Sweetum Baaaaaaaath!? Sweetum is my 4 year old African Grey male and he always says what he wants. His needs are identical to those of all birds, whether they are in our care, or not. In the middle of winter with snow on the ground and the ponds frozen I observe cardinals, jays and finches taking their regular bath in the creek behind our house. They do that because they NEED it and they have a choice. Our parrots do not have a choice. They have a drinking dish or a water bottle, hardly a place to take a bath. Some bird care givers relate that their birds hate to bathe and consequently they give up trying. The bird's continued aversion to water shows how poorly he/she has been taught. Bathing with birds, as with our very own kids often does not come naturally--as with human children, we must always be the benevolent teachers.

Taking a bath is physiologically and psychologically important for our birds, as vital to their emotional and physical health as their "daily bread," their socializing sessions with us, their 10 hour uninterrupted sleep time and their selection of toys in a clean cage. Bathing cleans the dander or feather dust, moisturizes the skin and just makes them "feel good." Dirt, as with humans is an invitation to skin problems, disease and misery. Taking a bath is a must and it is our responsibility to provide opportunity and means.

While they all need to bathe, the frequency and intensity may vary and be based on individual preferences, ambient humidity in the house as well as species requirements. We know that Eclectus parrots, for instance, due to the construction of their feathers need to be bathed more often than other parrots. Eclectus are known for their love of bathing and have been observed under lawn sprinklers, in bathtubs and trying to get into their drinking dishes. They should be soaked to the skin. Cockatoos, for instance, who produce copious amounts of dander must be bathed frequently and intensely--most of them love the experience. The cardinal rule: everyone needs to bathe--at least twice a week!

It seems that many birds must learn to take a bath and although some display a reaction to certain sounds like vacuum cleaners, which often triggers an instinctive bathing behavior reflex--the actual bath is another matter altogether. I have a male Eclectus rescue who goes absolutely nuts when he hears the vacuum cleaner but if I grab the spray bottle he wants nothing to do with it. While there may be other reasons for it from his "previous" life, the appearance of the bottle is very stressful to him. Inca, my blue headed Pionus absolutely loves the Vaporetto but he hates the bottle! I suggest that we always respect the preferences of our birds--there is usually an easy way, its up to us to find it.

There are a number of ways to initiate them into the art of bathing. Itake mine into the shower with me. I have a couple of shower perches on the wall with suction cups--the kind that swing out. Even when they were babies, I put them on the perch out of the reach of the water, exposed them to the humidity and light mist and just let them watch me while I bathed my "wings." At best it was an introduction and at worst it gave us time to interact. Eventually I would just take them off the perch and hold them under the shower low down at bath tub floor level so they wonÕt not get hurt should they fall off. None of my birds likes the spray bottle and runs when they see one. It has always fascinated me how docile they get under the shower. When I get a rescue, usually a bird I have never seen before and who might be anxious, the shower works for all of them. I have never been bitten in the shower and everybody always gets satisfyingly wet. So for me the shower works best. Sweetum now just loves to join me in the shower. He babbles and whistles and stares and we have long conversations. After a while his eyes begin to close and he takes a nap!

One can also fill the sink with about an inch of water and initiate them that way--or, if the bird is not too large, use a shallow bowl and fill that with about an inch of water... and for some the old spray bottle works quite well--as long as they don't get sprayed in the face but rather like rain--from above.

There are lots of ways to teach our psittacines to take a bath--as long as we remember that in all cases we need patience and tenderness. Some will take to bathing like "ducks to water," others need special consideration. It is up to us to figure out what works best for them.

IMPORTANT: as a general rule we should always use only fresh water--it may be warm or cold. There is one exception: when giving a feather picker a bath, aloe may be added. Aloe helps with itching skin and its taste inhibits the picking. We should also avoid letting them go "nighty-night" while still wet--especially if their environment is at human temperature levels. In their "home" which in almost all cases is quite warm and humid and where it frequently rains in the evening and at night, being wet when it gets dark is pretty much the rule and no big deal--but it is a lot warmer there.

So, please, give them frequent baths, your feathered companions will thank you for it.