29 Comments on “How To Use Your Shower To Teach Your Parrot To Talk”
Barbara 10/19/2010 1:04 pm
my bird hates the bath,shower,& spray. However I did find when I offer him ,carrot,grape ,apple etc I always say!!! you want this!!!. Now when he wants a treat he responds you want this
Pam 10/25/2010 5:38 am
My bird also hates the shower. I have never tried the bathtub though. Maybe I should? He uses his little water tray to bathe in. I’ve tried putting a small bowl in the bottom of his cage but he won’t go near it. When I give him new toys it takes him several days to even approach them! Once there he’s fine and the toys are destroyed within weeks!! Is it a good idea to try him in the bath tub??
Pam 10/25/2010 5:42 am
My Barney hates showers too! He’s scared to death of them. I’ve had my African Grey for 6 years now and he already has a vocabulary of at least 150 – 200 words, but would love to teach him to respond to certain things, especially when we have company. Also, what about trying him in the bathtub? How would I go about that? Any ideas? Thanks!!
Roger 10/25/2010 6:44 am
Unfortunately My blue/gold is also not that fond of showers.. yet, so he does not get one often. (still the emotional state of him not liking it will work)
Now.. I’ve asked this question of several breeders/vets, and so-called experts.. in regards to a shower… what should the water temp be?… everybody likes to use words like lukewarm, tepid, ect That’s a range that for me could be too broad in some cases… One persons’ “Tepid” could be anothers’ “Lukewarm”
If a thermometer was placed under the water stream what would I shoot for on the temp?
Megan 10/25/2010 8:08 am
My Indian ringneck Gecko loves the shower and now I understand why he becomes so chatty when I take him in there. I am going to talk to him a lot more in the shower and see how quickly he will pick up new words. Also does this also work with teaching your bird a tune? For example I would like to teach him the theme song to my partners and my favourite football team.
Larry 10/25/2010 8:13 am
My African Grey Bert always talked in short bursts, One afternoon I was giving our other birds showers and decided that rather than mist him. I would let him play in the tub and then I was going to use the spray nozzle on a gentle mist to give him a bath. He did not mind the spraying until right before the water got to him and he looked up at me and plain as day and said “Oh Sh**” and scooted off. he ran around the bathtub saying those same words over and over. We had gotten Bert from a bird rescue, and now when we go to the shower..you can guess what he says…it is a very powerful tool. He doesn’t mind the bath nowadays however..I just think he likes to be chased.
Sherry 10/25/2010 9:19 am
Loved this video! So true what is said. My Quaker Parrot talks up a storm! It is the amount of time spent with the animal that brings about the speech and also when you leave it, it wants to impress you. It is incredible how clearly they speak. I’m having trouble however with her gaining weight. Any suggestions?
Jack’s Mum 10/25/2010 9:20 am
My bird HATES baths as well. Unless he has them in his water bowl. On his own. Anytime I stick him in the shower he goes banana’s trying to climb my arm to escape the evil water. And spray bottles make him freak out.
The only time he is really talkative is right before bed, when his cage is covered. He’ll cluck, say ‘goodboy’, ‘step-up’…but to a limit. After awhile he just growls at you to shutup and let him sleep.
Bert 10/25/2010 11:41 am
Hi Chet! I have an Amazon Yellow Nape and he definitely loves his shower. Afterwards he will whistle and carry on. Sometimes he’ll talk and at that time it is unbelievably clear and sounds the closest to a human voice. I would love to be able to take him into the shower with me but he is still getting used to me and I am worried that he might be startled and take off possibly hurting himself. Do you have any tips for showering your bird? Do you use a special shower head and pressure? Does he stay on your shoulder or do you have a perch that is specially made for a shower? Currently I’m stuck with a spray bottle (not that a spray bottle is so bad) and after he gets wet enough he goes to his water bowl and continues his bath.
pamela 10/25/2010 11:46 am
my sun conure LOVES her bath under the kitchen faucet. i turn it on just a little and cup both of my hands several inches below the tap so they fill with water. she dunks into my hands with her torso and head and then splays her wings and flutters around right UNDER the waterfall until she is just soaked!! it’s all at her own timing – i don’t do anything but hold my hands under the water. when she’s done, she flies to my should or to her cage to dry off and preen. try that – the water is just barely warm. i don’t think domesticated birds like the cold ….
Desiree’ 10/25/2010 5:07 pm
I find that when I run the vacuum my birds (cockatoo & conure) start taking a bath in their water cups. Then I get a mist bottle of water and mist them. They absolutely love to spread their wings when I do this. In fact my conure seems to giggle when he gets misted. It seems I have been made to vacuum more often so my birds can enjoy their baths.
Tricia Young 10/25/2010 5:23 pm
My African Grey male “Bailey” was a “rescue bird” from a bird shelter at 6 months old. I took him home, had a beautiful state of the art large stainless cage for him, different perches, lots of chew toys which he indulges in, but now after 12 years, not ONE word. Only whistles. Not even “HELLO”. Nothing. I have worn my voice out saying hello, hi etc over and over with no luck. And he hates water. Sink faucet water, spray misting from a bottle water, and shower water. He gets it anyway weekly since the vet says all birds NEED a bath often, but I can’t see how a CD will help a 12 year old stubborn African Grey to speak. ???
Stephanie 10/25/2010 6:03 pm
Pam, I tried my African Grey in the bathtub by first putting a little cold water in one side of the tub. NOT TOO DEEP, just up the feet, and one end of the tub dry. This way the bird can run in and out of the cold water. MAKE SURE YOUR TUB HAS NO CLEANERS IN< AROUND<OR CLOSE TO YOUR BIRD.
With all that said, my Grey hates showers, tubs, and spray bottles. The only way he takes a bath is in his water bowl! I put a bowl in his cage for his bath, and NO way! ONLY his water bowl will do! So, I have to clean his drinking water 3-4 times a day!
I wonder is African Greys don't like baths? They are a powder preening bird, NOT oil preening. Maybe that's why? Does anyone know?
charlie brown 10/25/2010 6:13 pm
my little conure Friday LOVES the sound of the shower…although he doesn´t get near the water he sings and talk while i use the shower…actually it is almost the only situation in which he talks….ohh and he loves the sound of a soft rain…regarding having a bath (and taking into account that he is a wild one) he loves when i water the plants in the backyard and he just walk around the leaves until he is soaked wet …which is really fun to see!!!
JUDY R 10/25/2010 9:38 pm
Ichew have a 12yr od B &G named TIKI (female) i try to give her a shower at least once a week. In the winter not that often, thank god she likes the blowdryer. She is not fond of the shower , she is used to being misted but no longer have facilities for that. Unfortunately we have both gone through a divorce . It’s been hard on me but harder on her since she just dosen’t understand where here old home when to. She’s always liked th pluck her feathers but not badly until 2 1/2 yrs ago. Now almost all but afew of her beautiful gold chest feathers are gone and she’s started to do the tops of her wings. I have been to our vet. she is healthy and eats well. I’ve tried every spay and other products to no avail. my vet said we can try an elizabetan collar or medication. Can’t do it …one’s torture and i won’t drug my baby.I have noticed that after she pulls out the feather she will chew and eat the qwill. If anyone has any thoughts on this or ANYTHING TO TRY I’m open to suggestions.
Denise 10/26/2010 11:30 am
My parrotlet is terrified of showers. He hides in the corner of the bathroom until the shower is over and I don’t take him into the water. I sing to him to try to calm him so he won’t be scared or talk to him from the shower telling him its ok and he can play with his toys. Will playing the CD in this situation work?
Trish 10/26/2010 1:13 pm
We are owned by 4 parrots- Cisco- rescue Goffin’s who loves the shower, Tiki- rescue Parrotlet- who only bathes in his water dish, Beaker- Green Cheek Conure who loves to bathe in a tupperware lid filled with water. He splashes around like the wild birds do in puddles. And Sonny- our Sun Conure who loves to stand under a running faucet to bath. They are all different and though we have always asked before and during their bath time “Oh! Take a bath?” in a very excited voice they have never repeated it. Could it be because they are not parrot breeds known to talk a lot? They do say a few words but not a lot like a Grey. Does the breed make a difference? I would think so since our parrots get a lot of attention every day just like if they were children. Almost…
Justin 10/26/2010 4:15 pm
My alexandrine has at least 2 baths a day, she has 1 after i train her in the morning and again after i train her in the afternoon. I have built a massive 3 tier bird perch over my herb garden where she spends a lot of time and she always get under the hose while i’m watering the herbs, she absolutely loves it has her bum up in the air and shaking her tail and as soon i stop the hose she growls at me. She’s only a baby at 9 months old and is already saying a few things. She says (what are you doing) non stop from 5.30 am but she mainly talks when i’m not in the room.
Rita Slover 10/26/2010 4:57 pm
Shower sounds great only one problem. The lady that owned my cockato before used to spray him as a disapline not to bite her.
He does not bite me now and I have not personally tried to spray him because of this.
Tom 10/26/2010 5:13 pm
We have a seven yr old Blue and Gold Macaw…Bovie…like Desiree said as soon as the household vacuum starts up, Bovie thinks he must take a bath.. He drinks out of a water bottle on side of cage so the problems are obvious..Sounds nutty but the more I take him into the shower the smaller reaction I get (he now tolerates being on my arm in the shower ) more willingly. I also act like I’m really enjoying the shower ..I also flap my arms a little to let him know were having fun….I pray my wife never develops a mean streak and puts me on YouTube
Rick Tanner 10/26/2010 6:04 pm
My cocky (Ringo) loves the shower. My green cheek (Ellie) will go into the shower with a little persuasion, but loves to bathe in her water bowl in cold water. I swear that she would like it better if I put ice cubes in the water (not that I would).
Aracelli 10/27/2010 12:01 am
I bought this cd and it is not good at all. my bird doesn’t say hello, neither bye… she picks up the words that she likes the sound. the cd didn’t help me at all. In addition, I cann’t understand in some audio on the cd what the bird is saying.
Konstantina 10/28/2010 1:47 am
My umbrella cockatoo is 25 years old, I have her for 3 years and she now loves the water. Since her doctor told me that she takes shower with her parrot… I did too. I put her either on the perch in the shower or I fill the kitchen sink. She doesn’t say a word, just enjoys the shower/bath. In the beginning she was screaming but then I put the water (shower head) on her slowly and close to the body. Now she even lifts her wings for a complete cleaning
Tammy D 10/28/2010 11:11 am
my Aferican Grey HATES too take a bath why ??
Tammy D 10/28/2010 11:11 am
my Aferican Grey HATES too take a bath why ??
Recky 11/04/2010 1:09 am
my love bird i call it bath, shower, poll, tub. he always wants to get into my sink when i was dishes but never does. One time i sprayed him with the sink hoes after teasing me with almost jumping in the sink. I don’t know what to do now. I bring him in the bathroom when i shower for him to enjoy the humidity. well good luck to all on having a clean bird.
CC 11/19/2010 5:07 am
Chet is so cute its almost ridiculous! He’s bird-wise too & a great help!
Julie 12/22/2010 4:23 pm
Lukewarm and tempid is the same thing. It would be between 65 and 70 degrees. But thhe best way to test the temp. Of something is to use the bend of your finger to test it. Your fingerTIPS are not sensitive enough. So if it burns your knuckle (the bend in your finger) it will burn your bird.
my parrot doesn’t talk at all…….i give him everything …………but unfortunately he doesn’t takes a bath in the tub……..he always takes a bath in his own bowl….if i try to give him a bath myself he bites my finger…..my parrot is maybe 2 years or 2 1/2 ….i dont knw exactly………
my bird hates the bath,shower,& spray. However I did find when I offer him ,carrot,grape ,apple etc I always say!!! you want this!!!. Now when he wants a treat he responds you want this
My bird also hates the shower. I have never tried the bathtub though. Maybe I should? He uses his little water tray to bathe in. I’ve tried putting a small bowl in the bottom of his cage but he won’t go near it. When I give him new toys it takes him several days to even approach them! Once there he’s fine and the toys are destroyed within weeks!! Is it a good idea to try him in the bath tub??
My Barney hates showers too! He’s scared to death of them. I’ve had my African Grey for 6 years now and he already has a vocabulary of at least 150 – 200 words, but would love to teach him to respond to certain things, especially when we have company. Also, what about trying him in the bathtub? How would I go about that? Any ideas? Thanks!!
Unfortunately My blue/gold is also not that fond of showers.. yet, so he does not get one often. (still the emotional state of him not liking it will work)
Now.. I’ve asked this question of several breeders/vets, and so-called experts.. in regards to a shower… what should the water temp be?… everybody likes to use words like lukewarm, tepid, ect That’s a range that for me could be too broad in some cases… One persons’ “Tepid” could be anothers’ “Lukewarm”
If a thermometer was placed under the water stream what would I shoot for on the temp?
My Indian ringneck Gecko loves the shower and now I understand why he becomes so chatty when I take him in there. I am going to talk to him a lot more in the shower and see how quickly he will pick up new words. Also does this also work with teaching your bird a tune? For example I would like to teach him the theme song to my partners and my favourite football team.
My African Grey Bert always talked in short bursts, One afternoon I was giving our other birds showers and decided that rather than mist him. I would let him play in the tub and then I was going to use the spray nozzle on a gentle mist to give him a bath. He did not mind the spraying until right before the water got to him and he looked up at me and plain as day and said “Oh Sh**” and scooted off. he ran around the bathtub saying those same words over and over. We had gotten Bert from a bird rescue, and now when we go to the shower..you can guess what he says…it is a very powerful tool. He doesn’t mind the bath nowadays however..I just think he likes to be chased.
Loved this video! So true what is said. My Quaker Parrot talks up a storm! It is the amount of time spent with the animal that brings about the speech and also when you leave it, it wants to impress you. It is incredible how clearly they speak. I’m having trouble however with her gaining weight. Any suggestions?
My bird HATES baths as well. Unless he has them in his water bowl. On his own. Anytime I stick him in the shower he goes banana’s trying to climb my arm to escape the evil water. And spray bottles make him freak out.
The only time he is really talkative is right before bed, when his cage is covered. He’ll cluck, say ‘goodboy’, ‘step-up’…but to a limit. After awhile he just growls at you to shutup and let him sleep.
Hi Chet! I have an Amazon Yellow Nape and he definitely loves his shower. Afterwards he will whistle and carry on. Sometimes he’ll talk and at that time it is unbelievably clear and sounds the closest to a human voice. I would love to be able to take him into the shower with me but he is still getting used to me and I am worried that he might be startled and take off possibly hurting himself. Do you have any tips for showering your bird? Do you use a special shower head and pressure? Does he stay on your shoulder or do you have a perch that is specially made for a shower? Currently I’m stuck with a spray bottle (not that a spray bottle is so bad) and after he gets wet enough he goes to his water bowl and continues his bath.
my sun conure LOVES her bath under the kitchen faucet. i turn it on just a little and cup both of my hands several inches below the tap so they fill with water. she dunks into my hands with her torso and head and then splays her wings and flutters around right UNDER the waterfall until she is just soaked!! it’s all at her own timing – i don’t do anything but hold my hands under the water. when she’s done, she flies to my should or to her cage to dry off and preen. try that – the water is just barely warm. i don’t think domesticated birds like the cold ….
I find that when I run the vacuum my birds (cockatoo & conure) start taking a bath in their water cups. Then I get a mist bottle of water and mist them. They absolutely love to spread their wings when I do this. In fact my conure seems to giggle when he gets misted. It seems I have been made to vacuum more often so my birds can enjoy their baths.
My African Grey male “Bailey” was a “rescue bird” from a bird shelter at 6 months old. I took him home, had a beautiful state of the art large stainless cage for him, different perches, lots of chew toys which he indulges in, but now after 12 years, not ONE word. Only whistles. Not even “HELLO”. Nothing. I have worn my voice out saying hello, hi etc over and over with no luck. And he hates water. Sink faucet water, spray misting from a bottle water, and shower water. He gets it anyway weekly since the vet says all birds NEED a bath often, but I can’t see how a CD will help a 12 year old stubborn African Grey to speak. ???
Pam, I tried my African Grey in the bathtub by first putting a little cold water in one side of the tub. NOT TOO DEEP, just up the feet, and one end of the tub dry. This way the bird can run in and out of the cold water. MAKE SURE YOUR TUB HAS NO CLEANERS IN< AROUND<OR CLOSE TO YOUR BIRD.
With all that said, my Grey hates showers, tubs, and spray bottles. The only way he takes a bath is in his water bowl! I put a bowl in his cage for his bath, and NO way! ONLY his water bowl will do! So, I have to clean his drinking water 3-4 times a day!
I wonder is African Greys don't like baths? They are a powder preening bird, NOT oil preening. Maybe that's why? Does anyone know?
my little conure Friday LOVES the sound of the shower…although he doesn´t get near the water he sings and talk while i use the shower…actually it is almost the only situation in which he talks….ohh and he loves the sound of a soft rain…regarding having a bath (and taking into account that he is a wild one) he loves when i water the plants in the backyard and he just walk around the leaves until he is soaked wet …which is really fun to see!!!
Ichew have a 12yr od B &G named TIKI (female) i try to give her a shower at least once a week. In the winter not that often, thank god she likes the blowdryer. She is not fond of the shower , she is used to being misted but no longer have facilities for that. Unfortunately we have both gone through a divorce . It’s been hard on me but harder on her since she just dosen’t understand where here old home when to. She’s always liked th pluck her feathers but not badly until 2 1/2 yrs ago. Now almost all but afew of her beautiful gold chest feathers are gone and she’s started to do the tops of her wings. I have been to our vet. she is healthy and eats well. I’ve tried every spay and other products to no avail. my vet said we can try an elizabetan collar or medication. Can’t do it …one’s torture and i won’t drug my baby.I have noticed that after she pulls out the feather she will chew and eat the qwill. If anyone has any thoughts on this or ANYTHING TO TRY I’m open to suggestions.
My parrotlet is terrified of showers. He hides in the corner of the bathroom until the shower is over and I don’t take him into the water. I sing to him to try to calm him so he won’t be scared or talk to him from the shower telling him its ok and he can play with his toys. Will playing the CD in this situation work?
We are owned by 4 parrots- Cisco- rescue Goffin’s who loves the shower, Tiki- rescue Parrotlet- who only bathes in his water dish, Beaker- Green Cheek Conure who loves to bathe in a tupperware lid filled with water. He splashes around like the wild birds do in puddles. And Sonny- our Sun Conure who loves to stand under a running faucet to bath. They are all different and though we have always asked before and during their bath time “Oh! Take a bath?” in a very excited voice they have never repeated it. Could it be because they are not parrot breeds known to talk a lot? They do say a few words but not a lot like a Grey. Does the breed make a difference? I would think so since our parrots get a lot of attention every day just like if they were children. Almost…
My alexandrine has at least 2 baths a day, she has 1 after i train her in the morning and again after i train her in the afternoon. I have built a massive 3 tier bird perch over my herb garden where she spends a lot of time and she always get under the hose while i’m watering the herbs, she absolutely loves it has her bum up in the air and shaking her tail and as soon i stop the hose she growls at me. She’s only a baby at 9 months old and is already saying a few things. She says (what are you doing) non stop from 5.30 am but she mainly talks when i’m not in the room.
Shower sounds great only one problem. The lady that owned my cockato before used to spray him as a disapline not to bite her.
He does not bite me now and I have not personally tried to spray him because of this.
We have a seven yr old Blue and Gold Macaw…Bovie…like Desiree said as soon as the household vacuum starts up, Bovie thinks he must take a bath.. He drinks out of a water bottle on side of cage so the problems are obvious..Sounds nutty but the more I take him into the shower the smaller reaction I get (he now tolerates being on my arm in the shower ) more willingly. I also act like I’m really enjoying the shower ..I also flap my arms a little to let him know were having fun….I pray my wife never develops a mean streak and puts me on YouTube
My cocky (Ringo) loves the shower. My green cheek (Ellie) will go into the shower with a little persuasion, but loves to bathe in her water bowl in cold water. I swear that she would like it better if I put ice cubes in the water (not that I would).
I bought this cd and it is not good at all. my bird doesn’t say hello, neither bye… she picks up the words that she likes the sound. the cd didn’t help me at all. In addition, I cann’t understand in some audio on the cd what the bird is saying.
My umbrella cockatoo is 25 years old, I have her for 3 years and she now loves the water. Since her doctor told me that she takes shower with her parrot… I did too. I put her either on the perch in the shower or I fill the kitchen sink. She doesn’t say a word, just enjoys the shower/bath. In the beginning she was screaming but then I put the water (shower head) on her slowly and close to the body. Now she even lifts her wings for a complete cleaning
my Aferican Grey HATES too take a bath why ??
my Aferican Grey HATES too take a bath why ??
my love bird i call it bath, shower, poll, tub. he always wants to get into my sink when i was dishes but never does. One time i sprayed him with the sink hoes after teasing me with almost jumping in the sink. I don’t know what to do now. I bring him in the bathroom when i shower for him to enjoy the humidity. well good luck to all on having a clean bird.
Chet is so cute its almost ridiculous! He’s bird-wise too & a great help!
Lukewarm and tempid is the same thing. It would be between 65 and 70 degrees. But thhe best way to test the temp. Of something is to use the bend of your finger to test it. Your fingerTIPS are not sensitive enough. So if it burns your knuckle (the bend in your finger) it will burn your bird.
my parrot doesn’t talk at all…….i give him everything …………but unfortunately he doesn’t takes a bath in the tub……..he always takes a bath in his own bowl….if i try to give him a bath myself he bites my finger…..my parrot is maybe 2 years or 2 1/2 ….i dont knw exactly………