Bathing Beauties
© Anne Watkins
Birds love to bathe. Have you ever looked out the window after a rain and seen birds splashing around in mud puddles? They're enjoying the nice bathtub Mother Nature thoughtfully provided. Birdbaths, ponds, puddles--wherever there's water, there's sure to be a bird playing in it.
Our companion birds love to bathe too! Have you ever watched a parrot try to cram its pudgy body into its water cup for a bath? I have a little green guy who does this several times a week. Bless his heart, all he succeeds in doing is getting his head, face, the floor and the walls wet. But he has a wonderful time!
It's important to arrange for some sort of regular bath time for our birds--even if it's just a good soaking from a sprayer bottle. Regular bathing helps keep their feathers in top condition, cuts down on the amount of bird dust and is just plain fun. Here are a few ideas for bath time that are popular with my birds.
Playtime in the kitchen sink! Washing dishes around here can be challenging if the birds are loose. Rio, my blue crown conure, thinks nothing of dragging my hands out of the way with his bossy beak so that he can climb into the sink. Of course, I can't allow him to play in the sudsy water, and patience is not one of his virtues! I know I better get those dishes rinsed in a hurry when he's wanting to play in the water. He loves for me to let it drip in a small stream from the faucet so he can run around under it, flip his wings, grab sips of water, and roll around in the sink. He's hilarious to watch and I don't know who has more fun--Rio or me!
Bathtub fun! Orange-winged Amazon Pancho enjoys playing in the bathtub. I run an inch or two of water into the lower end of the tub and Pancho happily splashes away. He has so much fun that we usually have to drag him out of the tub kicking and screaming!
Spray bottles. Pancho loves to be misted with a spray bottle. He'll hang upside down and flap like crazy when we spritz him! You can get these bottles at any pharmacy or grocery store. Note: Label the bottle to be used only for the birds! Never put any sort of chemicals in a bottle you're going to bathe your birds with, and never use any bottle that has previously contained any sort of chemical!
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