How to Bathe a Bird

Birds in the wild bathe themselves in streams, puddles and rain. Since pet birds don't have access to natural freshwater baths, you must bathe them in order to keep them clean, remove excess oils and moisturize. Indoor birds can get especially dry from household air conditioning and heating, so regular bathing is important for good health.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose a room for bathing that's warm and has no drafts. Start the bathing process early in the day so the bird has ample time to dry before bedtime.

2. Fill a low, heavy dish with one to two inches of water, depending on the size of your bird. The water must be lukewarm or room-temperature as birds have a 105 degree F body temperature and cold water chills them.

3. Place the dish inside the birdcage and allow your bird to bathe itself. Most birds enjoy bathing and don't need help or encouragement. The bird can perch on the side of the low dish and bathe itself in the shallow water.

4. Allow a larger bird to bathe out of its cage. You can either purchase a bird perch for the shower and run the water extremely gently for the bird, or you can lightly run the spray nozzle on a kitchen sink and let the bird play and bathe.

5. Let your bird dry completely in a warm, draftless room after a bath. Small birds dry on their own, but you can gently towel dry a larger bird like a parrot or cockatiel. Only rub in the direction of feather growth.

6. Change the cage bedding after the bath if you bathe a bird in its cage. The bedding often gets wet during a bath from splashing and wet bedding can breed bacteria.

Tips & Warnings

• Bathe your bird once or twice a week. Some birds enjoy bathing more than others and can bathe more frequently.
• Offer a bath more frequently during molting season to help reduce itching.
• Don't use soap or other cleaning products on your bird because they strip away the bird's natural oils. Only bathe a bird in freshwater.
• Never use a hairdryer on a bird. It can burn him.
• Don't spray a bird directly in the face with a shower or spray nozzle.