Conure taking baths in water bowl but not actual bath

[xhexk]

Hello! I've had my pet Conure for about 3 weeks now and he's a lovely little birdy. I've got a little bath for him to use but he doesnt really use it and runs up to my shoulder whenever I place him near it.

He has no trouble splashing around in his water bowl though. Dips his head in and flaps around.

How should I go about training him to use the bath? As his water bowl is too small and he'll only get half his body in there.

 

[Hotrod]

My sun conure, Hotrod, does the same thing! He gets spooked by containers I put water in; I tried showing him there is water in it and it will be fun...but he doesn't like it. He prefers his water bowl. However, sometimes when I take a shower, he sits up there and he likes me to spray him with a spray bottle.
I am thinking of ordering him this. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I6ORHS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER]Amazon.com: Lixit Corporation BLX0787 Quick Lock Bird Bath: Pet Supplies[/ame]
It has a lot of good reviews, and the first reviewer you see when you scroll down, was even saying their bird liked to bathe in his water bowl, and wouldn't use anything else she gave him.... but he loved this bird bath!

 

[Ashleigh86]

Indy likes me to have my hands under the water running really low and she perches on my fingers and takes a bath in my hands lol but I also noticed she didn't like any deep containers, so I started out with just putting a little water in shallow container lids or plates and went from there

 

[Dinosrawr]

I've found that Avery also doesn't enjoy being placed in a bath. She'll tolerate showers with me, and she's not afraid to be placed under running water, but there's no way in heck I can get her to enjoy being in a sink that has some water in it.

When I went for a birdy play date a few weeks ago, my friend's boyfriend brought out a simple wide bowl and played in it with his hands. Avery was FASCINATED. At first she just watched, but minutes later she was frolicked in the water with his hands. I've since used that method, and it works. It takes some time to warm her up to it, but once she does she loves it and it's so cute to watch!

 

[veimar]

My conure does EXACTLY same thing! LOL And he likes to do it really late at night right before I want to but him to sleep (he hates going to bed). When I see him doing this I just grab a spray bottle and spray him all over - he really enjoys that. He NEVER goes into bath dish I gave him - even if I put him in there. I also pretty often take him to shower with me in the morning and let him sit on the window there. I don't shower him, but he gets pretty wet from splashing.

 

[EnglishMuffin]

Sootie wouldn't go near water for about 3-4 weeks when I first got her. I was demented because she had poop on the back of her head and her tail that I couldn't get off. Then one day my brother was washing his hands in the sink with her on his shoulder and she bounced down his arm and under the water, flapping and shaking and causing a mess. Turns out she just needed to get dirty enough to need it! Now she bathes pretty much every day. Just give it time and don't force it!

 

[DustytheDusky]

Dusty will bathe himself in his water dish from time to time. Especially when he wants my attention. He will splash then look around for me then splash and through water all over again. I usually bathe in him a sink. He LOVES running water with his bathes. I have also just started bringing him into the shower which he has taken his time to get used to but now he gets excited when i turn the shower on.

 

[lilypinku]

Haha, I have the same problem with Ollie; tried shower, spray bottles, shallow bowls, colourful bowls... she will bathe in a shallow, white bowl (same colour as her water dish) but still prefers bathing in her water dish (which she can't get her whole self into). If your GCC prefers bathing in his water dish, I think just going with the flow isn't a bad thing. Maybe take it out of her cage so it's easier for him to get into, if that helps.

As far as his bath goes, try with just a little water and splash your fingers in it, make it seem like the best thing ever. If you're having fun with it, he'll eventually become curious! If your GCC is anything like mine, though, your mileage may vary...

 

[kiwiS]

I have a wide rectangular basin I use for Kiwi's bath. Earlier on she never really wanted anything to do with it..but I'd splash my hands in it myself and have a good time. It took a few tries before she even wanted to step in the water.

Just offer it to your bird every two or three days regardless if they get in or not. Eventually it will start feeling familiar, and the won't be able to resist not having fun with you in the bath. They are communal creatures so it is in their nature to join in the fun with their flock mates ^.^