Bathing With Your Parrot

Is it OK for my parrot to shower with me?
- Carly

It is MORE than OK for your parrot to shower along with you!

All you need is your parrot and a shower perch. You can find shower perches online or at your local pet store.

All my parrots take showers with me – they love catching the mist off?my back and sometimes, my birds stay in longer than I do! Showering along with your bird is a great way to encourage your parrot to shower at all. This where “observational learning” takes place; if they see you do it and you’re enjoying it, they will want part of the action too!

I’ve even had my parakeets hop on a shower perch and join me! This method can be used to shower all sizes and types of parrots, from small parakeets to large macaws.

We as humans prefer pretty hot showers, so it’s important to be aware of how your parrot is responding to the heat. If too much humidity is happening and you notice your parrot panting, you will want to end the shower for your bird.

On average, a parrot should be showering 3-5 times a week in the winter months and 5-7 times a week in the summer months. The more baths your bird prefers to take, the better. Regular bathing keeps a bird’s feathers and plumage in good condition and color, and keeps any skin or feather irritants off.

If you notice your parrot chewing his feathers often, this can be your bird “over preening” in an attempt to feel clean. More baths can help this as well as looking at his environment for what might be causing an irritant of his feathers.

For more methods on how you can get your parrot to bathe, check out Bathing Your Parrot Properly. If your bird doesn’t like showering with you, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t like to bathe… it just means he prefers a different method and/or temperature of water!

Be sure to never FORCE your parrot to take a bath. If you parrot really doesn’t want to, and you force it along, it not only destroys trust between you and your bird, but it also doesn’t really get the bird clean like its body and feathers need.

When a parrot is truly enjoying a bath, you will know!

For more photos of parrots bathing, check us out on Flickr.