# Does she like it??



## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

I know pigeons like water to take bathes in, and I think I read on here that they need to get their feathers wet on a regular basis otherwise they'll lose their water-proofing. So I've tried putting a shallow bowl of water in my pigeon's cage, but all she'll do is walk through it and poop in it. She doesn't splash, or roll. So I though that if I lightly misted her with water from a spray bottle that would help her stay clean and retain her water proofing. I also figured that since she was a loft pigeon, she's used to rain, and wouldn't mind a light mist. The first time (last week) I sprayed her down, she didn't do much. Today though, I was misting her, and she started to stretch out her wing. So, thinking she liked it, I sprayed her wing down (the bottle was about 12 inches away, I sprayed from outside the cage so it was light and not heavy) and as I prayed she stretched her tail out, and kinda leaned over, I thought she'd fall over. (this whole time she just stood there, and didn't try to run or dodge the water) So I thought she liked it, and listed her other side, and as I misted she stretched her wing out again and kinda leaned over. Then when I stopped, she kinda "melted" to the floor, with her feathers fluffed up, and both wings lightly resting on the cage floor, not fully spread, but just resting on the floor. She kinda looked like someone who'd gotten a really good massage, and didn't want to move.
Do you think she liked it, or that it scared her and that's why she put her wings out. I don't want to spray her if it's really tramatic, but she didn't look scared, or upset. Any ideas or similar experiences??

Thanks

Suzanne


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Hello,

Sounds like she had fun! 
That is perfectly normal, Have you ever watched feral pigeons in the rain?!








They look so cute sometimes lined up on a building all stretching their wings up in the air and half rolled over..

The stretching means she likes it and wants water under her wing, Pearl sometimes does that in the water tub and she just floats (It's so cute!) 

If your bird is tame enough you can tame her in the shower, I used to do that with Tooty (My beloved pijjie whom I raised from 4 days old, he passed away in Oct







)
Afew other members here have pigeons/doves who also enjoy taking a shower.

Mary


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## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

Thanks for the reassurance! Sadly, he/she's not tame enough to take in the shower. I can't even touch her without her running frantically around the cage,







. But I've only had her 2 weeks, so I guess there's still hope!

How often should I spray her??


Suzanne


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## turkey (May 19, 2002)

Suzanne,

She's young still, give her another week try the water bowl again. If it doesn't work wait another week. If she is very nervous of you, that could also be the problem. 

You will know for sure that she wants a bath when you find her face and neck all wet because she was splashing in her water bowl. 

Julie


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## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

Ah, yes, I'd totally forgotton! My first pigeon did that! I had been wondering why she was trying to swim her her water dish! To my knowledge, this pigeon hasnt treid that, but I will be on the watch for it!

Suzanne


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

I let my birds bath once a week when it's cold and twice or more when it's hot.. And as Julie said, Make splash sounds in the water tub.

Mary


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## WhiteysFriends (Aug 19, 2002)

With young pigeons who have never taken a bath before, we sometimes have to splash our hands in the water a bit to give them the idea of what to do in it. Also, the basin we use for baths is translucent on the sides, and the young'ns sometimes don't understand the idea of hopping up on the rim to get in. They try to walk in or peck their way in from the side, through the plastic. It's pretty funny (dumb). By the second or third time that we put out the bath, though, they get the idea and hop in.


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## screamingeagle (Oct 16, 2002)

I do splash my hands in the water, and she looks interested, but just doesn't understand what SHE is suppossed to do, LOL. She likes being sprayed though, I did it again today. I think tomarrow I might try the water dish again, and see if she'll hop in. Maybe she was still getting used to her new surroundings and was too scared to enjoy herself.









Suzanne


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

our birds LOVE to 'shower'. We spray them with the hose in the summer, and 1/3 of their aviary is just screening, no roof, so they can shower in the rain!









re: waterproofing .. actually, it's somewhat the opposite... birds produce "bloom" (that fine white powdery stuff you find around their living area). "Bloom" is what waterproofs their feathers. When they bathe, part of the bloom is washed away (you'll see it on the top of the water). Not enough to harm them though -- they can still fly quite well after a bath.

In fact, we've let our birds out in the rain, and they've 'showered', then gone for a fly in the rain. One day, it started to rain really hard while they were flying... I thought they'd come down and go inside. No, they kept flying! I figured they'd fall out of the sky from being so wet... hehehe









Some 'racing folk' still believe that you shouldn't let a bird have a bath right before a race... that the bloom being washed off is bad, if they are caught in the rain. However, my husband has been reading lately that some very good racers overseas are now changing their thoughts, and that letting them bathe right before might actually be good for them.


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