Bathing question

[Callistobass]

Lola (CAG) has never ever liked bathing as far as I know.. does anyone have a "success story" of sorts where you got a bird that hated bathing/water to enjoy it?

I bathe her every day, but she keeps her wings really close to her body, and no water can get under them - on her back and under the wingpit.

basically, I am looking for hope because it seems like the places I can't bathe her are some of the places she chews most

[Rue]

Do you take her in the shower with you? If she can watch you being a 'happy bird' in the shower, she may try to join along...(I even do a 'chicken dance' for my WC, since he's not a shower fan, and he's gotten a lot braver with the whole ordeal )...

[Callistobass]

yeah, I guess I should have run down her routine..

every morning I wake her up around 8am (goes to bed around 8-8:30pm) and change her food/water bowls and toys. Probably around 8:30ish I take her in the shower with me - I have tried the "happy bird" stuff and everything... she generally stares at me with a glaring look the whole time, and barely moves around when she is getting misted (I have to coax her to turn around so I can bathe her other side).

Right after I posted my topic I took her outside on her new perch and tried it - my logic was she would probably move around a little more, and I could get under her wings... I was right, but she was pretty stressed through the entire ordeal. On top of not wanting to stress her out, taking her outside to bathe is not a year-round solution, as I live in Chicago and it tends to get a little cold.

I thought (in the past) that maybe the kitchen sink would work, but she is mortally afraid of the faucet - tries to fly away, and since she has been picking and had that terrible wing clip by her vet she is pretty much a brick with wings hurtling towards the tile floor.

so yeah, any success stories/tips/hope?

Originally Posted by Rue

Do you take her in the shower with you? If she can watch you being a 'happy bird' in the shower, she may try to join along...(I even do a 'chicken dance' for my WC, since he's not a shower fan, and he's gotten a lot braver with the whole ordeal )...

[Lynjupiter]

does she get excited when you vaccum?
My U2 hates showers and baths but when you vaccum around her cage she splashes in her water bowl. While I vaccum I have my son standing beside her cage with a spritzer. When she splashes he spritzes her from behind. She thinks it is the splash from her water bowl.
Lynda

[Skyebirdsmom]

When I first got my CAG he was not used to being bathed. So I started with this bottle called Mist'r Mister or something like that. You have to pump it up then sprays by itself, very softly and quietly. He always puffed up, his eyes pinned and he'd lunge at it, but put up with it. After a few mos. of that, I realized he really did LIKE it, he was just bluffing for whatever reason...getting 'mad' at it so he could have a good time. Crazy bird. But yes, I did that daily to him, he liked it, just had to try to make me think he didn't, LOL. So don't give up, bathing is very important, especially with Greys, Tiels and "Toos as they are the 3 'Powder' birds and it is very irritating to their respiratory system if it's allowed to build up. Not to mention it building up in your house! That's a whole other story! Anyway, it's hard to get them really wet, so I bought some of Scientific Canopy's Bath TIme and used it in the beginning of his bath so it allows his feathers to be wetted thoroughly, then I just use water after that. And I had to stretch his wings out by hand to get them and under them wet. When you bathe a bird, soaking wet is what you are aiming for, not just a misting.
Have fun, she will get used to it I promise.
Linda & Skye~

[danforth3]

My lutino tiel has always hated bathing. I tried misting--still hated it, but I stuck to it and yesterday when I got out the mister he spread his wings, bowed his head and had a ball. I had to mist him til the bottle was empty. He had a great time. He's been with us about a year and it has taken a lot of perserverance but finally he loved the misting. Bath is still a big no, but not mistings. He loves it.