it, and I can tell when they want a bath because when I turn on the kitchen faucet they yell to take a bath about once a week. As soon as they take there bath they don't yell again until about a week is up. I get a little wet but they love it and it's really worth it. My white bellie likes having a rag hang over the faucet to grab onto while he is bathing, but he has a blast. Hope this helps.

 

[Parrot Parent]

When I started out giving my sun Linius (Rest his soul) showers I would take him into the bathroom with me and turn on the shower. I would sweet talk him while it warmed up. Then when we got in I would go first to show him how awesome showers were. After that he seemed pretty fearless with the shower. I did the same thing with Xander and the lil cutie climbed up my arm and let the water hit him directly on his head while he bent dow with wings open. It was so cute! I think the most imporant think it makes it easier for the birds when they see its something that is ok to do and your not scared of it so they think why should they?

 

[MikeyTN]

All my birds freaked out with showers to begin with, but I have them on my arm and they go into the shower with me. With my smaller ones, I sit them in the sink and run luke warm water to bathe them with.

 

[HRH Di]

Have you tried misting? You can get a regular spray bottle and put it at it's finest setting. The spray it waaaaay above her head so it's like very soft rain. Some birds are shower birds and some are bath birds...it just depends.