Bathing an animal is commonly dreaded even by essentially the most devoted pet mother or father, but when your companion is a parakeet, we’ve acquired some excellent news—birds bathe themselves. All that you must do is present clear water and preserve the showering setting.
On this information, we’ll clarify the best way to encourage your parakeet to take baths and ensure they’ve a good time whereas doing so.
Do Birds Must Have Baths?
Sure, bathing is crucial for birds as a result of it retains their feathers and pores and skin clear and in good situation. For one factor, dust, mud, particles, and different pollution can construct up on the feathers, and common bathing washes these away. Moreover, with out common baths, air-con and central heating in our properties can dry out the fowl’s pores and skin and make it itchy. Bathing helps situation pores and skin and feathers.
Some birds prefer to take a shower daily, whereas others solely accomplish that each few days. Regardless of the case, it’s necessary to supply your parakeet lukewarm water every day to encourage bathing. Solely supply a shower throughout the daytime as you don’t need your parakeet to be moist in a single day.
The 4 Ideas & Methods For Bathing Your Parakeet
There are a number of methods to supply your fowl with bathing water, so let’s discover every methodology in depth. You don’t want to (and may by no means) use any cleaning soap in your parakeet—simply lukewarm water is sufficient.
1. Water Dish/Chook Bathtub
What You’ll Want:
- Dish/fowl tub/sink
- Lukewarm (non-chlorinated) water
- Chook-safe cleaner
- Towel (non-compulsory)
For those who go for the standard methodology, all you want is a receptacle shallow sufficient in your parakeet to splash about in safely. This may be within the type of a dish or a industrial bathing chamber which you can connect to the enclosure, however these are sometimes sized for smaller birds (there are completely different sizes of parakeets, so examine fastidiously before you purchase). Bathing chambers are sometimes lined to assist hold the water contained.
Alternatively, your parakeet can bathe in a sink if that’s what they like. No matter your chosen receptacle, let your parakeet enter it at their very own tempo as an alternative of simply plopping them in there, particularly in the event that they’re not used to it.
As soon as in, your parakeet will splash about within the water and shake it off. For those who’re fearful about water splashing in every single place, you’ll be able to place a towel beneath your parakeet’s enclosure or wherever you’ve put their water dish.
After the bathtub, your parakeet will dry off by fluffing up their feathers and fluttering to generate airflow. They’ll additionally preen themselves by arranging their feathers till they’re proud of their positioning. Clear out the dish with a bird-safe answer like a light dish cleaning soap.
2. Spray Bottle
What You’ll Want:
- Clear spray bottle
- Lukewarm (non-chlorinated) water
In case your fowl isn’t eager on getting in a shower, you should utilize a sprig bottle to softly mist them from above. Many birds love this because it mimics rain. Keep in mind to regulate the nozzle to the mist setting—highly effective sprays or streams of water will stress out your fowl. Ensure the spray bottle you employ doesn’t have any remnants of earlier chemical compounds.
3. Bathe
What You’ll Want:
Some birds love hopping within the bathe with you to revel within the steam and delicate water splashes. In case your parakeet isn’t used to the lavatory, begin by taking them on little lavatory journeys and letting them bathe within the sink or a bowl whereas in there. This can permit your fowl to progressively get comfy with the brand new setting earlier than they head for a bathe.
While you first introduce your parakeet to the bathe, hold the water strain low and allow them to discover at their very own tempo. You should purchase adhesive fowl perches for showers, which ought to be positioned out of the direct water stream.
The purpose is in your parakeet to benefit from the gentle sprays and splashing from the stream of water moderately than being straight in it, as that is horrifying for them and generally even harmful. It’s additionally important that the water isn’t too scorching or too chilly in your fowl.
4. Veggies
What You’ll Want:
- Washed leafy inexperienced veggies
Small birds like brushing in opposition to and taking part in with vegetation, which will help clear the fowl if the veggies are moist. You may strive providing freshly washed leafy inexperienced veggies to reluctant bathers or younger birds simply getting used to the showering course of.
Easy methods to Dry a Parakeet
So long as the room is sweet and heat, your parakeet will dry off with none assist from you. They do that by shaking off the water, fluffing up, and flapping/fluttering a bit to get some air going. Some birds head for a sunny spot within the room to dry off extra simply.
Simply beware {that a} chilly or drafty room will make it a lot more durable in your parakeet to dry off and shall be very uncomfortable for them. As well as, utilizing blow dryers on birds will be harmful and is greatest prevented.
- In case your faucet water is chlorinated, use bottled water for fowl baths as an alternative.
- Extra frequent bathing will help birds by way of the molting interval.
- You need to by no means use shampoo, soaps, or chemical compounds in your parakeet. Lukewarm water will suffice.
- In case your parakeet retains bathing in their ingesting water, they might must be supplied extra alternatives to wash. Give them water to wash in daily even when they don’t use it daily.
- If one thing is caught in your parakeet’s feathers, please contact a vet for recommendation.
Remaining Ideas
For those who’re a brand new parakeet mother or father who was fearful in regards to the prospect of bathing them, you’re positive to be relieved now you already know birds are nice self-bathers. Your job is to make sure they’ve clear water to wash in and encourage them in the event that they’re a bit iffy about bathing. You probably have another questions associated to your fowl’s grooming routine or are involved about your fowl’s pores and skin and feather well being, please converse to your vet.
Featured Picture Credit score: Oqbas, Shutterstock
