How to Bathe a Parakeet or Budgie?

Last Updated on March 22, 2023 by Lily Aldrin

Unlike other pets, parakeets or budgie love water and enjoy bathing. It removes debris and keeps their skin moist. Bathing also removes any pollutants from the parakeet’s feathers to prevent any toxic stuff from ingesting when preening.

Among the most common questions that new parakeet owners often ask is how to bathe their parakeet or budgie properly. Giving a bath to your parakeet is super easy because your parakeet will do most of the work by fluffing feathers to let the water down. Bathing your parakeet a couple of times a week, especially if they have dry skin, keeps them clean, healthy, and fresh.

This post will discuss everything related to parakeet bathing, including bathing rules, tips, and steps to parakeet bathing. So, let’s get started!

Rules to follow before Budgie or Parakeet Bathing (Important)

Here are some simple rules that you must understand before bathing the parakeet,

• Avoid Using Bird Shampoo, Soap, or Detergent

Even though there are plenty of bird shampoos available on the market that you can use to bathe your parakeet, the safest way is to use plain and clean water. All birds naturally produce a sort of oil to preen their feathers. So, the use of bird shampoos, soaps, or detergents can strip this oil, making your parakeet unhappy and its feathers unhealthy.

• Avoid Bathing Your Parakeet During the Cold Part of the Day

One of the severe health hazards is getting your wet parakeet chilled. Bathing your parakeet during the coldest part of the day will take a lot of time before your parakeet’s feathers dry entirely. It is best to choose the warmest part of the day, allowing feathers to dry thoroughly before the temperature falls towards nightfall.

• Avoid Too Hot or Too Cold Water

Giving a bath with too hot or too cold water to your parakeet can shock your pet’s system, causing burns and other hazardous conditions. So, make sure always to check the water temperature before you start bathing your pet. Also, keep in mind that parakeets love lukewarm or room temperature water.

• Make Sure to Not Saturate Your Parakeet’s Feathers

Regardless of what bird you have, you should know that they never allow their feathers to become entirely soaked through in the wild. This can cause the pet’s body to lose heat and flight impairment. Extreme circumstances aside, you should never wholly soak your pet’s feathers.

Regardless of what bathing method you may choose, the bottom line is that following all these simple bath time rules will make your parakeet’s bath time safe and pleasurable activity.

So, how to bathe a parakeet?

How to Bathe a Parakeet or Budgie? (2 Ways)

Getting your parakeet to take a bath can be a challenge, but the reward is well worth the struggle. You should also know that you may have to offer a bath type various times for weeks before your pet decides to try it out. In this regard, here’re some useful tips,

1. Sample a Soothing Mist

A fine mist through a spray bottle is another favorite way for some birds. Since many pet species originate from humid and warm temperatures, using a spray bottle is an effective way to rehydrate your parakeet nasal cavities while also cleaning their feathers. Get this amazing mist spray bottle from Amazon. 

If you think your parakeet benefit from an instant spritz, make sure to use lukewarm water in a clean spray bottle. Using a new spray bottle is highly recommended to ensure no hazardous chemicals that could be toxic to your parakeet.

In this regard, you will have to perform the following steps:

1.   Buy a spray bottle. You can easily find spray bottles in places like Amazon or the home improvements store’s gardening section.
2.   Fill the spray bottle with warm or lukewarm water.
3.   Turn the bottle’s spray head to mist.
4.   Now, start spraying water over your parakeet. Also, make sure to avoid spraying in the face. Parakeet flies or move away from the mist, stop spraying.
5.   Finally, let your parakeet dry off.

2. A Dip in the Sink

Birds love dipping themselves into a pool. Using a sink and pooling some warm or lukewarm water is also an excellent way to bathe a parakeet. Try pooling some lukewarm water in a sink and let your parakeet step down into it. There’re high chances that your bird’s bathing instincts will take over, and they will happily splash about instantly.

Here are the steps that you will have to follow:

1.   Buy a shallow bowl and fill it with lukewarm or warm water. Ensure that water shouldn’t be deeper than an inch or two.
2.   Now place the shallow bowl filled with lukewarm water inside the cage.
3.   You can also put a drying towel under the cage if you are worried about water splashing out. You can also use another towel around the cage to prevent the floor from being wet.
4.   Now, your parakeet will start splashing and fluttering in the water. Let him or her play. If your parakeet does not jump in instantly, give them some time to familiarize themselves with it.
5.   After that, your parakeet will start shaking to get the water off. Also, keep in mind that the area your parakeet is drying off is warm and not breezy. You can also use a towel around the cage to prevent the breeze.
6.   Once your parakeet is done bathing, take the bowl out of the cage.

Another way to bathe a parakeet is to use lettuce leaves. Small parakeets love rolling around on wet leaves. In this regard, you have to wet the leaves of kale, swiss chard, or any other type of product and put it on a shallow bowl or plate. Your parakeet might enjoy contact with the leaves and get water on their feathers, getting the dust off of them.

Moreover, you can also prepare a shower for two, and since parakeets are naturally social creatures, they love having a bath with their owners. You can easily find various avian shower products on the market, such as sprayers and special shower perches.

If you want to bathe a parakeet with the shower, it would be best to do it with patience. Allow your parakeet to observe you in the shower before they decide to join you. They should decide on their own that the shower is a pleasant thing and they are safe.

Keep your parakeet on the shower’s floor or tub to ensure their safety and avoid the risk of falling off from a perch.

How Often Should You Bathe a Parakeet?

When deciding how often your parakeet should be bathed, the rule of thumb is to offer them a couple of baths once a week. However, parakeets also love to clean up more or less frequently. So, considering the below points will help you to decide on a grooming schedule for your parakeet:

• Does Your Parakeet Bathing in his or her Drinking Water?

If your parakeet wants to take a bath, he or she will bathe in any manner available to them. It often means dipping in their drinking water. If this is the case with your parakeet, consider it to indicate that your parakeet would appreciate more frequent bathing.

• Does Your Parakeet Species Originate from Tropical Areas?

Bird pets originating from rainforests and tropical areas are acclaimed to frequent rain showers and humid conditions. More frequent baths for these birds would improve their overall health, happiness, and feather conditions.

• Is Your Parakeet Experiencing a Molt?

Molt means new feathers force their way by dislodging old feathers on the way. These new covered feathers have a softened sheath of the curtain so the feathers inside can break free. It means if your parakeet is going through a molt, make sure to bathe your pet more frequently to help soothe its itchy skin and release new feathers.

Wrapping Up

Building a grooming schedule around your parakeet’s natural preferences, bathing time of your bird will be a more enjoyable and smoother experience. Also, pay close attention to your parakeet’s reaction to various bathing methods. It will help you to figure out the one that is best for you and your parakeet. Time that you spend grooming your parakeet will make it evident to your pet that bathing is a positive activity. The result will give you a clean, healthy, happy, and beautiful companion.

FAQs

How often should I bathe my parakeet?

 It would be best to allow your parakeet to take a couple of baths a week. Frequent baths will remove dirt ad debris from feathers while also improving your parakeet’s overall health and happiness.

Should I use a bird shampoo for bathing my parakeet?

Using soap or bird shampoo to bathe your parakeet could irritate their skin. So, it’s best to use only clean lukewarm water. Also, avoid frequent baths when the temperature is cold, even if you have a warm place for them to dry off.