shower time

[bigbird519]

i have now had my mojo for one week, he has settled in quite well. but i was wondering how you all shower your birds.

do you have a perch in the shower? how wet do they get? what are some cheap and affective shower stands/perches? do they enjoy the shower right out the gate, or do they need to be trained to like it?

any help and info would be great

[Greywings]

This is one of those questions where the answer depends on the individual bird. My Grey hates showers or spray misting and swears it never rains in Africa. I know other Greys that delight in bathing and will even use their water bowls as a bath tub. There are shower perches available that have suction cup mounts if you would like to try that. I would suggest letting the bird perch on the rail and watch you enjoy the shower once or twice before trying to introduce the bird to the shower and make it fun.

[bigbird519]

I took him up to the shower. I showered while he sat on the towel bar and watched from the outside. (I left the curtain half open.) He begged for a step up. After that, he enjoyed playing in the water, getting his head wet. He was VERY inquisitive about the experience. He showered for 10 minutes without a problem at all! Now, I'm off to Home Depot to build a shower perch. He's such a spoiled brat! LOL

[Spinner]

That's awesome! Sounds like you enticed Mojo by not forcing the issue. Good for you!

Suggestion - make sure others in the household close the shower door, otherwise they may have a bird flying in to join (scare) them. (don't ask how I know) hmy:

[ricoarmenta]

My greys kinda wierd about showers still, like my sun conure was. She loves being with me no matter where I'm at but once in the shower she doesn't wanna get wet really. She'll put her beak and one foot in the water. Other than that just splashes off of me get her wet. One time I caught her using her bowl as a bath only a half hour after our shower!!!!! Maybe one day she'll like the water, maybe not. It took my sun conure a full year off almost everyday showers to finally love them. Now showering is his favorite thing to do. I've been letting my grey watch him for about the last week and shes been exploring the water a little more, but not much.

[judygram]

My sun conure still hates to shower, she will bathe in her water dish but if I take her into the bathroom then she wants to fly off, maybe I should do it every day like you did but she hates it.

Josey only tolerates the shower, she won't fluff up her feathers or anything but she will stand there while the water is running off of her.

[danmcq]

It's GreYt to hear Mojo enjoyed the shower and experience.

My Grey abhors the water itself in showers or misting. But, he insists on going with me to shower and sits on the shower door and watches. If a drop or two of waters hits him, he fly up to the towel holder once watches from up near the ceiling.

He will jump in a big dog bowl or pie pan on his own and splash around thoroughly enjoy it. But, he is in control and thats what seems to be the difference.

He gets misted with Aloe locked in his cage or outside in his cage when it's warm whether he likes it or not. They need a good soaking at least once if not twice a week.

[Dave007]

My advice concerning bathing---it really isn't a good idea to keep bathing your bird everyday. Many of their natural oils eventually get thinned and washed away. A grey needs those oils to protect the body. Even though your bird may have dander on it, that doesn't mean that it should be washed away just in order to keep the bird very clean and dust free. Anyone who buys a grey or any other bird that has dander should be aware that the dander is a protectant of allthe feathers they have. In the wild, greys and other dander producing parrots don't bathe everyday. They spend a lot of time oiling and preening their feathers with their own natural oils simply to protect against wetness. Once a week or 10 days is plenty. Just because a bird loves going in the shower with a person, that doesn't make it right just like giving a bird an excess amount of treats everyday isn't a good idea.

[lovethatgrey]

Emma loves taking a shower. I take her into the washroom and spray her with the shower head on a light setting.We do this about once every 8 days.

It is only in the last few months that she will fluff her feathers up completely and lift spread her wings wide during shower time. Now I can spray her very well under her wingpits as well as her thighs! {Feel-good-000200BB}

[luvparrots]

Ana Grey loves her shower. When I spray her with a bottle she always runs up to the top of her playstand on her cage and spreads her wings and turns. She loves it. She will talk up a storm afterwords so full of herself. As for a bath, I just pop her in the kitchen sink and really soak her down. She has always totally loved the water for which I am grateful!