# Cockatiel hates baths?



## H0LZZER0 (Feb 25, 2018)

So a few months ago I bought a 2 year old male cockatiel from a petshop as his previous owner was quite elderly and sadly passed away. Since then I've been doing my best to create a bond with him and get him used to his new home and routines, however the one thing I've only ever seen the rest of my birds love, he hates.

I've tried to give him a bath many ways, in the sink, take him in the shower with me, leave him on a perch in the shower, leave a bowl or tub of water in his cage, I've even tried to get a spray bottle and get him used to it but he just hates water. On the off chance he does let me spray him, he sits wet and doesn't try to dry off or preen like most birds. I've come to the conclusion his previous owners didn't clean him at all so he hasn't learned how. I'm really stuck on ideas what to do, any tips or advice would be appreciated!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I would suggest to just keep spraying him. He will get the hang of it eventually. Do it to your other birds in front of him so he sees what they do. Tiels learn by watching.


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

I’d mist him too. He may not like it, but bathing is very benificial for their feathers and skin.


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## queenpoopsalot (Oct 21, 2014)

Mine never liked water at first but after leaving shallow bowls of water out occasionally she would start jumping in and having a blast. I have also recently found that if I cup my hands she'll sit in them and let me hold her under the sprayer from the sink with some luke warm water. She gets so relaxed it looks like she is going to fall asleep.


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## H0LZZER0 (Feb 25, 2018)

Ive been misting him regardless as i know its important for them, i have even done as you said before and let him observe my other birds but he hasn't seemed to pick up what hes supposed to do. He doesn't like hands so unfortunately i cannot do much when it comes to any method that involves that.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

My male doesn't like being misted or showers or bathing but weirdly what he does like is being held in the mist of the cool mist humidifier lol he will get pretty damp in there before wanting to be moved away.


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## timk (Mar 26, 2017)

My male :cinnamon: Beaker is just over 2 years old, and has been with us for about 15 months. Initially, he didn't like getting baths, but I'd get him in the shower with me and get him washed up a bit once a week, like it or not.

Since we moved to our new place, he would often sit on the shower curtain rod and watch me get showers. I've found that the best way to bathe him once a week is to use the spray bottle on him while he sits on the shower curtain rod, then once he is pretty well soaked, he will go into the shower.

For a while, I'd have a few inches of water in the tub and put him in there and keep spraying with the bottle, and try to get him to open his wings to wash him more thoroughly, but this last time I held him under the shower water with my hand over him to shield him from the direct water spraying on him, and let him get pretty soaked that way. He's getting more used to it now.

I've found that if he's in the shower like that, he tends to drink more water, which gives him the "water poops" for a few hours. I think that's good for flushing his crop out. He might be a little grumpy for a while after a bird bath, but within an hour he's back to his old self.


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