# Cockatiel won't bathe



## Joello

So my budgies and finches take baths no problem but my cockatiel, Lemon won't. I've tried the spray bottle and tried misting the air and he didn't like it. I've tried holding a long plastic container with a little water at the bottom, I've tried taking him into the bathroom to bathe in the sink in my hands. But he won't try any of it. Have any of you guys had this problem?


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## StarlingWings

Some birds simply don't like to bathe  

Birds, however, are very clean, and simply preening keeps their feathers quite clean and in good shape, so if he just doesn't like bathing, I would just let him be. He may decide to enjoy it eventually, and in case he does, you can keep a shallow pan of water in his cage (no more than 1 inch and a half deep). 
My budgie loves to bathe, so I've never had this problem, but plenty of other members have 
It's nothing to worry about


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## Jedikeet

My green cheek conure is my only bird who will bathe at his own will in his very own bath bowl at the bottom of his cage daily but my budgies and 2 tiels will not, so I also need to impose upon them for a dip in my bathtub when needed. Theyre usually a bit evasive upon stepping in, where I keep the water level at about an inch high, but they do settle in after a few minutes and I'll give them gentle splashes all around. They do feel much better when they come out soaked afterward, especially during the summer


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## EvanShankar

Joello said:


> So my budgies and finches take baths no problem but my cockatiel, Lemon won't. I've tried the spray bottle and tried misting the air and he didn't like it. I've tried holding a long plastic container with a little water at the bottom, I've tried taking him into the bathroom to bathe in the sink in my hands. But he won't try any of it. Have any of you guys had this problem?


My budgies love to bathe. If he doesn't want to, it seems ok to me. If he preens, than is fine, because that is best method of cleaning!


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## audit

Both of my budgies refuse it. I have tried a spray bottle and they seemed perturbed and didn't like it. They are still very clean because of preening like Starling Wings said. I haven't really worried about it.


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## FaeryBee

*Birds should not be forced to bathe. 
Birds have what is called a preen gland at the base of their tail.
This contains an oil that cleans and oils their feathers to keep them clean and smooth.

You may offer a bath to your birds, see if they prefer a light misting, and/or offer wet greens for them to rub against or roll on.

If your bird chooses not to bathe, then simply offer it a shallow dish of water periodically.
It can clean its feathers just fine on its own by preening. *


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## Jedikeet

EvanShankar said:


> My budgies love to bathe. If he doesn't want to, it seems ok to me. If he preens, than is fine, because that is best method of cleaning!


I long to see the day when any of my budgies happily hops into a birdie bath like Faerybee's good ol Skipperoo here...

"Ohh, a nice cool bath during molt sure is soothing"

"I may never wanna get back out..."


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## StarlingWings

Heavens, Nick, where on _earth_ did you find those pictures of Skipper? They're so cute


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## FaeryBee

StarlingWings said:


> Heavens, Nick, where on _earth_ did you find those pictures of Skipper? They're so cute


*They were originally shared on the forum in this thread
http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-pictures/205177-skippers-splishin-splashin.html*


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## StarlingWings

Aha, can't believe I missed it! What a great thread! 

It certainly is adorable when our budgies and other birds decided to splash around. But, like people, all birds have their preferences and some birds would like to keep two feet firmly on land!


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## bluebasilbudgie

My first budgie Bilbo absolutely loved to bathe, he would bathe in a bowl, he would go under a trickling tap on my hands and have a shower, and if I bought a fresh bunch of herbs, like basil and washed them he would roll around in the wet leaves. But Basil just looks scared of anything wet.... But he's only young so maybe it just takes confidence. We shall see :yum: It is cold here at the moment so I reckon once summer warm weather comes he might jump in then. I still put his bath on cage once a day just to help him get used to seeing it x


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## NBCGLX

Neither Pico nor Paco likes to bathe in a bowl or tray of any sort. Instead, they look at us like we're offering them a giant drinking bowl, take a sip, and walk away. Pico will almost start to bathe with a fine mist from a spray bottle, but Paco just looks like a wet and annoyed bird. Both actively preen themselves periodically throughout the day, so I'm not worried.


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