The African Grey Parrot comes from the rain forests of west and central Africa and in his natural habitat does everything in the rain. Not only do they learn to do everything in the wet but their bodies are so designed that they need a regular shower.
The African Grey is one of only two species of parrot that creates dander, a fine white dust that covers their bodies. This dust causes your parrot to become itchy and the dust needs to be washed away.
There are several ways you can bathe your bird and you should try them all and see which your bird prefers.
Some African Greys like to bathe in a bowl or even a bird bath but although they may like doing this, this method does not allow the bird’s back to get wet enough to become really clean.
What about letting your bird jump in the shower with you? You can even get special suction perches to stick on your shower wall. Just be careful with the water pressure. Many showers have water pressure when used normally that would be too great for your bird. So be aware of this and keep the water pressure low enough for both of you to enjoy the shower. It goes without saying that temperature of the water should also be on the cooler, lukewarm side.
A lot of parrots enjoy a fine mist spray from a spray or squeeze bottle. Hold the bottle lower than your parrot’s cage and spray the water up and over your bird until he is drenched. My African Grey, Sam, likes to go out on to the grass, still in his cage, with the garden sprinkler nearby. He hangs upside down in his cage and thoroughly enjoys getting soaked.
Bathing your bird in the morning gives him the whole day to dry off and he will spend ages preening every feather.
Not only does bathing clean your bird but it has been shown to help to eliminate bad behavior so try each of these ways of bathing your bird and find out which one he enjoys best.
