Doesn't want to bathe anymore???

[Adi]

Well I've run into a little problem with Sunny... He used to love taking baths and would do so at least every other day. He loved water so much that he would throw himself at anything that I happened to be drinking!

For about a month now, it's a challenge to even get him to look at water.... He has always taken his bath in an over-turned frisbee but now he just flies away from it...

I've tried changing the water temperatures, changing the bathing dish, bringing him with me in the shower, putting toys in the water dish, running the tap water, and even playing in the water.... he just doesnt' want to bathe anymore!!! I haven't been able to figure out something that would have caused this sudden turn-around... It's just like a switch in his head turned off.

Now what do I do? I know that he'll have to bathe eventually... I'd love to use a spray bottle on him but he is absolutely terrified of them!

Any suggestions?

[basketbagley]

Adi,

Isn't that a strange thing. I'm curious about this too. I don't have any suggestions, I'm still trying to figure my guys out with the bathing thing.

My Sunny, budgie, likes to bathe in her parsley in the morning before eating it. Can't get her to do anything else.

Tink my tiel I've tried several things nothing is "it" for him yet.

Good luck on this! Hope you get some answers!

[ammiyisrael]

I have 26 birds. They all like to bathe in their own ways. My tiels do not like baths, they live the spray bottle or shower. My Conures do not like to be sprayed but love to bath.... One likes the bathtub, I fill it with an inch of water and he runs around it like crazy. The other likes a bowl that is small and quaint but she only likes to get her face wet. Some of the birds like their water dishes only and will not try other things, while others will even bathe under the running water from the refrigerator door when I am trying to fill my cup. Some have no fear and jump in the tub with me thinking they can swim... others have too much fear and won't step foot anywhere. They still NEED to bathe. A spray bottle is what they get. Some do not want to get wet when you spray them one day and another day they just love it. I guess they are like us when it comes to that. They have their moods and timings. Have you tried putting a pie pan or something closely resembling your frisbe but not THE frisbe wherever it is your bird likes to bathe and leave it there for a couple days and leave him or her alone with it. Just leave things go and see what happens. Maybe make that their main sorce of water for drinking making it a needed thing. Whatever reason your bird changed its mind, you may never know.... Just try to ease him back into the idea and give him a little time to adjust.

[LivingFiction]

Getting Hurley to take a bath has been a real challenge. The only place he seems to want to bathe is in the water dish on his perch, which isn't wide enough for him to do anything but splash the water all over the walls, couch, my laptop....

The other day he got into a tupperware bowl on top of his cage for the first time, and today all he wanted to do was tip it over. Sometimes he's just moody.

[ammiyisrael]

It seems to me that your FEO rather just wade than bathe. also, I'm kinda suprised you still have a tupperware dish left. I love to watch all my birds when they bathe, I think they are so cute when they do. They are also very vulnerable afterwards. Smaller birds need to be assured they will be in a safe place after getting wet.... Your feo, I'm sure has nothing to worry about. Also, My son saw me reading your post and asked what kind of bird is a "sexy wife". lol

[ammiyisrael]

I am sorry for calling your Hurley, Feo. Feo was the last name I read before I was interupted by my son. I made a comment on his name and I guess it stuck with me.

[LivingFiction]

Originally Posted by ammiyisrael

I am sorry for calling your Hurley, Feo. Feo was the last name I read before I was interupted by my son. I made a comment on his name and I guess it stuck with me.

Not at all. I've never tried bathing Feo, my plan is to put him on a shower perch and see how that goes, if that doesn't work I'll have to buy a kiddy pool!

To answer your son's question, my "sexy wife" is a very rare specimen to be sure. Her plumage is beyond compare. She has a sweet and tender demeanor. She is affectionate and loving, she takes care of the whole flock, we'd be lost without her.

Make sure if you ever find one of these precious creatures that you take care of them. They need lots of time and attention, but don't ever try to cage them or clip their wings! They must be allowed their freedom, so they can choose to be with you and love you every day. It's not about never letting them go, it's about giving them every reason to want to stay.

[ammiyisrael]

feo in spanish means ugly... If I remember correctly. Is that Feo you are holding? Far from ugly! and you are right about how to treat the wingless specimen. My son is 12. I believe he will understand but to what degree, I don't know. When we get into the plumage and all, I might should just let it be.

Originally Posted by LivingFiction

Not at all. I've never tried bathing Feo, my plan is to put him on a shower perch and see how that goes, if that doesn't work I'll have to buy a kiddy pool!

To answer your son's question, my "sexy wife" is a very rare specimen to be sure. Her plumage is beyond compare. She has a sweet and tender demeanor. She is affectionate and loving, she takes care of the whole flock, we'd be lost without her.

Make sure if you ever find one of these precious creatures that you take care of them. They need lots of time and attention, but don't ever try to cage them or clip their wings! They must be allowed their freedom, so they can choose to be with you and love you every day. It's not about never letting them go, it's about giving them every reason to want to stay.

[Skyebirdsmom]

My Skye(parrotlet)tries to bathe in his water bowl, and I let him, but it's FAR from satisfactory! So I take him either in the shower with me, or in the kitchen and spray him down with a small spray bottle...which he does not care for, but he gets it every day anyway. He gets soaked to the skin, then when he's done, I spray him with George's 100% Aloe spray to soothe his skin from any drying or irritation from molting. He pouts for a while, then gets into grooming and drying in the sun. Sometimes you just hafta take the bull by the horns, LOL, or, errrrrr, the bird by the beak! Ha,ha,ha.
Linda & Skye~

[Carbonproduct]

Originally Posted by LivingFiction

Not at all. I've never tried bathing Feo, my plan is to put him on a shower perch and see how that goes, if that doesn't work I'll have to buy a kiddy pool!

To answer your son's question, my "sexy wife" is a very rare specimen to be sure. Her plumage is beyond compare. She has a sweet and tender demeanor. She is affectionate and loving, she takes care of the whole flock, we'd be lost without her.

Make sure if you ever find one of these precious creatures that you take care of them. They need lots of time and attention, but don't ever try to cage them or clip their wings! They must be allowed their freedom, so they can choose to be with you and love you every day. It's not about never letting them go, it's about giving them every reason to want to stay.

Hi. Blu and I think your birds are swell. Any who, this is what Blu likes to do about bath time. He sits on a suction cup t-stand on the bottom of the shower, and he takes one with me. Sometimes he loves it, flapping his wings, trying to sing along to my shower songs, ext. but other times he just sits there like a little old man with hemeroids. Moody. Yes. Dirty and dusty. Not likely, four or five times a week takes care of the blu dusties and crusties. Either way, I think your parrot will love it (or not) just like mine does (or doesn't) so give it a try and sing sing sing. The sound bounces off the tile walls and the parrots go wild.