Pictures Three Soggy Tiels

[Mark & Da Boyz]

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  I have enough of these smelly birds. So today I broke out the bath cage and water bottles. They knew what was coming and started trying to hide right off the bat. Piper, being a good boy was first in and the least trouble. Nibble was next, I only bleed a little and them Dodger...and it was a knock down drag out. He hates being touched and did not want to go in. This went downhill quickly and it turned into a circus I finally caught him and as I was getting him in the cage out popped Nibble. So after grabbing him, and bleeding some more he goes back in. I was fast enough to keep Dodger from making a break for it. After a short rest to let my BP and heart rate settle back down it was off to the shower. I sprayed them down and they hated every minute of it. So I gave them 3 bottles! They gave up on getting away and just sat there and sulked. But they'll all feel better when they dry off and will look so much better. I do wish they'd take after Riti and Cheddar who bath in their water bowls two or three times a week.
  
  Well I need to go get a Band-Aid for where NIbs chomped me and a cup of coffee.

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[CeciliaZ]

I'm surprised - my tiels loved to be sprayed!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Your birds are so cute! I don’t think forcing them is the best way to go about this, though. Now they will be fearful of showers and spray bottles forever. It would be much better to take out their food from their cages and spray the water gently above them and let it mist down like rain. Or you can do this out of the cage or on a table or play gym too. Just a few mists several times a day will do wonders for the dust and their sinuses. Your birds shouldn’t smell if they haven’t taken a bath in a while, however, and wild cockatiels don’t take baths very often. You could also train them by giving them a treat every time they even look at the spray bottle to start, and slowly progress to rewarding as it gets closer, until finally they get a reward for a mist. Baby steps is better in the long run than forcing them.

 

[Khizz]

Awww look at their little faces! So cute!

Although I do agree with @Tiel Feathers, I would mist them in their usual cage. I do it this way and Mabel loves it and Jeff tolerates it (occasionally he gets into it!). I think your tiels might perhaps dislike being sprayed as they associate it with the stressful experience of being grabbed and put into the shower cage, not necessarily the spraying itself.

Mine get a daily misting which only lasts a minute or two. Depends on how much Mabel complains when I stop spraying!