How do I shower that untame bird?

[Tara81]

So I brought home an untame 2 1/2 year old cockatiel I named Pablo 3 months ago.
He doesn't leave the cage much , seems pretty cage bound. He was clipped when I bought him and probably been in a cage his entire life.

He is a very dusty bird and the cage I have is big but very tedious to clean (the door is kinda limiting the cleaning) so I would much rather take him out of the cage to shower him but he doesn't like my hands or stepping on a perch. Should I just let him stay dusty or should I force him out for showers =( Either that or shower him in the cage but taking all the things out of the cage to do that (shredding toys etc) is just as invasive. I am unsure what to do, I have been trying to trick him to come out with food. It works sometimes but he doesn't want to step on a perch and when he sees the perch he tries to run back in the cage.

 

[Mizzely]

Give him a large bowl of water and see what happens

Cockatiels are normally dusty though!

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[Tara81]

He won't go to the bottom of the cage either. Not even for food.

 

[Mizzely]

He won't go to the bottom of the cage either. Not even for food.

So get creative. What about a large bowl meant for dogs that can attach to the side of the cage? That's what my birds use usually. Or a platform perch that you can put the bowl onto?

 

[Lady Jane]

I put small toys in the water and splash in it with the end of a straw. My birds got very curious about the sound and eventually jumped in.

 

[camelotshadow]

You can get a spray bottle & mist the water over his head so it rains down. Do it when you need to change the papers & take the food out first.
This way you shower the bird & wash the cage.

 

[Monica]

You could try providing bathing opportunities in different ways. Here's some ideas!

• Try luke-warm water
• Try cold water
• Try ice-cold water
• Try a spray bottle
• Try a plant mister
• Try in the sink with the water running or just some water in the bottom
• Try in the sink with the sprayer
• Try in the tub with some water in the bottom
• Try a casserole dish or similar with some water
• Try the dish with ice
• Try the dish with foot toys
• Try the dish with some small rocks or pebbles
• Try the dish with some leafy greens like endive or other types of lettuces that may create a "natural" bowl
• Try the dish with a vacuum cleaner running
• Try in the shower with you - watching you having a blast getting wet!
• Try dancing the bird into the shower with the water already going
• Try spritzing yourself, and have fun doing it! Then spritz the bird
• Try outside in an empty cage large enough to spread wings during a nice rain shower
• Try outside in an empty cage using the hose with a mist/shower attachment
• Try playing videos of other birds bathing

SC4901 Smart Crock Smart Bird Bath 10 oz - BATHS, SPRAYS & GROOMING

LIX787 Lixit Bird Bath - BATHS, SPRAYS & GROOMING

 

[karen256]

Does your cage have a slide up door? You could try one of those bird baths that attach to the outside of the cage over a door - I've only seen them in budgie-size but those are still big enough for a cockatiel to splash a little bit. Another option is just a large regular water dish. Sometimes placing some leafy greens in the water dish will help encourage bathing.
Try running some water or the vacuum; that sometimes encourages bathing (the thought is it sounds like a rainstorm/thunder).
If he really won't bathe at all, you can try very lightly misting him. Use the finest mist setting and mist the air over the cage so he just gets a gentle mist on him. That shouldn't be too stressful for him. He doesn't need to be soaked down; cockatiels are from a dry climate and keep themselves clean by shedding the feather dust, not bathing. A soaking bath is fine if they enjoy it, but a light misting alone is ok.

 

[SueA555]

I mist Joey with a spray bottle. He doesn't mind it. Sometimes he takes a bath in the running water in the sink.

 

[JLcribber]

A dusty cockatiel is a healthy cockatiel. The dustier the better. What you don't realize is that bathing will not decrease the dust but actually increase it.

Cockatiels are also desert birds. They don't require that much bathing.

 

[SandraK]

I wouldn't "shower" a tiel by any means. For the most part, mine seem to like either just standing or sitting in a bowl of water or being very gently misted. By that I mean that the mist is aimed over the cockatiels not at their faces. Keep in mind that it must be a very, very gentle misting almost like that very light drizzle when you have fog or mist rolling in. You'll know if your tiel appreciates it if you suddenly find you have a bird with spread open wings, almost upside down and acting silly. My tiels do not splash around in the water they way most birds do.

 

[MommyBird]

as others have said, attach a bowl to the cage or on a platform perch and vacuum.
my birds just cannot help themselves when the vacuum is going.

 

[Reality Storm]

I can't remember where I originally ordered it from, but I have a very large, relatively shallow 40-oz bowl that sets in a rest that is clamped to the cage. My bird loves this and bathes in it frequently. He likes it more when its out sitting on a counter, so he can turn around fully, but he uses it in the cage just fine:

I didn't get mine from amazon, but it looks like this (also, this thing is listed as 96 ounces. I'm pretty sure mine is 40 oz):
Pet Supplies : Advance Pet Products Stainless Steel Coop Cups with Clamp, 96-Ounce : Pet Self Feeders : Amazon.com