# birds in the shower??



## Crandolph (Jan 10, 2012)

Im a new cockatiel owner. The previous owner went nuts when i mentioned puttin Prescott in the shower with me. He said it'll kill him. Ive seen it on youtube and have heard about it from other owners. I havent done it yet but Prescott wont "bathe" in his cage and he has danderuff. The previous owner said to put him in the sink, i tried that and he hated it. Any advice?


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## Jynxstorm (May 15, 2010)

Have you tried getting a squirt bottle(spray bottle) and tried misting him?


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## Nadley (Dec 28, 2011)

I'd actually like to hear advice about this too. The last couple of times I took a shower, I brought Ralph in the bathroom with me and had her perch on the towel rack while I showered. I thought the steam might be good for her. She seemed to like being in there but contact called me frequently as I was behind the curtain and she couldn't see me. I'd like to eventually get a shower perch and have her actually in the shower with me, but I don't know if she'd be scared of the running water. So I hope others will chime in with their experiences!


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

If he likes it, it's great for him. Just take it slowly the first time, and be prepared to react if he panics, so he doesn't get hurt. Also don't put him directly under the spray. Let him get wet, but try to avoid having the full force of the water on him, if that makes sense. Both my birds loooooove shower time.


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## giggles611 (Jan 2, 2012)

i had a cockatiel zeus she love it she went in all the time i would just make sure the water wasnt to hot or to cold just make sure its warm and use the myst or let the water spray off of you or the wall.


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## elinore (Jul 22, 2010)

enigma731 said:


> If he likes it, it's great for him. Just take it slowly the first time, and be prepared to react if he panics, so he doesn't get hurt. Also don't put him directly under the spray. Let him get wet, but try to avoid having the full force of the water on him, if that makes sense. Both my birds loooooove shower time.


I agree with all of the above. Showering certainly won't "kill him." Some birds really enjoy showers. If he's nervous about it, you could try starting him out by just having him in the bathroom while you take a shower. Wait till he's used to the noise and smell and feel of everything before you take him into the actual shower. I have suction cup perches that I use that are very convenient, and they're readily available at bird supply stores. I have one on my mirror, so my bird can sit in the steam while I shower, and one in the shower where she can get into the spray if she wants or can just sit in the warm wet air if she's not in the mood to get wet. I highly recommend getting a perch like this, because it makes taking them in the shower much easier! That being said, my boy Trix is scared of the suction perches (for whatever reason lol), so he prefers to sit on either the towel bar or the shower curtain rod. All tiels are different, so you just need to figure out what yours prefers


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

I would try misting him first (you know the garden spray bottles you can get? one of them). Here is an article to read through about Cockatiels and bathing: http://www.cockatielcottage.net/baths.html


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## Mommajo (Sep 10, 2011)

I have a shallow pyrex casserole dish that I let my birds bathe in. They love it, and it helps with the dandruff. Be sure to put a towel under it to catch the splashes though


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## darthkrallt (Aug 27, 2011)

I made an illustration awhile back on taking a cockatiel in the shower, I hope it's helpful!


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## Codyandme1 (Sep 14, 2011)

darthkrallt said:


> I made an illustration awhile back on taking a cockatiel in the shower, I hope it's helpful!


Wow, that's really cool, that's what I have to do with Cody. He sits in a little ledge next to me(he doesn't like bathing on my hand) and catches water that bounces off my head  he loves it, its not dangerous if the bird doesn't panic, if he panics he may fly into windows and stuff. He may like it he may not  good luck!


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## Injood (May 8, 2011)

this is a good topic, may i ask something?

my birds hate water in all sorts of way i tried EVERYTHING it doesnt seem to work what should i do about it ?


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## payton2008brown (Jan 18, 2012)

All my cockatiels likes to take showers.the steam helps clear thier nose.


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## mishkaroni (Jan 6, 2012)

That illustration is perfect! Exactly the way i've showered with mine. I had a parakeet who loved sitting on the corner of the bathtub and while I showered the water would bounce off me and she'd get some. my tiels prefer a shallow clear dish like those sandwich gladware containers. It is up to the bird honestly.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Injood said:


> this is a good topic, may i ask something?
> 
> my birds hate water in all sorts of way i tried EVERYTHING it doesnt seem to work what should i do about it ?


Have you tried different times of day? My tiel will have nothing to do with a bath in the morning. Don't ask me why. But by noonish he loves to be misted. I start above his head- kind of like rain drops falling. And pretty soon he's lifting his wings to be misted all over. (Just don't give a bath too late in the day as they can catch a chill if they're not dry for bedtime.)


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## LeopardPrintBee (Nov 22, 2011)

This is a video of our cockatiel enjoying her shower 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsU0Bmt2lA&context=C38464f1ADOEgsToPDskKpZqEAFlJK4nKLKMVhVCeX

Not sure how well you can see but it's on very, very softly 

This was not an instant process and did involve lots of coaxing! Some days she will refuse a shower all together. Some days she won't get in the main shower, but likes having a wee one on your hand under the kitchen taps 

She also HATES being misted. We assume it's the hissing sound it makes? lol x


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## Dizzy (Oct 5, 2011)

There is not a chance that my chocobo will get in the sink. Believe me I've tried. I've tried misting him, but he flies way or hides in my hair. So one day I took him in the shower with me and he didn't seem to mind. From then on, he's just been taking showers with me every now and then, and actually enjoys it a bit now.


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## cloop (Nov 30, 2011)

I haven't tried taking my tiels in the shower yet. They are still relatively new to the household, but my Quaker sets out on my hand and I let the water bounce off my shoulder, I can move forward or backward depending on how much water he likes...He can then turn to his liking. Works great


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## northernfog (Dec 14, 2010)

I have a question too. 
I've read in websites some time ago that strong smell like from perfume, lotion, soap, etc is bad for them and to try to avoid these around the birds even if you know you want touch them... 

is this true?


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## Codyandme1 (Sep 14, 2011)

I don't use that stuff until Cody has finished showering, when shes finished she will flatten her feathers and look at the top of the shower rail, she sits up there sleeping until I'm done.

I know perfumes/body sprays and pesticides and stuff are bad but I dont know about shower lotions and stuff... :/


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## northernfog (Dec 14, 2010)

Yea, my hands get really dry (actually get cuts and start bleeding) this time of year from the cold, yet I never use lotion because my bird's cage is right next to me. :blush:


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## elinore (Jul 22, 2010)

I think anything with a strong scent is technically bad for any creature that breathes air, because of the little floating particles that cause the smell, but of course it's difficult to avoid without going to extremes. Of course you can't avoid it entirely. If I need to use hairspray, or if I paint my nails, etc, I put Emma in another room. When I shower, I try to keep the shampoo etc away from Emma's perch so she's not in the direct line of fumes. Northernfrog, I use an unscented lotion which seems to actually work better than the smelly kind. I just try to reasonably minimize the strong smells and chemicals whenever I can and I know that both my bird and I are just a little healthier for it.


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## northernfog (Dec 14, 2010)

Yea, I've read so many stories that just freak me out. For example, someone in another thread said that someone covered their birds cage with a newly washed cloth that still had the perfumy scents from it being washed and (if I remember correctly) this had lead to the birds passing. I just don't want to make that little mistake that could hurt my little birdy. I always think that it may harm me a little, but it will harm her way more. I have tried unscented lotions as well, however it is really rare to find something that doesn't irritate my skin because of the cuts. The only thing I found that works is something that is really smelly. I use it however, but when I'm out or not around my bird! The bad thing is that the scent lasts sooooo long! lol


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

northernfog said:


> Yea, I've read so many stories that just freak me out. For example, someone in another thread said that someone covered their birds cage with a newly washed cloth that still had the perfumy scents from it being washed and (if I remember correctly) this had lead to the birds passing. I just don't want to make that little mistake that could hurt my little birdy. I always think that it may harm me a little, but it will harm her way more. I have tried unscented lotions as well, however it is really rare to find something that doesn't irritate my skin because of the cuts. The only thing I found that works is something that is really smelly. I use it however, but when I'm out or not around my bird! The bad thing is that the scent lasts sooooo long! lol


It will be okay, really. The key with scented products (other than ones with specific toxicity like teflon or acetone) is that it irritates the bird's respiratory system over a period of time, and this can lead to lowered immunity. However, this does NOT mean that smelling something like soap for a little while every so often will hurt your bird. As far as the cage cover, who knows what exactly happened there -- maybe there was something toxic in that brand of soap, maybe the bird had an uncommon, severe allergic reaction. IF you start seeing symptoms of respiratory problems, then you can examine more closely the role of scents in the bird's environment. But generally speaking, if you follow the guidelines to avoid toxic products and minimize scents near the bird, it will be okay.


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## elinore (Jul 22, 2010)

I use an unscented Aveeno lotion that I find works very well. Actually, I use a generic knock-off of the Aveeno lotion since it's much cheaper, and you can find something similar at any drugstore or big box store in the US (the bottle is usually a beige color with green writing). Sometimes I've found that scented lotions sting a bit if I have any little cuts, but I've never had that problem with this type. Plus, it comes in a big bottle, so it lasts a long time. 

But, like enigma731 said, infrequent exposure to relatively harmless household scents probably won't harm your bird. Just make sure you keep the bird away if you're cleaning the bathroom shower or toilet or anything, since cleaners often contain much harsher chemicals than lotions or soaps.


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## northernfog (Dec 14, 2010)

Ok, I will see to that!  Thanks.


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## allir11 (Feb 2, 2012)

I am a new cockatiel owner as well. I have had Apollo for about a month. 
I have one of those suction cup perches and I place it at a distance from me so that i can spray the water at him or not. Some days he wants to be sprayed and other days he is content to sit there and preen. i bring him in whenever i'm showering in the morning and he chooses whether or not he wants to get sprayed.

-ps: the sandy textured shower perch is the only place i've ever seen him work on his beak. and it seems to look much healthier since we've started taking showers


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## Jay (Sep 12, 2011)

My female loves showers! she literally gets under the spray by herself i used to leave her on my sholder but she will walk down my arm to the actual spray and back up into it


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