Do Parrots Like To Shower?
Most do, yes. But parrots are like people. Young parrots need to learn to shower; parrots that haven’t been given showers aren’t used to taking a shower…
Cleanliness Is Next To Parrot-Godliness
Do parrots need showers to stay healthy?
YES.
Regular showers help parrots wash their body so that their feathers stay clean and beautiful. Showers help them remove dirt and keep mites away.
A Parrot’s Age & Showers
Like a toddler, young parrots don’t really want to shower. Unlike toddlers, you can’t put bubbles in the tub to entice them to bathe!
Teach Your Parrot To Bathe
Young parrots need to learn the joy of bathing – and initially forcing them to bathe can turn them off. Instead, teaching your young parrot to bathe needs to be a slow process that starts by just giving them a mist-squirt or two at their feet once every other day or every third day. As they start to get comfortable, you can then mist their feet and legs, gradually making your way — over time — up their body.
I have found that parrots are initially resistant to bathe but they suddenly switch and start to enjoy it.
Bath Tub Or Rainy Mist?
Your parrot’s bathing water will cover their wings, which they will probably preen. Use bottled water or boiled water that has been cooled is best t
Pool, Rain Or Sauna
Once your parrot is comfortable bathing, you can decide when and what kind of bathing to offer.
A ‘pool‘ is a large enough bowl that they can step into and splash around in. It is like a kiddie pool because it is not meant to be a body of water that they will be in up to their neck. Instead, like a kiddie pool, it should come up to their legs or the bottom of their body. This gives them enough water to splash around in. I love watching my Indian Ringneck use her wings to raise the water, creating her own shower. The water goes everywhere and she tends to look very pleased and happy to have a wonderful pool all to herself!
One of the things I like best about a pool is that it gives a parrot a place to dunk their head! This may sound funny, but they do dunk their heads in order to get water into their nasal passage to rinse it out. So, a pool can behave like a neti pot for them and contribute to their maintained health.
A delicate ‘misty rain‘ comes from a mister or a squirter, which you can generally get in the garden section of most stores. Like a delicate rainfall, it allows your parrot to get lightly wet all over. It also allows them to open their feathers and welcome the water under their wings and on the back of their wings.
A ‘sauna‘ happens in your bathroom. Take your parrot into your bathroom when you shower and let them enjoy the warm, humid air. It’s great for their skin- I would still offer a pool or a misty rain too, but if your parrot doesn’t like to shower -yet-, then this is a good way to start to get water on their body.
Frequency
Depending on who you ask, many experts will say that parrots should bathe daily.
While I don’t disagree, I do find that there are factors that influence how often a parrot wants to bathe. Like humans, I find that the parrots who are outside my house (enjoying fresh air and sunshine) get hot and want showers more often than when they are in the air conditioned house. If they are outside and have a lot of shade, they want it less or they want to get less wet than if they are getting more sun.
Winter and cold climates probably call for less frequent showering as well. If I were in a cold part of the country during winter, I’d be cautious and mist more than offer a pool to make sure my parrot didn’t get too wet and get cold. If your parrot does love to bathe and get wet, you can towel-dry them or use a blow drier. Initially they may not like the blow-drier, but once they have experienced it at a safe distance they start to get more comfortable. Generally speaking, parrots don’t mind the loud noise of the blow-drier. Please make sure that the air isn’t too hot so that you don’t over-heat their skin. Otherwise, if you go slowly at first, I find that most parrots don’t mind being dried this way.
Shower Breed & History
Two other factors that affect a parrot’s willingness to shower are their breed and history.
Breed: There are parrots, like Amazon parrots, who are clearly accustomed to being rained on every day in South America. I have found that my Amazons love to shower; they almost dance for the mist, spreading their wings and bodies to catch as much water as they can and often getting as wet as they can. On the other hand, a parrot from a desert area may not be as interested in getting soaked.
A parrot’s history can influence them. If you have adopted an Amazon as an adult, for example, and they were previously never bathed, then your Amazon is likely to avoid water. They simply don’t have the healthy habit. In that case, teach them to bathe as if they were a young parrot (described above).
Parrot Water Bliss
Think of yourself when you’ve had a long, hot day. When you finally get to jump into a refreshing pool or step into a shower, it is blissful!
Your parrot enjoys showers too. Taking care of one’s own body feels good, for both humans and parrots. Be sure to keep your parrot looking beautiful this way.
Have a questions about parrots?
As the author of “The Parrot Bliss Bond,” I love and welcome questions about having a parrot and creating one of the best experiences of your life!
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