In their natural habitat, the majority of parrot species enjoy daily rains (for example, in old-growth forests). In a drier environment (certain regions in Africa and Australia), parrots bathe in rivers, ponds, or other sources of water. In nature, bathing is a daily activity for birds.

For parrots held in captivity, a bath must be offered to them not only for their pleasure but also for the maintenance of their plumage. Through its behaviour, your parrot can show you that it needs to take a bath (e.g., by dipping its head in its water bowl, screaming loudly).

You can either provide a basin in which to bathe or use a spray such as those used for misting plants (of course this spray should be reserved for the exclusive use of bathing your pet).

Final points to remember:

 

- Your bird must accept and take pleasure in bathing. It serves no purpose to insist.

- The bath water should be room temperature (check that you yourself would accept to be sprayed with the same water!).

 

- Your pet should not be drenched "down to the bone." Just moisten the plumage to remove dust and allow your bird to clean itself.

 

- The temperature in the room should help your pet dry itself quickly. Avoid air drafts. If you have an excellent relationship with your parrot, you could perhaps use a sponge to lightly dry it with great care.

 

- A captive parrot that is used to a bath will know how to let you know when it wants to bathe.

 

- The rhythm of its baths will vary depending for example on the season, the region where you live, where it sits relative to the Sun, the dryness or humidity of the air in the room … and of course the parrot’s mood!

 

- One final point: cockatoos (essentially, yellow-crested and orange-crested cockatoos and those from Moluccas in Indonesia) have a naturally impermeable plumage. It is therefore impossible to make them “wet” as with an African Grey Parrot or an Amazon Parrot, but this doesn’t mean that they won’t want to “shower”.