What bird owners should take into consideration when owning a pet parrot is to make sure that it gets to be taken care of the right way. When talking about taking good care of a parrot, you have to give it good food, a clean, healthy, and peaceful environment, and the attention and playtime it deserves. But what a lot of new parrot owners often forget is that these birds also need to be bathed from time to time.
Parrots are also required to be groomed once in a while and should be bathed when there is a chance. After all, they also need to be kept clean and fresh when possible to make sure that they are also free from any harmful germs and bacteria on their feathers. But not a lot of owners know how to properly bathe a parrot. As such, let us help you in that regard so that you will end up with a parrot that is happy and well-groomed.
Fundamentals of bathing your parrot
Before you begin learning how to bathe your parrot, you have to start with these fundamentals first, as they will serve as the guidelines that will allow you to master the art of doing a proper parrot bath.
Only use plain water
When you are bathing your parrot, what you should keep in mind is that you should only be using plain and clear water. Do not go for those commercially sold parrot shampoos because they can cause negative side effects to your parrots. When they are preening, the parrot’s feathers produce a special oil that will allow them to easily strip the keratin strip off of their feathers. However, if you use a special type of water or shampoo, you will be stripping off the oil as well, and the bird won’t be able to easily preen its feathers.
Bathe only when the day is warm
Another thing to take note of here is to only consider bathing your parrot when the day is warm. The reason for this is because parrots will easily get sick whenever they get chilled if you bathe them during a, particularly chilly day. However, if you live in a region that always seems chilly, make sure to bathe your parrot during the warmest part of the day to make sure that it does not get sick.
Bathe the water using warm or room temperature water
In connection with the previous rule, you should only use bathing water that is warm or somewhere close to room temperature. That is because using water that is either too warm or too cold can quickly shock the parrot’s system and will cause health problems. Moreover, water that is too hot can burn your parrot’s skin. In that case, always make sure to use bathing water that is at a comfortable temperature.
Never keep your bird soaked for too long
Parrots are not made to have feathers that should be soaked for too long a this can cause body heat issues that can lead to illnesses or flight problems. As such, always make sure that you dry the parrot off as soon as possible after bathing it, or else it might suffer from health problems caused by having its feathers soaked for too long of a time.
The bathing process: try to make your bird feel comfortable
When you are still learning how to try to bathe your parrot or if the parrot is yet to accept bathing, the trick here is that you should always try to find a comfort zone that will allow it to get used to bathing. Different parrots have different personalities. There are some that love to bathe and even play in their water. However, there are also parrots that simply do not like bathing at first for various reasons.
So, in your case, it is up to you to find that comfort zone by using different tricks and ideas. You can even mix and match different techniques that actually work so that your pet parrot will find its comfort zone whenever you are bathing it.
Try bathing with it
Parrots are naturally social and are fond of doing activities together with their fellow parrots or with their owners. This may also include bathing. So, in that case, you may want to prepare a shower for two when you are still trying to get your parrot accustomed to bathing. If the parrot is around you when you are bathing, it might feel safe and secure because it knows that you are also there enjoying the bath with it. There are plenty of perches and showers you can purchase from stores. So, if you plan on showering together with your parrot, you may want to add a perch in your bathroom and a sprayer made specifically for the parrot.
Start out with misting
If your parrot is not yet used to bathing in an actual birdbath or with a shower, you may want to start out slow and steadily. A good idea for this is simply misting the bird. Plenty of parrots come from humid climates that tend to have a lot of moisture in the air. So, if you are housing them in an environment that isn’t quite as humid as what they are used to, misting is a good place to start when you want to rehydrate the bird and giver it the much-needed humid environment it needs.
When misting, you can use a simple spray bottle. Use clear and plain water when misting the parrot and make sure that the water is free from any sort of chemicals because there is a good chance that the water will pass through its nasal cavities and its mouth. Finally, only use warm water because cold or hot water can shock the bird’s system and cause health problems in the future.
Use an ordinary birdbath
In the wild, parrots naturally bathe themselves in small bodies of still water. That is why parks all over the world have small birdbaths that will allow wild birds to freely bathe themselves whenever they feel the need to do so. In this case, you may want to use an ordinary birth bath by using a small tub with warm and ordinary water. Try dipping the bird in the water to see how it will react. In some cases, your parrot’s natural instincts will suddenly kick in, and it will actually bathe itself when you dip it in the water. And pretty soon, you might even notice that the bird is actually enjoying its time in the birdbath and may even play around.
A good trick to use when you have a small parrot that is reluctant to get in the tub is to use the palm of your hands and filling it with water. Try to see if the parrot is much more willing to bathe in your hands as there are certain parrots that are much more comfortable in such a setup. After trying out these techniques, make sure to keep an eye on how the bird reacts. Keep a mental record of your bird’s reactions so that you will know which technique actually works. You can even mix and match some of these techniques together so that you will find the comfort zone that really fits your parrot’s needs.
