Ask Lafeber

Cockatiels don’t like to bathe

I have some cockatiels that I’ve had for a couple months now, but they do not like to bathe. If offered a bath of lukewarm to room temp water they mostly ignore it/ maybe drink out of it. They dislike being misted as well. What are some ways I can get my birdies introduced to bathing?

Hi Bec,

It’s OK if they don’t bathe. Cockatiels preen themselves and keep clean that way. You can still offer a bowl every once in a while or try lightly misting them. A lot of birds bathe when they can see or hear it raining outside. Another thing that stimulates pet birds to bathe is hearing the vacuum cleaner!

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda