Bathing questions...

[Izzy]

Ok, time for me to pick some brains again, this time on bathing, lol!

I "thought" I had given Mel and Misty two baths up until today, but I think now I was really just giving them a wading pool. I was using a saucer with warm water, which covered their feet and a little up on the legs. They would sometimes sit in there, look around, it was pretty uneventful.

Today I was thinking maybe the water should be a little deeper, like a real bath. So, I used this 9x9 cake pan I have, it's about 1.5 inches deep. I lined it with a small soft cloth and poured in some warm water.

I put Mel in first and OH MY GOODNESS, he started putting his beak in the water and then wiggled his crop under the water, started flapping around, wiggled some more, preened under his wings...it was cutest site ever! (Now I understand why Mary posted about using a shower curtain in another thread cause the floor and me got soaked.) I had absolutely NO idea he would go so nutso in a bath, lol! Made me feel silly as my parents had a bird bath in their yard, but I guess I never really paid much attention to birds bathing before. He played in there for a good 15 minutes, before he decided he was ready to get out. I put him in a warm towel and blowed dried him on the low setting of my blow dryer.

I then put Misty in, after changing and rewarming the water, but she wasn't so enthusiased for some reason. Just wasn't in the mood for a bath, I guess. But she did enjoy the blow dry afterwarms and started to nod off.

Ok, finally my questions, lol!

1) Do any of you use any type of additives in the bathing water or is that a bad thing? I'm talking about maybe something to help moisturize their skin or whatever else they might be needing. If so, what products do you use?

2) How often do you let your pigeons bathe? I was guessing that weekly was good, but does it depend on the time of year or no?

3) How deep should the water be? Today it was about halfway up Mel and Misty's crop, not very deep, but deeper than in the past. Do you always use warm water or do they like cold also?

4) What sort of container do you use to bathe your pigeons? I suppose I could buy a bird bath, but I'm keeping them indoors and wonder if that might be a little too big.

Thanks all,
Izzy

[cyro51]

WE WANT PHOTOS!!!!

Watching pigeons bathe is such a pleasure. It seems to be something that they like doing as a group, so you might want to put Mel and Misty in at the same time.

My adult pigeons like a bath at least every two days. John provides them with Pigeon Bath Salts which are made in Australia and contain "natural herb oils giving a bath both antiseptic and feather condition properties". They really seem to like a deep warm bath best.

Cynthia

[Izzy]

LOL Cynthia, I actually had my camera in there, but the way Mel was splashing away, I quickly moved it aside, lol!

Ohhh, pigeon bath salts, I love it! I know I enjoy the salts in my own bath, so I'll have to find some for them and see what they think.

Didn't have enough room to put both Mel & Misty into one bath and honestly, never thought about it, lol! Boy, I can see that I'll be needing to get that shower curtain out soon, especially if I try that, heh.

I'm going out in the next couple of days, so I'll look for something that can accomodate the both of them and maybe Misty will perk up a bit then. Mel doesn't need to perk up anymore or else their room will be soaked, lol!

Thanks for the info Cynthia,
Izzy

[maryco]

Hello Izzy and glad you enjoyed watching the pigeons bath!

This is one of my favourite things to do, I sit right by my birds and pour water on them with my hand, they love it!

As for your question:

1) Cynthia's advice is good, I don't use anything in my birds' bath but I've heard of fanicers using all sorts of things, you can check out a pigeon supply store and see what is available.

2) This depends on my birds' mood, the weather and if they are nesting at that moment. When Pearl is about to lay eggs I never let her bath because she jumps around too much and I really don't want something to happen, just being safe
Usually I let them bath once a week or twice (in the summer usually it's twice a week-3 times.) I can tell they want to bath if they start to fluff up and play/try to bath in their tiny water dish
Sunny days are also prefered and they would come down onto the floor where the sun is shining in and try to tell me that they want a bath. I then open up the big shower curtain and both Dotty and Pearl jump around on it until I fill up their tub and put the little stool near by it then Pearl runs and jumps up to the stool and takes a BIG jump into the water, Dotty follows after her though he will take a bit of time because he only has one foot so he tries to figure out the best way for him to get into the tub.

3) The water level sounds good that you let Mel and Misty bath in today. Every bird is different and it depends on what he prefers, I find that most people use a shallow pan with lower water level but with my birds they prefer a deeper pool because the tub is kind of small and I like Dotty not moving around too much or he will fall over because of his foot.
With babies it's better to have a more shallow pool, maybe a kitty litter pan or something a bit smaller (about half the size)

4) Pigeons don't really need bird baths, just a suitable container will work.. Other members should be able to suggest some good ideas on what they use for their pijjies

Hope that helps!

[ZigZagMarquis]

This is what I use...

http://www.jedds.com/ProductDetail.a...ProductID=3384

... I've been shooting for putting out their bathpan twice a week, usually after I scrape, sweep, hose and scrub the loft and after the sun starts to hit that side so there is sunshine for them to "sunbathe" in afterwards.

[Lovebirds]

You can use "2 Mule Team" Borax in the water. 1 tablespoon per gallon. It helps ward of the buggies and keeps thier feathers in good condition. Just make sure that they never eat the borax. Mixed in the water, it won't hurt them even if they drink the water but if they eat the dry powder, that can be deadly. We use kitty litter pans for our birds and put 2 gallons of water in the pan. As far as the temp of the water, cool, never cold during the summer and warmer months and luke warm during the winter months. Since your birds are inside I don't guess this matters, but pigeons will take a bath in the dead of winter. Doesn't bother them at all. Oh by the way, though I've not posted any replies, my husband and I have gotten quite a kick from following your story. TOO CUTE!!!!!!!

[Izzy]

Great idea about the kitty litter pan! Good size, economical (the part I really like), easy to clean and easy to store, thanks Mary and Lovebirds!

Zig, thanks for that link to Jedd's, looks like I'll be shopping a little later tonight, appreciate it.

OMG, Mary, I can just picture Pearl doing her 'pigeon dive' from that stool, that is just too funny!

Thank you again for all the super fab tips, I'm going to make sure bath time will be very fun for Mel & Misty, lol!

Izzy

[BrianNAmy]

We use the largest size dog bowl available for our 2 birdies. We have a plastic one that's designed to be tip proof and that's kind of crowded for two, but nice for one, and we have another dog bowl (some people think it's an oil pan for your car because it's just a big round aluminum pan) and it's heavy enough when full that they can't tip it and that's cozy for the 2 of them, unless one of them gets greedy It is too cute to watch!