# Cockatiel hates water



## Jerima (Mar 11, 2010)

Hi everyone, I just posted a question in the food and nutrition section, but I have another question. My cockatiel is 2-3 years old, I think. I adopted him from a family that was honest about him being neglected. 

They mentioned to me that he very rarely got bathed. He was very dusty and over preening when I first got him. I spray him with water and molt ease 1-2 times a week. I have tried everything I can think of to get him to enjoy water. I provide him with a dish of water in his cage that he fell into once and never went into again. I tried bringing him into the shower to see that bathing wasn't scary, but he screamed and kept flying away, even though his wings are clipped. Now he is terrified of the bathroom. 

I now put him on my shoulder and mist us both, or put him on his parrot stand and mist him from above. He eventually gives in, but he doesn't respond like a normal bird. My finches puff up and flap around when they are wet, but my cockatiel doesn't move. He acts almost like he's in shock. He won't even move his feathers until they are dry.

Any ideas to get him to learn how to bath? He flies away from me when he is scared, which scares me when I try to bath him. Like I said, his wings are clipped, but the little guy is so persistent. He will flop onto the floor (or crash into things on his way to the floor) just to get away.


----------



## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Since he isn't used to being misted/bathed, it may take awhile for him to get used to it, however there's a chance he may never like it, but I'd say give it time and he'll come around.

My Cockatiels don't like being sprayed from above, rather I spray them from below and it goes up and they love it that way. So, you could try that too.


----------



## LuvMyTiels (Dec 31, 2009)

Just give your bird time. He may or may not eventualy like misting/bathing. My 'tiel Spot will not bathe in a dish either but he loves to be misted.


----------



## Jenny10 (Feb 27, 2010)

Hi,

Mine wasn’t keen at first, and I actually bath her in her cage through the bars with a mister before I clean her cage out, a least that way she couldn’t hurt herself, after I just wipe the cage down.

Also the temperature of the water in your bottle could have an affect I know they tell you to use luke warm water but I actually use quite hot water because by the time it has gone through the mister formed mist and dropped it is only just luke warm, but always spray on your hand first and check it.

Also mister bottles make quite a hissing sound which naturally frightens the birds, so if you can mist it slowly and make the noise not so loud this might help, just give him two or three squirts to begin with, then when he gets used to it you can increase it gradually, mine nearly falls off her perch hanging upside down with wings open to get a full misting, I mist mine daily as part of her morning routine, she looks like a drowned rat after, but she loves it, lol

Jenny


----------



## eXc (Sep 4, 2009)

Mine won't bath either
Doesn't like spray from any direction
Doesn't use a container in the cage
Doesn't like the basin or sink.
Doesn't like the shower (he just sits on the glass, won't come near me or the mist)

I don't know what else to try


----------



## krystina (Mar 12, 2010)

try filling up a bucket or a sink with warm water, sit her on your hand and lower him in a talk to him. thats just a suggestion. my tiel is about the same age, born in december and he loves water! he will dunk his head under the water and swimmm!
keep trying different things, my budgie Lloyd is still a baby and he hates water. the other day i put both my budgies on my arm and cupped my hand so it would fill up with water and he had a bath in my hand for the first time, he really enjoyed it!

maybe your tiel wants you to be around? to know that your there and it most likely wants the support of your hand.

goodluck!


----------



## jc119007 (Dec 28, 2009)

Thought I would share what I ended up doing with my bird- maybe you can adapt this to your situaiton!!

I remember my bird Curry hated me misting him- I think it was more due to the hissing noise from the spray bottle than anything else. So I decided that while I cleaned his cage, I would try and clean him lol.
I would empty the cage, except for a perch way up the top, then put the cage in the bath. I would test the water temperature so that it was warmish, and proceed to clean the cage (with a sponge) without getting him wet- he would call but was able to move away from the water if he wished while I rinsed the cage. I would try and put the spray on the softist spray possible before going to "tap" because of the low pressure and point the nozzle "up" so that the water would make an arc. Eventually he got use to it and would even allow me to bring the water closer to him until he would just sit on his perch and let me hose him.

As for Kikou, well day 1 she loved water so it was really a matter of her getting used to being hosed in the bath, so in that respect I've been quite lucky


----------

