Rio loves water ...

[Amanda]

Yesterday while I was doing dishes, I had Rio out and placed her on the window sill so she can get some fresh air and sun (we have screen on the window). Anyway, as soon as she heard me turn on the water, she started to squawk really loud. I thought she maybe she didn't like the sound of the dishes being moved around the sink and was "mad". Well, I continued doing the dishes and she continued squawking. Then, looked right at me and did her "more water, more water" pose ... wings up in the air and her head low to the ground. Silly me, I thought she didn't like the sound of the dishes ... but what she was actually squawking about was the fact that I wasn't getting her wet! :D

Hey Birdygirl, I just thought of something you might want to try with Sophie. I've heard that some Pionuses get into a bathing/showering mood when they hear a vacuum cleaner or blow-dryer in the background. Try turning on your vacuum cleaner or hair dryer and see if Sophie will do the "more water, more water" pose (see Rio's pictures) and if Sophie starts doing that, try misting her lightly. Let me know if this trick works. Good luck! :)

[Jenny]

How neat! My green-cheeked conure flies to our kitchen sink faucet whenever he's in the mood for a bath, and once the water's on, he goes crazy! If for some reason I can't give him a bath at the time, he pouts. :)

[Mrs.Birdy]

You know what I do now with Marcel's bath?

I don't put him in the sink anymore...I've noticed that he feels confined.

I put him in the bathtub with about 2.5 inches of warm water and the shower running. He marches back and forth flapping his wings.

He likes his baths this way much better.....

.....and he looks so cute, too. ( I must get a photo of this to show you.)

[Mrs.Birdy]

Oh....P.S. welcome back home Jenny.

I missed you. How was camp. Did you learn any new violin techniques or music.

I bet your birds jumped for joy to see you.

[Jenny]

Thanks! Camp was great, and I did learn some new things! :) I don't actually put my birds in the sink either, but our kitchen sink is divided into two parts so Kirby usually sits on the "divider ledge". I've tried the bathtub before, but it just seems to scare them-even if I'm sitting in it with them. It's so neat to hear all the different ways everyone's birds like to bathe! I wish I could see pics of everyone's wet birdies taking their baths!

[Amanda]

MrsBirdy, I haven't given Rio a bath yet ... just showers. Your idea sounds great. I'm going to try that with Rio tomorrow and see if she likes baths as much as she likes showers/mistings.

Welcome back, Jenny. Glad to hear you had a great time at camp! Anyway, I've posted new pictures of Rio (being misted outside) so if you want to see some funny poses, her pictures are at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/eeveep

[Jenny]

Rio is so, so beautiful! I really loved the pictures. The only blue-headed pionus I've ever seen was an extremely sick one with absolutely no energy who had been kept horribly for about 20 years, and it definitely showed. So, it's really great to see such a happy, healthy, well cared for b-h pi! Tell Rio that she's very cute!

[Amanda]

Rio says thanks for the compliments, Jenny....:)

A 20-year old BH Pi! Whatever happened to him/her? You mentioned that it was sick because it had been kept horribly all those years. I hope he/she is fine now and is with a better owner.

[Jenny]

I never got the full story on the poor bird, but the cage it came in was filthy and it was scared to death of people and it's feet were deformed, though I really doubt it was born that way. It's diet was very bad too, all seed, and it had a very difficult time breathing. I didn't meet the owners, but if I did I'd have turned them in immediately for animal cruelty! Anyway, I haven't been back to the vet clinic to see if the poor thing's made any progress or not, but I doubt it has such it was in such bad shape. Sometimes I wish that people had to take some sort of a test and get a permit in order to own a parrot, since there's so many bad owners out there!

[birdygirl]

I tries the vacuum trick wioth Sophie and she actually enjoyd the bath/ shower!!!! It was so funny. She really did enjoy it.

[Amanda]

Birdygirl, I'm glad that vacuum trick worked into putting Sophie in a bath/showering mood. Aren't Pionuses just so funny? :D

[birdygirl]

Yes they are so amusing. I love them so much.

[Mrs.Birdy]

Amanda: Did you try putting Rio in the bath tub with shower running, yet?

Just curious as to if she liked it or not.

:)

[Amanda]

MrsBirdy, yes I tried putting Rio in the bathtub and I had the shower running but she didn't like it. She kept trying to fly up and out of the tub. I think she felt intimidated with the big open space of the tub. Or maybe she just doesn't like baths ... I placed her in the tub when there was about 1" of water. I thought she would love the bath because she just loves water. I usually take her to the bathroom and let her perch on the bathroom window sill and I mist her and she LOVES it. So, I was surprised that she didn't want a bath.

Bijou loves her baths and hates showers. I tried several times to mist Bijou but she just squawks and flies away. However, if I offer her a shallow dish of water, she'll play in it and take her full bath.

Aren't birds so funny that they have their own preferences whether or not they like showers or baths better? ;)

[Jenny]

Yes, they really are funny about the different ways they like to shower/bath! At first my green-cheek went absolutely crazy whenever there was a shallow dish of water laying around, and would hop in and splash all over the place. Now he ignores dishes filled with water, but loves sinks and playing in running faucet water!

[birdygirl]

Pumpkin is the same way. She loves her baths and haes howers. Sophie will only take a shower and hates baths.

[dlaura]

Our green cheek conure does exactly as Jenny's - loves to step under the kitchen faucet and take a "birdie shower" and if he feels the need will manage to bathe in his water dish. The parakeet will play in a small dish of water - jumping in on one side and splashing to the other and jumping out and turning around to do it again!

[Jenny]

My budgies do that too! They'll line up on a perch in my bird Mortie's cage, and will take turns jumping into his water dish! It's the perfect size for them I guess. :)

[birdygirl]

Aww how cute!!! My budgie loves to jump into her water dish for baths. She loves her bath house also.

[JSimko]

My blue and gold hates to get wet. Our goffin also hates water. Our green cheek and my parakeet give themselves baths when needed. The green cheek is funny though. If one of us makes a comment about his feathers looking dull, he goes right into his cages and bathes in his water.

[Amanda]

Jason, that's so cute about your green cheek taking a bath whenever you make a comment about his feathers not looking so bright. He sure sounds like a funny guy! :D

Bijou has a bath every day and if I'm late in setting her little bath water for her in our bathroom sink, she'll fly in there and start chirping loud. If I don't go there right away, she lets me know that she's mad at me by shredding the toilet paper! She's really a tiny bird with a mind of her own and a huge attitude! :D She's so fully of character and even though she has almost shredded my fingers to the bone (when she was hormonal), I am still her loyal slave and will do her bidding...

[Mrs.Birdy]

Amanda: Awww, cute little Bijou.

Jason: Einstein is soooo smart. You must do a lot of talking to him.

You know what....the past few mornings I have been brave enough to take Marcel outside on our patio and let him sit in our garden sprinklers. He loves it and points his head to the back door to go out now in the morning.

I have got to take a photo of this....he just relishes the cool, lightly spraying water then I sit with him by the patio table in the morning sun so he can dry up a bit.

I still can't get him to like the flight suit, but he seems to be getting less and less afraid of seeing it each day. I'm determined and won't give up trying....gosh he can bite hard when he's afraid.

Today is a good day for my hubby to take some digital photos...I hope they turn out ok.

See ya.

[Amanda]

Can't wait to see pics of Marcel (and all your other fids too). :)

As for the flight suit, it might take Marcel a little longer to accept it ... but hang in there and keep showing it to him. Does he allow you to put it on him at all or does he get scared at the sight of it?

When I was training Rio to get used to her flight suit (she was still at the pet store being hand-fed), I made it a point that as soon as I got the suit on her, I would take her for a walk. So she learned that no flight suit meant no walk. Also, going for a walk around the pet store took her mind off the flight suit, and after about a week, she didn't mind the flight suit anymore. Well, good luck with Marcel. I can just image how cute he looks wearing his red flight suit! :D

[JSimko]

I gave up long ago on getting any of our birds to wear anything like a flight suit or harness. Last time I tried with Einstein, he bit me and pooped in me.