Bathing a budgerigar

The birthplace of budgerigars is Australia, where rainfall is a seasonal phenomenon, and parrots simply do not have the opportunity to enjoy frequent water treatments.

Those budgerigars that enjoy bathing climb up to the tops of the trees when it rains, spread their wings and stand under the “shower”.

But not all of them like to bathe in the rain, in most cases wild budgerigars prefer dust baths, which are a good protection against getting wet plumage in the event of a sudden tropical downpour. Therefore, you should not be completely guided by the lifestyle of wild budgerigars when creating comfortable conditions for our pets.

When it comes to our pets, the question of whether it is possible to bathe a budgerigar is very important. Note that the correct answer is “may”, not “should”. The budgerigar does not always love such procedures.

But this does not mean that he does not need to take care of his appearance. Keeping a cage clean is not new to anyone, but there is also budgerigar hygiene. After all, water procedures for domestic parrots are not only a pleasure, but also moisturizing plumage, skin, when in urban conditions the air in apartments is often dry, which affects not only the health of the owners, but also their pets.

On hot summer days, bathing a budgerigar is an excellent protection against heat stroke, which these beautiful birds suffer from.

Photo: Adam Croot

In order for budgerigar bathing to become an integral part of his life, first of all, you need to interest him in the bath procedure and be patient with the owner.

How to bathe a budgerigar

Attempts to attract to water procedures should be made only after a month of adaptation of the bird in a new house, but not earlier. The first time to offer a parrot a swim will be best on a sunny, warm morning; it will be a great temptation for a bird to splash in the water in the sun.

As a rule, budgerigars themselves push their owners to the issue of bathing with their behavior. These can be characteristic movements of the head and torso, fluffy feathers and dancing at the drinking bowl, splashing water from it.

Also, when you offer your pet fresh washed grass, fruits or berries, the parrot may begin to rub against water droplets on food. If your budgerigar behaves in this way, then you can safely offer him abundantly soaked lettuce leaves, a saucer of water, a special hanging bathing suit or a small bath with a mirrored bottom for budgerigars.

Some owners invent fountains with a continuously flowing stream of water, the murmur of which brings budgerigars to unimaginable delight.

First of all, the breeder chooses bathing devices for his pets at his discretion, what he considers necessary, and such factors as safety, convenience, quality, appearance, price serve as a guide, but if your budgerigar has chosen from the many options offered to him ordinary plastic cover, you just have to give up.

Photo: Lauren

For tame parrots, there is another method: you approach the tap with a bird on your shoulder, turn on the water and start washing your hands or bathing his jingling toy.

Forcibly put under water or put the “wavy” in the bathing suit in no case! With these actions, you will not only cause a fear of water in a budgerigar, but there is also a chance to spoil the relationship between you.

It is useless to force a parrot to bathe – the birds are guided solely by their desires, therefore it makes no sense to recommend a certain number of bath procedures.

Only budgerigars will decide how often to bathe. There are those who bathe weekly, others only in the heat, some just rub against the grass. You can only offer them or arouse interest in the procedure.

Based on observations – bathing budgerigars occurs most often in summer, in winter the mood for water procedures in birds is no more than 3-6 times a month, or even less often.

Almost without exception, budgerigars love sprouted grass, it is enough to create artificial dew with a spray bottle so that your parrot takes a bath while running through the grass.

Some owners leave a bathtub filled with a small amount of organic sea shell sand, about 0,5 cm in the winter, when the temperature in the apartment does not allow bathing the bird in the water.

The only contraindication is that your parrot eats sand a lot and you have to not leave the sand in the cage for a long time. Most often, organic sand is present in the feeder anyway, and you can simply pour it into a hanging bathing suit, where the budgerigar will happily “dust” its feathers.

Фото: jshildreth

Water for bathing a budgerigar must be warm and drinkable, since during water procedures your friend will certainly take a few sips, the amount of water at the bottom of the bathing suit or saucer should be a maximum of the height of the finger phalanx.

Ornithologists recommend using a water temperature of 40 * C, and gradually reducing it, try to bring it to room temperature – this is also a method of hardening a bird. Some parrots love an impromptu “rain” from a spray bottle. It is sprayed over the bird’s head or away from it, the water in the bottle should be hot, as the droplets cool when sprayed.

Be serious about the quality of the water: you should use the same water that is present in the parrot’s drinker: bottled, tap filtered or, at the very least, tap water settled.

If it is not a hot summer sunny day, then the lamp above the cage will be an important element, since the bird should dry well after bathing and, of course: a warm room and no drafts. Monitor the temperature of the water and change it if you leave the bathing suit with your pet for a long time.

How exactly the budgerigar likes to swim, you can find out only by sorting through all the options. Some birds do not go to the bathing room, they are afraid of a closed space, so the saucer method is the best for them, other parrots like wet dishes without water – this should also be taken into account.

Only by choosing the most suitable option – bathing a budgerigar will become his favorite pastime.

If your budgerigar is afraid of water and does not understand what you want from him, then use his most popular toys: a ball, a mirror, beads, grass twigs, ladders or dandelion leaves and other grass that your friend prefers.

Show the bird what happens to them in the water, play with them, and you will see how your parrot will certainly run up to try to do the same. Carefully observe the reaction of the bird to your suggestions, take an active part in the game with the ball, bell, and gradually add a saucer of water.

Bathing a budgerigar is not only a useful procedure and a pleasant process for the bird, but also a very exciting sight for the owner.

Today, there are a wide variety of home and professional videos on parrot bathing and how inventive bird owners are when it comes to having fun with their pets.

Bathing a budgerigar under a tap:

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