How to get a 4 stuborn birds to bath

[Mummieeva]

Well we have 4 itchy molting birds. Two of which wish i would leave them be. So I remembered hearing some spritz birds with warm water. I have never seen the budgies bathe even though they get a bowl to do this daily(water is never touched). So got my spray bottle and get each one 2 very light spritzes. The budgies ran of course and Whisper and Baggy gave me a dirty look..lol. But then WHisper and baggy ran to their water bowl and dove in. Looks like I need to buy then a bath bowl because they were fighting over the water. Maybe I have something big enough I can place on cage floor. The budgies preened each other but no goign to their bathing bowl.


Steph

[Buy A Paper Doll]

My lovies don't like being sprayed with water. I don't actually like it much, either, because they are usually ON me when I'm trying to spray them and then I end up wetter than the birds.

Sometimes I can coerce them into bathing by running water, or pouring it slowly, or dipping my fingers in the water and flicking a couple of drops their way. But if their little minds are made up that they're not going to bathe, then they're not going to bathe. This evening I tried every trick in the book but they decided to be stinky birds. No baths tonight. I'll try again tomorrow.

[Elle]

Blu didn't bather for 4 months after we got her. I am now suspecting it was because our old house was too cold. As soon as we moved and spring came around, first bath happened within days.
I leave a container with water on top of the cage at all time so she has access to it during out of cage time and play time. She's out of the cage when me or Danny are home only. She loves to play in it. She has a passion about soaking everything in her water and I guess one thing leads to the other, she bathes almost every day. I don't have to force her.
She doesn't really like the spray bottle but sometimes I do insist. I find when she bathes, only the front gets wet and to prevent skin problems, I like to get her back wet.
My guess is to present the birds with options and not limit the access to the water until you see them bathing. Allowe them have a spur of the moment thing. Once they get a taste for it, chances are you won't be able to keep them out of the water.

[Paulette]

Most of my birds enjoy drinking the bath water more than bathing in it....out of 25, I have 3 that literally drench themselves in the bath bowl....Jake, Violet (both lovies) and Zazu (tiel).....I have one budgie that loves wet lettuce for the sole purpose of rolling on it for a bath, but he won't use a bowl of water....I've been too tired and too busy to put out bowls out as of late....I'm going to the chiropractor 3 times a week.....so I've been spritzing.....I just keep a spray bottle of water that is room temperature.....some like it....some don't.....and I really don't care who doesn't at this point.....I feel they all need it....and if some are bathing when I do give the bowls of water then everybirdie should be. Finches bathe daily regardless and I usually give them a bath anyway....but I've been spritzing them too.....one pair has eggs that should have began hatching around the 11th but I don't really think they started incubation until several were layed and they are in that little basket so I haven't candled them. :2cents: