Tag Archive for 'bird bath'

Just like us or any other pet, our pet birds also need a bath.  Bathing keep them clean and excess oil from their feathers are removed.  Done on a regular basis, it promotes good physical condition as household heating and air conditioning generally affect them, as well.

If your pet bird is small or medium-sized, you will need a heavy dish or basin filled with an inch or two or lukewarm water or one that’s at room temperature.  Cold water can freeze them and not advisable to use.  The water mimics a puddle that is used by birds in the wild when they want to bathe.  Take them in a warm room where there is not draft.  And it is better to bathe them early in the day.  This gives them ample time to dry themselves prior to bedtime.

A dish is not sufficient for larger birds.  An alternative to bathing them is taking them out from their cage, place them on a perch and lightly run water on them.  An ideal place is the bathroom or the kitchen.  With hose in hand to bathe them, never squirt water directly on their face.  Also, it is not advisable to soak our pet bird’s feathers.  This can impair their flight and lead to loss of body heat.

Either way of bathing your pet – in a bowl or on a perch, water is enough to bathe them.  Shampoos or soap would be harmful for our bird as it strips them of their natural oils.

You can dry your bird using a towel or let them dry naturally.  When using a towel make sure to pat your bird following the direction of how the feather grows.

Clean out the aviary before putting your bird back in.  The bedding gets doused with water while your pet is washing there is a tendency for bacteria to grow on the damp bedding which can cause sickness to our birds.  Also, clean the sink or the basin used for your bird’s bath with mild soap and water to keep it sanitized and you’re assured of protection for everyone in your household.

Once or twice in a week is the recommended frequency for our pet birds.  However during hot season you can give them more than a couple baths in a week to help remove prickling and irritation.  Observe your pet how often they like taking a bath as some birds are against it.  When this occurs, introduce bathing little by little for them to take pleasure in it.  Perhaps a way to entice our picky birds to bathe is get ourselves wet together with them so eventually they’d figure out that it is perfectly fine.

As like any bath, it is a revitalizing episode and one that our pet birds should have more often.