Parakeet Bathing

Give your parakeet a dish of standing water, and he will do the rest himself. The baths tend to be short and functional - a dip, a lot of wing flapping and feather ruffling, a quick shake, and that's it.

If your parakeet seems reluctant to take a dip, try a parakeet 'shower' instead. Wet some lettuce, basil or parsley leaves, or a clump of grass. Tie it to the bars near the perch, and your parakeet will roll himself in it, a bit like a cat rubbing itself in catnip. This is a natural behavior for these birds, as wild parakeets in Australia often rub themselves in dew-soaked grass first thing in the morning.

The parakeet is heading for his 'parakeet shower'

It doesn't just have to be reluctant bathers who get to enjoy the herb-shower - all parakeets will take pleasure in wet leaves. Some parakeets even enjoy flapping their wings under a running tap (not too cold, and never hot). You need a very tame bird to get to that stage, however. Never take parakeets into a real human shower, though, as the water is generally too hot, and the water vapour can irritate their nose and lungs.

Another thing to avoid is a fine-mist sprayer, as the parakeet can inhale the water, leading to coughing and sneezing. If the spray isn't too fine, your pet will probably enjoy the spray-on shower.

How Often Do Parakeets Bathe?

Parakeets will bathe whenever they want to, and you’ll get to know your own bird’s preferences. There are no rules, as such. Some owners put the bath in the cage every week and their birds leap straight in. Others say their parakeet never bathes at all.

Parakeet Bath Water Temperature

Parakeets should always be given cool or lukewarm water baths or showers. Don’t use water that has been refrigerated, and if your tap water is very cold, let it stand for 20 minutes or so before offering it as a bath. At the other end of the acceptable heat scale, room temperature is good. The bath water must never be hot, though. If you stick with a ‘cool to tepid’ scale, you’ll be fine.