I have a confession to make.
When I was 8 years old, I got my first Budgie. I was absolutely clueless. somewhere in my kid brain, I decided that “pet” meant “needs to be washed.” I grabbed that poor little bird and tried to force-bathe him in the sink to make sure he was clean.
It was a traumatic experience for him. It was probably scary for me too. I look back at that now and cringe because I know better.
The irony is that I did not need to force anything. I eventually figured out that parrots actually love to bathe. You just have to get out of their way and let them do it. Usually, just having a bowl with water is enough to make any parrot interested in bathing sooner or later.
Bathing is not really about cleaning dirt off the bird. Parrots are clean animals. It is about feather maintenance. If you have a dusty bird like a Cockatoo or an African Grey, or even a Quaker parrot, bathing is essential for keeping that dust down.
Why They Actually Need It
Wild parrots get rained on. It is a natural part of their life. In our houses, the air is usually dry. This is especially true in winter when the heaters are running. Dry air makes their skin itchy and their feathers brittle.
When a bird bathes, it softens the keratin sheaths on new feathers. This makes it much easier for them to preen. If you notice your bird scratching its head against the perch constantly, they might just need a dip in the pool. I wrote a bit about this in my guide on Quaker parrot feathers. Healthy feathers need moisture to stay flexible.
Finding Your Bird’s “Style”
Since my disastrous attempt at age 8, I have learned that you cannot force a bird to bathe. You just end up with a wet, angry bird that bites you. You have to find the method they actually like.
The Bowl Method (The Classic) This is what I wish I knew back then. Most birds just want a shallow dish of water. You can put a heavy ceramic dog bowl on the bottom of the cage or on top of their play stand. They will hop on the rim, fluff up, and splash around. It is messy. It is joyous. It is the easiest way to do it.
The Mist Bottle Some birds prefer a shower to a bath. You can get a spray bottle. Make sure it has never contained chemicals. Set it to “mist” and spray the air above the bird so it falls down like gentle rain. Some birds will spread their wings and love it. Others will run away. If they run, stop.
The Sink Surfer I have had Conures that are obsessed with the kitchen sink. You can leave the faucet running a gentle stream and let them splash around. Just make sure the water is lukewarm.
The “Wet Lettuce” Trick This works great for small birds like Budgies or Parrotlets who might be scared of a big bowl of water. You take huge leaves of romaine lettuce or kale. Wash them and leave them dripping wet. Clip them to the cage bars. The bird rubs against the wet leaves to bathe. It triggers a natural instinct to bathe in dew-covered leaves.
The Safety Stuff (Please Read This)
Bathing is natural, but our homes have hazards that the rainforest does not.
Temperature Matters Never use hot water. A bird’s skin is very thin. What feels “nice and warm” to you can scald them. Stick to lukewarm or room temperature.
No Soap You do not need bird shampoo. You certainly do not need Dawn unless your bird fell into a vat of oil. Soap strips the natural oils from their feathers. They need those oils to stay waterproof and warm. Just clear water is fine.
The Hair Dryer Danger This is a big one. Do not dry your bird with a hair dryer unless you are 100% sure it does not have Teflon (PTFE) heating coils. Most dryers do. When those coils heat up, they release odorless fumes that kill birds almost instantly. It is safer to just let them air dry in a warm room.
Watch the Drafts A wet bird can get chilled very easily. If your house is cold, bump up the heat before bath time. If they stay wet and cold for too long, their immune system drops. If you see them sitting on the bottom of the cage fluffed up afterwards, check my list of common signs of a sick parrot.
How Often?
I get asked this constantly. The answer is that it depends on the bird.
Some of my birds want a bath every single day. Some only tolerate it once a week. Generally, offering a bath 2 or 3 times a week is a good baseline.
If you have a Quaker, you probably already know they are water babies. They will often try to bathe in their drinking water bowl if you do not give them a bigger option. If you see them dipping their chest in the water dish, that is your sign. Go get the big bowl.
