Dust/Dirt baths?

[Colt]

I was washing dishes in the kitchen watching the wild birds that come to the gravel driveway to eat all the seeds, pellets, and egg food my ungrateful lot don't eat through the window above the sink the other day. I kept noticing odd movements out of the corner of my eye and noticed half a dozen sparrows taking a dirt/dust bath on the side of the driveway. After several minutes of scooting around and throwing dirt they all resumed business as normal.

This got me wondering if anyone gives their birds dirt baths. I don't but I've never really thought about it. Obviously you'd need to use dirt from a sterile source and I suppose it would be more fine-grained, almost sand like. Not like potting soil.

Anyway, just thinking out loud and curious if anyone has or does provide their birds with dirt for this purpose?

[cindy]

Depending on how fine the dirt or powder is I would be cautious about them inhaling it in the lungs.

Our avian vet cautioned us on this regarding the wood pellets that break down when wet and crumbled into sawdust...she took one look at the sawdust end product I bought her and said absolutely not it was to fine and could be inhaled causing lung and sinus irritations. Avoid anything dusty. JMO and going by what the vet told me.

Most finches bathe in water.

[MiaCarter]

I know they make dust for chinchillas.

Not sure how dust baths work for chinchillas -- whether they have something special that lets them avoid inhaling the dust or whether it's a special dust.

I wouldn't let my guys mess around in dust simply because it would make a mess when they bathe (dust + water = mud). My guys aren't good bathers. Most are stick your head in the water bowl bathers, which would make for a messy lot! I think they'd wet it just enough to make mud vs. wash it off! LOL

I had a gouldian who was nuts over the dirt in one of my potted plants. He'd root around in it with his beak and sort of nudge his head in there. He was a messy fellow.

[Sally]

Many wild birds do take dust baths. I wouldn't do it in my house simply because my house is already too dusty with all the birds plus a shedding dog and two long-haired cats. That's all I would need, more dirt and dust being flung around for me to vacuum up!

[cindy]

Wet baths helps also to keep the dander down in the house!!!

[Colt]

I would definitely not use the dust I use for my chinchillas. That is volcanic ash and very, very fine. It goes practically everywhere when they get their dust baths.

Mine get water baths daily or every other day. And I certainly wouldn't give them something else to make a mess with if they were in the house.

To the people with outdoor aviaries, do you ever notice your finches behaving like wild birds and taking dust baths?

[Matthias]

In aviaries the birds natural instincts seem to get boosted.. ive had a case were a couple of finches would randomly sit down on the soil as though they are sitting on an egg with fluffed up feathers and moving in such a manner to scoop up some soil over the puffed feathers..never provided a dirt bath purposely though..