Conference 7.286::pet_birds

    My 2 'tiels love to take baths.  About once a week I put a bowl
    of water in their cage  with about an inch of water in it.  If I
    don't do this once a week, they start bathing in their water dish.
    
    Now that it's summer, I like to bring them outside in their cage
    when I clean the cage.  I find it easier to clean the bottom out
    with the hose.  I'll adjust the nozzle on the hose and give the
    birds a small spray of water.  They seem to enjoy it.
    
    	-Nancy

    Good Topic.  My cockatiel doesn't seem to take to baths.  From all
    that I have read, I was looking forward to seeing him get all excited
    at the prospect of "bath-time".  But Noooooooooooo!  I've tried
    misting,  a bowl of water in the cage, dripping faucet in the kitchen
    sink, a lite shower in the shower stall - and he still looks like
    he's been tortured and just sits there with this expression "Now
    what am I supposed to do looking like this..."  I also thought that
    the bathing would help soothe his skin/feathers and make him stop
    feather-plucking.  Nope.  I'm still trying once a week in the kitchen
    sink to offer a "bath-time" but he still looks confused and walks
    away. 
    
    Hope others have had better luck than I have.  
    

    Just as an added thought:
    
    You do have to be very careful of drafts after you give them a
    bath/shower; do this early in the morning so that they have the
    best opportunity to completely dry off before settling down for
    the night; ensure that their cage is not in a drafty location while
    they are drying off.  Being my cockatiel doesn't like to get wet,
    I put the lamp on him to get him dry as quickly as possible.  Some
    even use a hair dryer to fluff 'em all up.  Mine looks so gorgeous
    after a bath.  Too bad I enjoy his bath more than he does!
    

    My two birds get sprayed by the spray bottle often in this weather.
    The newer/younger one, used to HATE it, and the older male would
    really get into it... it was comical to watch him react to the joy
    of the shower!  The female has now grown used to it, and doesn't
    run off... but is not yet at the point of "sheer joy" like the male
    is.
    
    Last week I made one dumb mistake, though.  It was about 95 degrees,
    and because I was in a hurry, I didn't wipe the cage after spraying.
    I figured the weather would dry the bars in a flash.  That was a
    dumb mistake because now the edges of the cage are a bit tarnished
    by rust.  
    
    If you don't like your bird cage to look a little rusty, always
    wipe it down with a paper towel or something...  And, always used
    tempered water.  The water I use has usually been sitting in the
    bottle at least a day [it's actually the water bottle I use to squirt
    my clothes while ironing!].
    
    Marcia
    P.S.
    ** "SHOWERS... Your Love Comes in Showers..." is from an old Tavares
        song!
    

    I've recently started giving my birds daily mistings.  I used to
    give them water for a bath once a week, but I've found that the
    misting is a lot easier.  Also, whenI have put the bath water in
    the cage recently, the 'tiels didn't seem to want to bathe as much
    as before I started the daily mistings. 
    
    I mist first thing when I get up in the morning, and since it's
    no longer summer, the birds have a lamp on by their cage all day.
    I angle the lamp shade so that half of one of their perches is in
    direct light.  The lamp gives off a little heat for them.
    
    I haven't decided what I am going to do in the dead of winter though.
    I might go back to the bath tub and let the birds decide for themsleves
    when they want to get wet.
    
    	-Nancy