cold weather

[Mydoona]

where I live it is the weather is cold right now and I am scared to give my lovies a bath incase they catch a cold, can they go without baths?
I give them plenty of water but they dont seem to want to bathe in it.
Does not bathing hurt their molting process? thanks

[michael]

I'll tell you what I do when I think it too cold for Goof to bathe. I make sure there's NO drafts around and then place a pole lamp with a sixty watt bulb next to his cage closest to where he goes to preen after a bath. Usually its on the perch near his birdy buddy. The bulb is covered mostly by a metal shade thats not touching his cage and pointing downward. In about 15 minutes or so he's dry and clean as a whistle. Until he eats his dinner :roll:.

Bathing is good for birds in that it not only helps loosen dead skin cells but helps ease the discomfort of molting. Some birds though don't take very good baths (at least in our eye's 8o), and a very small handful hardly at all. Misting nearby on a clean table or providing a shallow bowl with a low edge may get their attention as well as the usual running water in the sink. Some also like luke warm water while others dreadfully cold. The best you can do is continue to offer bathing opportunities and accept whatever decision your dirty birds make.

Lovebirds I've found are pretty hardy little parrots who can withstand moderate changes in temperature. Being wet of course can make a big difference. Mainly what you want to avoid is a "chilled bird" so I make it a point to only let my lovie bathe while most active throughout the day until about 3 hours before bedtime. I think provided there's no drafts and temps are above 60 F' there shouldn't be a problem if their healthy. Besides, they do dry off rather quickly. Keep in mind some birdy's will appear to shake/shiver for a bit right after a good bath. This is usually considered normal.....Regarding whether it hurts their molting process?....In my opinion, while the "lack of a bathing routine" may not exactly hurt the molting process, it most certainly doesn't help.