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From: iba@rti.rti.org (Ingrid B Agolia)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Building a better bird bath
Message-ID: <1991Jun26.181405.6257@rti.rti.org>
Date: 26 Jun 91 18:14:05 GMT
References: <1991Jun17.135859.1@zeus>
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC
Lines: 38

In article <1991Jun17.135859.1@zeus>, cbishop@zeus writes:
> How do you bathe your bird?  
> 
> I'm interested in how people go about keeping their bird clean, more
> specifically larger pets like parrots.
> 
> I have a white-fronted amazon and for the past 2-3 years, each week
> I take down his cage, a 3'x3'x3' wire cage hanging from the ceiling, 
> and set it on the floor with towels on top and around the base.  
> With a couple of water dishes filled with water on top and with a mister 
> bottle in hand, Doc gets his weekly shower/bath.
> 
> I've tried thinking of ways to set something up in the tub and let the
> shower do the work.  Sometimes Doc will go on for 3 or more bottles 
> before asking for a lift out. By this time, my arms is siezed up and the
> floor is a little more than damp.
> 
> It would be much easier to let the shower setup do the work along with 
> not getting the carpet wet every Saturday.
> 
> Chuck

How about the good old kitchen sink?  Troika, (my Patagonian Conure of 9
years) absolutely loves the sink and lets me know when he wants to take
a bath.  He lands on the sink, and screams a lot, often trying to reach the
water spout.  I plug the sink and put in about 3 inches of luke warm water
and from there just let the spout run very lightly.  He does his thing 
and has a ball.

Don't laugh, but, his other favorite method of taking a bath is when I'm 
taking a bath.  Yes, he loves to join me in the tub, so I have to take care
not to use any bath oils or scents in the water.  Really all he does is
stand on my knee and get his feet and lower body wet.  I have never known
a bird to be so happy about being in water.  Perhaps you could try bringing
the bird in the shower with you.  Just don't let the oscilator throw too 
strong a flow of water.

Ingrid