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How often should I bathe my bird? 

Parrots in the wild receive a soft mist of rain on a daily basis with a good drenching bath once to twice a week.  Therefore you should mist your bird on a daily basis and give them a good drenching bath at least once to twice a week to insure good feather quality and also to replenish lost moisture. 

Once a week when you drench your bird completely you should also give your bird a good look all over to check for lumps, cuts, bruises, and also check their preen gland to make sure it is not inflamed.  I commonly see birds that have infected preen glands and the owners are not even aware.  You can help avoid medical problems by doing a self-exam at least once a month on your bird along with the daily checking of their stool. 

 I routinely check all of my parrots for abnormalities on their skin and feathers to ensure that they are in good health.  Checking your bird on a routine basis will help to alleviate potential medical catastrophes.  Along with bathing you should keep their wings and nails properly trimmed to avoid accidents within their cage, or their environment out of the cage.  If you have a flighted bird make sure any potential dangers within the household are taken into account by bird proofing. Placing signs on outer doors so people are aware that there is a flighted bird in the home helps visitors be aware and take caution when opening and closing doors. 

Nails and wings should be checked weekly when you do the self-exam on your parrot.  If you are not able to properly trim your parrot’s wings and nails then they should be taken to the vet about every six weeks to have them done.  I have met many birds that have near fatal accidents due to overgrown nails.  Nails are easily caught up in rope toys and perches.  Always check these toys for loose threads that your parrot could catch themselves on and get stuck.   

If your parrot is fearful of being showered or sprayed you can work with this phobia by getting down low below the parrot and misting with the spray bottle upwards, talking to your parrot the whole time letting him know that this is fun not a punishment.  The first few times just mist once or twice graduating up to being able to drench them down.  When done reward with praise and\or a treat. 

Parrots take pride in their beauty and we should help them look and feel as beautiful as we can.

Courtesy of: Michelle Karras, The Polite Parrot

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