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How to train my bird not to take a bath in it's water bowl

LostStoner

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I have two birds, one is over a year, the other is now almost 5 months old, both are girls, both are Green cheek conures, the older is yellow sided, the younger is a cinnamon. The older is named Loki, the younger is named Ivy.

I got Loki first, I have tried to get her to bath and she absolutely refuses. Her previous owner said that she would take baths every week and she has a shallow dish with a 1 inch lip on it, and she would sit that on her dining room table, and Loki went nuts.

I've tried pie dishes, I've tried big bowls, I've tried the kitchen sink, both bathroom sinks (different style sink) she would not do it.

The only way she will bathe is in her stainless steel water bowl, of which she had two in her cage.

Unfortunately I have laminate wood floors, so water drops can cause damage if left standing, if I miss one, or something, I really don't want her to bath in her water bowl I would rather her bathe somewhere that I can kind of shield stuff from the water. Otherwise it gets on the floor even with peer pads down because she slings it so far, and all over the wall as well, and I just don't know what to do about changing it.

Now the younger one has been doing the same thing because that's what she sees the older one doing. So I can't get Ivy to take a bath anyway but in her water bowls as well.

I have been considering removing the stainless steel water bowls completely, and using the plastic silo waterers so that can only get a drink if water but no room to bath, hoping it might persuade them to take a bath in the stainless steel bowls somewhere else where I can shield stuff from the water.

Please help me.

Any advice?
What do you think?
Thanks.
 

Shezbug

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I think it would be cruel or unfair to remove the ss water bowls. Them bathing in water bowls (any body of water they like) is very normal behaviour so punishing them for it by removing the opportunity to freely bathe in them is not the best option.

Can you get a huge floor covering for their cage to sit on to protect your floors? That is the simplest and fairest solution to the things that are happening that you don’t like. Having birds in our homes means we need to alter our home environment for things to work and keep our birds their healthiest. They are not doing anything wrong or dangerous by bathing and it’s honestly in their best physical and mental health interests to allow them to freely bathe so making their environment work for you all is the best solution.

I had them floors in my last home and was told that I needed to clean them a special way and make sure no drips of water sat on them floorboards blah blah blah.... it was ridiculous trying to live a normal life in an unnatural way simply because of the floor boards so I just stoped caring about them and believe or not nothing I did made any of the things happen that I was told would happen. Lol my house even got half flooded more than once and no one could even tell where the water had been ankle deep on the flooring- my whole house was not flooded so there should have been obvious signs of difference between flooded floor and non flooded floor. If you have a spare board I suggest doing some testing on it to see exactly how sensitive they really are.
 

Greylady1966

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I got several beach towels on clearance to lay down around their houses. Easy to wash and soaks up anything that spills or is tossed out of their houses.
 

LostStoner

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I got several beach towels on clearance to lay down around their houses. Easy to wash and soaks up anything that spills or is tossed out of their houses.
Unfortunately I know how sensitive they are, because I've had it happen before, there is a place in my kitchen where the roof was leaking in-between the walls and now all the floor boards against the wall have big bubbles in them, there is a spot where my mom sat a 12 pack of cans of some kind of seltzer water next to the trash can to have them thrown out, and aparently one was leaking, so a day later there were big bubbles in the boards there next to the trashcan.

I can hang something on the back of their cages to keep the water from going on the wall, but I don't really wanna lay that many pee pads down in my livingroom. I have 5 now to catch droppings as it is.

They are also each in their own cage, they are not caged together.

I just don't want them to bathe in their cage, I want the to have a habit of only bathing outside if their cages like normal. I mean these are only 5 oz cups that I don't even fill half full, so they can't even properly bathe in them anyway.

I call it washing their hair, because that's about all they can do is get the top of their head wet, and the walls and floors.

Because of that the rest of them gets a funky smell, because they aren't fully bathing.
 

Kassiani

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My CH Conure will bathe every few days in his water bowl. And yes, it goes everywhere. I have a sheet down under his cage, and that works most of the time. I will mist bathe him as well for the very reason you mentioned. He doesn't get completely bathed in the water dish. I do offer a stainless steel pie plate with water on top of his cage now and then to see if he will try to bathe more completely in it, but no luck so far.
 

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I was able to get a stinky, persnickety conure to bathe in a glass pie pan by putting a mirror under the bottom of it. He was a SS dish bather, too- but he also liked to grab a mouthful of pellets and make soup in his water bowl so he often would bathe in the soupy pellet water that ended up hardening onto his feathers like concrete. It was a mess!
The mirror under the glass dish did the trick for him.
 

Kassiani

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I was able to get a stinky, persnickety conure to bathe in a glass pie pan by putting a mirror under the bottom of it
That’s a great idea! I’ll try that with my cranky red head! Lol!
 

Zara

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but I don't really wanna lay that many pee pads down in my livingroom. I have 5 now to catch droppings as it is.
Look at getting plastic mats. It comes on a roll and is transparent so doesn´t look as rubbish as puppy pads (which are not environmently or economically friendly either). My dad has them in the kitchen at his shop to protect the carpet from tea spills.
There are other ones with slightly different patterns and sizes, just posted so you can see what I mean. I´m not talking about the thin decorating plastic. It´s thick like dining place mats so can be wiped down and ewill last a long time.
 

LostStoner

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My CH Conure will bathe every few days in his water bowl. And yes, it goes everywhere. I have a sheet down under his cage, and that works most of the time. I will mist bathe him as well for the very reason you mentioned. He doesn't get completely bathed in the water dish. I do offer a stainless steel pie plate with water on top of his cage now and then to see if he will try to bathe more completely in it, but no luck so far.
Sounds about like these two, I just don't understand why the Loki would go from bathing at her previous owners house, but refuses here ya know. I asked questions like was the pan stainless steel, was it glass, what was it ya know and she said just a normal ceramic serving platter-ish type plate with a 1 inch lip. I'm gonna ask her to send me a picture of it, and see if I have something, anything similar.


Have you tried a bath like this for them? View attachment 379889
No I have not, I have considered it though. However I'm unsure if any of the ones available would even work with my cages.

I have the Prevue Hendryx flight cage model #F040, and most all I've seen are made for the cages with the thicker bars, that have the built in cup holders in the side doors that open. Mines not like that at all, it has side doors but they are held closed by a spring, and idk how any of them actually go on the cage to know if they would fit or not you know.

I was able to get a stinky, persnickety conure to bathe in a glass pie pan by putting a mirror under the bottom of it. He was a SS dish bather, too- but he also liked to grab a mouthful of pellets and make soup in his water bowl so he often would bathe in the soupy pellet water that ended up hardening onto his feathers like concrete. It was a mess!
The mirror under the glass dish did the trick for him.
Cool, I might try this. I think I have a glass pie pan somewhere and I know I have a mirror big enough.

Look at getting plastic mats. It comes on a roll and is transparent so doesn´t look as rubbish as puppy pads (which are not environmently or economically friendly either). My dad has them in the kitchen at his shop to protect the carpet from tea spills.
There are other ones with slightly different patterns and sizes, just posted so you can see what I mean. I´m not talking about the thin decorating plastic. It´s thick like dining place mats so can be wiped down and ewill last a long time.
What your suggesting are designed for carpeted floors that's why they have those little pokey things on the bottom of them, so that when you place it on a carpet it won't move around at all, and then you can set a chair on top of it and move around as if it was a tile, wood, concrete or other type of non carpeted floor.

On laminate wood I'm afraid it would end up poking holes in the floor where the seams of the boards come together.

While I do agree you can just wipe or spray those down and it be clean-ish, it's just not feesable on this type of floor. I wouldn't even use it on a real wood floor either. Concrete I could possibly see, but only if your gonna stand on it, if you try to sit in a rolling chair I'd imagine it wouldn't want to move cause of all the bumps that would be sticking up since they can't press down into carpeting.
 

Mizzely

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They make floor mats for laminate also without the pokies. You can also get washable puppy pads that look a bit better than the disposable. Example:


If they will drink out of the silos that's fine to use, just know that some birds find it fun to fling the water out of those, which doesn't really solve your problem. A water bottle might though. They need checked often though as some birds shove food into them and plug them up.

I lived on laminate for 3 years and never had any bubbling, and it was installed like crap. My bird dumped 10 to 20 oz of water on it weekly!
 

LostStoner

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They make floor mats for laminate also without the pokies. You can also get washable puppy pads that look a bit better than the disposable. Example:


If they will drink out of the silos that's fine to use, just know that some birds find it fun to fling the water out of those, which doesn't really solve your problem. A water bottle might though. They need checked often though as some birds shove food into them and plug them up.

I lived on laminate for 3 years and never had any bubbling, and it was installed like crap. My bird dumped 10 to 20 oz of water on it weekly!
Ok, and your point is what?

I'm asking how to stop them from doing this, in a training section of this website. So in other words, I want to train them to take a bath the right way, and not that way, the way they currently are.

You telling me you don't have my problem and that you had money to blow on plastic mats to go on your floors does noting to help solve my problem, or further the goal of training them not to do that, or how to do it right.

A lot of people would say if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Well I say, if you don't have anything productive to say, that actually contributes to the conversation toward the goal, then don't say anything at all.

I don't have nor do I want to spend money on plastic mats to out over my floors. I happen to like them the way they are, which is why they aren't covered over.
 

JLcribber

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You just don't have the right swimming pool. :D

IMG_7418 (1).jpeg

 

JLcribber

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Or maybe more to your bird's liking. :D

 

LostStoner

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Mizzely

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Ok, and your point is what?

I'm asking how to stop them from doing this, in a training section of this website. So in other words, I want to train them to take a bath the right way, and not that way, the way they currently are.

You telling me you don't have my problem and that you had money to blow on plastic mats to go on your floors does noting to help solve my problem, or further the goal of training them not to do that, or how to do it right.

A lot of people would say if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Well I say, if you don't have anything productive to say, that actually contributes to the conversation toward the goal, then don't say anything at all.

I don't have nor do I want to spend money on plastic mats to out over my floors. I happen to like them the way they are, which is why they aren't covered over.
My point was missed apparently. I said you can try the silos or water bottles but explained the drawbacks to them to help you make a decision. I also gave alternative ideas for floor coverings if that doesn't work for you.

I didn't cover my floors either. Would have been a pain to clean! I'm just surprised yours are so temperamental was all.
 

Zara

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What your suggesting are designed for carpeted floors that's why they have those little pokey things on the bottom of them, so that when you place it on a carpet it won't move around at all, and then you can set a chair on top of it and move around as if it was a tile, wood, concrete or other type of non carpeted floor.
You can get flat ones for laminate floors. I just did a quick search for that link, I know I've seen ones with no design pattern at all on.


you had money to blow on plastic mats to go on your floors does noting to help solve my problem
Buying one plastic mat will be cheaper in the long run over puppy pads.

Well I say, if you don't have anything productive to say, that actually contributes to the conversation toward the goal, then don't say anything at all.
We are all just trying to think up some ideas for you. Obviously not all will work for you and your home but hopefully something will fruit.


. I happen to like them the way they are, which is why they aren't covered over.
Oh, I thought you said you have puppy pads there?

A stand like John posted there could be a good idea, you could move it to a different area for your birds to bathe in. I kkow my birds like bathing in the kitchen sink so if I take them in there at mid day for a bath, they usually don't bathe in their water bowls later on. But sometimes they do, but definitely less.
 

LostStoner

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I didn't cover my floors either. Would have been a pain to clean! I'm just surprised yours are so temperamental was all.
Your right, I suppose I left that part out of my thought process when I was replying. I don't think they would have a problem with silos, but idk since it would be new. I really wasn't expecting this to be a big deal at all, because my uncle had a green cheek conure and when you would turn the sink water on while he was on you he would whistle and climb down your arm to try to get into it, he absolutely loved to take a bath. Everything I read online says green cheeks love bathing. So why is it that the two I get end up hating to take a normal bath and only want to do it in the water bowl.


Oh, I thought you said you have puppy pads there?
I do have puppy pads down, I just meant I didn't want to cover them with those plastic things either, if the pad catches the water it's not so bad I don't have to throw it away, but I do that to attempt to keep the majority of the floor around their cages free of water, as well as catch poo. But usualy anywhere like under the outside perch I put on Loki's cage, I out packing paper down on top of the puppy pads and then at the end of the day I can throw the packing paper away, and use the pee pad again tomorrow. Unless there was a stray poo that got off on the pad then I'll throw it out.

I would say I would still leave those there to protect the floor from poo, but i only do one later thick around their cages and they can sling that water pretty far, and so it doesn't all go on the pee pads, where it's going is right under my front door, and the door already drags the floor anyway, so the last thing I need is a buble to pop up, and make it that much harder to open.

I'd rather not have to put stuff behind their cage, or way out away from them either. If it was food being throw out against the wall it wouldn't bother me much as I've already solved that problem with cage skirts. Two cover the lower two thirds of Loki's cage, I still need to get a set for Ivy's cage.
 
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JewellBird

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My green cheek has always bathed in her water bowl from day one. I have tried numerous different ways to get her to bathe differently and she is never interested. I have a big smooth clear plastic floor mat that I put under her cage that I have used on both carpet and wood/laminate floors. It has helped to keep everything protected and easy to clean, since I can just take a rag or paper towel and wipe everything up each night after I clean her cage for the day. The only other way I have ever seen her take a bath was when I had her in a different cage and had a bath that attached to the side of the cage that was kind of like a shallow dish with a cover, but the cage she has now doesn't really have an easy way to attach it. I don't know how your cages feeder doors are, but with mine I could make a bath that attaches to the cage similar to this one work: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HHS8QE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 if I removed one of the SS cup holders and attached the bath where the feeder door opening is. If your cage has guillotine doors that slide up and down then the bath I linked would be a great option, as that is the type of doors it is made for. The only other ideas I have would be if maybe you could move them to another room in the house where there maybe isn't laminate flooring? Or to use water bottles, or silos for them. The only thing I worry about with those, is that they may get clogged, especially if your conures like to dip their pellets in their water and make soup like mine does. Also, I don't like that most of them are made out of plastic, which retains a lot of bacteria, but I did find one that was made of glass that I use for my birds travel carriers when I take them places.
 

Zara

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I do have puppy pads down, I just meant I didn't want to cover them with those plastic things either, if the pad catches the water it's not so bad I don't have to throw it away, but I do that to attempt to keep the majority of the floor around their cages free of water, as well as catch poo.
Yea, so you would use one large plastic mat instead of the puppy pads. Then push the cage off and tip debris in the bin, then mop the mat to clean.You wouldn´t have to buy any more things then, just clean your one seethrough mat down. And as it´s transparent it won´t be as much an eye sore, you would just see something shiny on the floor.
Just cut the mat large enough so that it goes out far enough to catch all the flung stuff, poops and splashed water.
 
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