Bird Baths ......

[JerseyGuy]

I just ordered a Bird Bath that you attach to the cage door opening or food cup opening. To date my
2 Gouldians haven't had a bath to use. Their large water Crock is in the middle of the cage floor, so I wanted to get a Bird Bath that attaches to the outside of the cage.

Has anyone used this type of Bird Bath? Have your birds been happy with it and have they used it?

Thanks.

[Tish]

What's the brand name?

[Celeris]

My birds have never shown any hesitance to jump into shallow water, no matter how I present it to them. I'm sure your birds will love it! I will warn you, however, that if the bath is comprised of two pieces that you click together, be prepared for leakage. I recently traded out my first side-of-cage bird bath to end my need for a towel right by the bird cage.

[JerseyGuy]

The Bird bath I have is a JW InSight Bird Bath that I purchased from the Bird Store where I got my 2 Gouldian Finches. Yes, it is a 2-piece
construction bird bath, and so far there has been no leakage, but.......neither of my birds have gone near it or shown any interest
in bathing.

[mohum]

I have a cockatiel size one but it has never been used. All my birds use a bowl on the floor.

[JerseyGuy]

Today, my 2 Gouldian finches attempted to take a bath in their water crock which contained "Hearty Bird" vitamin/mineral supplement. I removed that crock and gave them a larger round
container filled with water to see if they would take a bath -
so far they have not.

[Sally]

Gouldians are notorious for not being enthusiastic bathers like so many other species. They often sit on the side of a bowl and go through all the motions while never actually getting themselves wet! With species that don't want to bathe, you can always buy a spray bottle, put it on the fine mist setting, and just spray them. It gets them wet enough to make them preen, which is the whole point. I have even drenched a few birds with a sprayer!

[Stuart whiting]

Sally absolutely agree, I often use the good old plant sprayer

@JerseyGuy a lot of birds are nervous about entering those clip on type of baths,

I personally like to use the parrot food and water bowls that have a clip on wire loop holder and metal dish, I normally replace the metal dish with a plastic bowl that neatly fits into the holder because a new shiny dish can also put off nervous birds,

I then place the wire loop holder by hooking it on the inside of the cage next to a perch,

I've personally found this to be the best option of all,

Not a door bath they become nervous of,

no shiny bowls to put em off,

No bath on the floor of cage where debris can get into the water

I do this on a daily basis as I like to give all of me waxbills and finches the option of having a bath any day they wish,

Incidentally although my birds baths are inside the cage and off of the floor because of the size of me birds being quite small there is hardly a time when the floor of their cage gets that wet, I always have wood shavings on the floor of me cages and any water normally dries within a few minutes

[JerseyGuy]

Wow. Thank you Sally & Stuart......
Ya know, I did infact think of the good ole'fashioned spray bottle.....but thought I should probably check on this first, so I am very glad you both recommended this.

So, I have removed the Clip-on-the-door Bright Red Water Bath which my Gouldians have
avoided like the plaque, and I removed the large round plastic container on the bottom of
the cage.

I am going to get out the spray bottle today and give them a bath .......

So, thank you both for responding to my post. I appreciate your replies.

[LadyGouldianGirl]

JerseyGuy

Please let me know how the spray bottle works out. I'll need to use this trick too but I don't want to frighten them. They both sit on the edge of the water bowl and "go through the motions without actually getting wet" just like Sally said Its really funny to watch. Since they still groom and preen themselves every day I was hoping actually getting wet wasn't so important. I'll try the spray bottle too but I'll let your boys go first

[debbie276]

Everytime I've tried to spray the birds with water they absolutely freaked out. Luckily mine all love to bathe now, just took a long time for them to try. Now the chick's learn from the adults.

Good luck, let us know how you do.

[JerseyGuy]

Well, the birds have been bathed .... or I should say Sprayed!

I filled the spray bottle with warm water and wasted no time in giving them their first bath
since purchasing them in June. I put the sprayer on the finest Mist and gently sprayed over
them one at a time. Initially they freaked out of course and began to fly all over the cage,
but I persisted and offered them a few more showers. And it was done and overwith.

'Ricky' the purple-breasted male immediately began to preen himself ....
'Fred' the white-breasted male sat on the perch and sulked for a good while.

I offered them both some Millet spray to make amends.

[DamonIRB]

Yes, it is a 2-piece construction bird bath, and so far there has been no leakage, but...

If it does start to leak, head to Home Depot or Lowe's and grab a tube of clear, food grade silicon sealant. Anything that says you can use it in the kitchen is fine. Take the bath off the cage, dry it thoroughly with a towel and leave it to air-dry on the counter overnight. Use your finger to apply a small amount of the sealant on the outside of the bath, filling the seam and overlapping the top and bottom about 1/4 inch. Don't put any on the inside. Let it dry/cure at least 24 hours before using it again.

You won't be able to take it apart anymore, but you won't get the floor wet either...

D