grooming

[TonyB.]

is it normal for birds to be preening and grooming themselves practically all day hehe ? how many times should i bath her a week ? it is about 40 degrees here right now should i wait to get her wet till it warms up ? a few questions for ya hehe appreciate all the input ttyl

[ray1457]

Yes, birds do seem to spend LOTS of time preening; that is normal, especially during a molt or right after a bath! I have heard of birds that enjoy a daily bath, but my conure seems to prefer once or twice a week. (They will let you know it's time for a bath by trying to bathe in their water bowls, or by trying to climb down your arm into the sink while you're running water...) As long as it's not 40 degrees in your house (), there shouldn't be any problems with letting your bird get a bath anytime it wants. Just make sure that the bird has plenty of time to dry off before lights out...

[TonyB.]

ok thanks its about 70 degrees in here or so very old house so i keep my doors to the room closed i cover her with a dark towel at night so far so good i want to take a spray bottle and fill with luke warm water but im worried she will start shivering it still is about 40 degrees outside so im nervous hehebut she has bird sh** on her tail feathers and its making her tail feathers look all sh**** lol i want to get her cleaned up hehe

[ROYJOY]

birds preen alot cause feathers require more maintenance than hair.

if your worried about he/she getting cold while drying, perch he/she near a heater or lamp, but be careful. you dont want it too hot either. use a thermometer also. if these arent available, offer a pearch near the ceiling, its warmer up there cause heat rises. birds always want to be at the highest point posible anyway.

[ROYJOY]

If the grooming looks overly agerssive, like a dog scratching a flee. it could be mites. you can get a mite/lice spray at your pet store. it works real well, just take a cuople of squirts, but i doubt if thats the case, birds just preen all the time unless they are sleeping, playing, or eating. its just busy work for them.

[Valo's Moirana]

temperature is about right at 70... just give it a try - each bird likes different strategies... valo loves to hop into the sink filled with lukewarm water, about 3cm high, and give it a go... he also jumps right under the shower if he feels like it... pita is a spray bottle guy - he loves to be sprayed and doesn't care much for the "proper bath"
it took bella a while to get used to bathing, but now she's all for it... check out the photo

we bathe our birds about 1-2 times a week, depending on whether they want to or not... also, make sure not to put them to bed when they are wet (it's easy to detect if they are still moist or not - just smell them )

[TonyB.]

oh thats so cute looks just like my baby too except she has more green on her wings but i like the set up i think ill try that and do you have the shower running and can bella fly so i know what to do since my baby doesnt fly yet she tries but her flight feathers havent grown all the way back yet from her clipping but im gonna try that her tail feathers are all frayed from poop and hitting the side of the cage poop is very sticky im find ing out hehe