# Any Pigeon Bathing Ideas?



## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Okay, I just can't get Chauncey to take a bath. I'm finding that I'm quite sensitive (allergy-wise) to his dander and dust, and I absolutely need for this knucklehead to get a move on with his hygiene.  It's been more than a week since his last bath.

Here's what we've tried, maybe there are other things we can do:

1) Several different styles of bath, from plastic containers, to large plant pans, to glass pie pans, to bird baths. 

2) Setting the bath inside the cage, setting the bath outside the cage. Staying in the room . . . or leaving him in the room alone for long periods to see if he'll bathe.

3) Mirror at the bath.

4) Actually putting him in the bath and getting him wet which just served to traumatize him.

5) Using a large plastic bath and putting a small food dish with his favorite (flax seeds) as incentive. He tried it once, took a bath (the last bath he had) but now he won't fall for it anymore. He just wants to avoid the bath.

6) We're using lukewarm water, not cold, not hot.

7) Tried placing the bath in different areas of the room, at different heights.

His routine is that he just can't wait to get out of his cage each day. If I put a bath in his cage, he won't have anything to do with it, no matter how long I leave it in there. He just wants to get out like crazy. Once he's out, he perches on top of the bookshelf and pretty much stays there until 5pm, like clockwork. He gets hungry at 5p and flies down.

We took him for a full vet checkup today, but no extra suggestions except for the things we've already tried.

If you've ever run into a similar situation, I'd love to know what you did to change it. Thanks!


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## altgirl35 (Sep 5, 2008)

mist him, fill the bottle with hot water and gently mist him, hold the bottle at the same height as him, but spray up so the mist comes down on him, he will be unsure at first, but after a while he will end up liking it.
you can add a little organic aloe juice also, it's very soothing and is great for their feathers


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## plamenh (Aug 11, 2006)

Pigeons love to bath. The problem is that you cannot force them to do it, they are stubborn birds. 
What helps me to teach them bathing (they need education or example too is:
- I use two type bath containers, plastic puppy bowl that can fit in the cage through the door and cat litter box that is for the floor of the cote. Some of the birds prefer to bath in their cages, some outside.
- I fill bath with lukewarm water, small splash ACV and couple of drops Listerine mouthwash.
- When I place bath I always place my hand in the water and splash it for them to hear the sound of it.
- I wait until every bird have the share in the bathing and change water often to keep it clean.
As per your description, problem is that he spends most of the time outside the cage. That is wrong for the following reasons:
- His cage should be the place he calls home, not bookshelf. By hanging on the bookshelf daily, he accepts cage more as a prison.
- His interaction with you is limited, when in the cage he will get used to the closeness with you and will tame easier.
- While in the cage you can give him threats and he will be exited knowing that you are bringing him goodies.
- Having nothing else to do hi will bath eat and act less furniture like than on the bookshelf.
- When you let him out, that will be to excersise wings not to fertilize bookshelf.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

plamenh said:


> Pigeons love to bath. The problem is that you cannot force them to do it, they are stubborn birds.
> What helps me to teach them bathing (they need education or example too is:
> - I use two type bath containers, plastic puppy bowl that can fit in the cage through the door and cat litter box that is for the floor of the cote. Some of the birds prefer to bath in their cages, some outside.
> - I fill bath with lukewarm water, small splash ACV and couple of drops Listerine mouthwash.
> ...


I agree. Eventually the bird will do it on his own.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

plamenh said:


> Pigeons love to bath. The problem is that you cannot force them to do it, they are stubborn birds.
> What helps me to teach them bathing (they need education or example too is:
> - I use two type bath containers, plastic puppy bowl that can fit in the cage through the door and cat litter box that is for the floor of the cote. Some of the birds prefer to bath in their cages, some outside.
> - I fill bath with lukewarm water, small splash ACV and couple of drops Listerine mouthwash.
> ...


I enjoy reading all your post's, I love the way you describe things - "fertilize the bookshelf" LOL


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## Garye (Feb 20, 2005)

> His interaction with you is limited, when in the cage he will get used to the closeness with you and will tame easier.
> - While in the cage you can give him treats and he will be exited knowing that you are bringing him goodies.


I think this says it all. One of the things I always try to do with my Maggie is every time I pass her "condo" (cage) is say something to her and look in. She now expects that. When I first got her (she was a feral that couldn't fly), she was very skittish around me, but I started talking to her every day, looking in on her. Now it's gotten to the point that I can pat her. I can just place a bowl of water in her cage and she'll jump in to take a bath. She really prefers taking her own bath as opposed to me trying to shower her or bathe her.

Interacting with your pigeon every day will make him or her feel it's a part of you and your family.

But I think the most important part is to have the pigeon spend most of the time in its cage so it realizes this is its home and not a jail and let it out only for exercise.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Well, have you tried running water in the sink??
Or Splashing the water in the bath tubs you provided with your hand??

The hand method has worked for me, but one time I was washing my hands in the sink and one of mine got curious and decided to bath!

-Hilly


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## SPedigrees (Oct 27, 2004)

One thing to note is that bathing won't prevent the natural continuous shedding of "featherdust." My bird bathes regularly but still I must use the vacuum cleaner daily to pick up the dust and dander from the surroundings. I think this is a natural by-product of just being a pigeon. I'm sorry to hear that you are having an allergy problem because of the featherdust, and wish I had a solution to offer. I know it is a problem for many people.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks, everyone. You're right in that Chauncey doesn't see his cage as "home." We've tried many different things so far, but the last thing he wants to do is be in his cage. We have a dog crate that's large enough for him to flap his wings, but it's certainly not large enough to fly in. I admit, we feel bad leaving him in there. We've been talking about getting him a bigger home. It will have to wait until the next paycheck, later in the month.

We were away for several days (our petsitter took care of Chauncey and our kitty). I got back late in the evening and wasn't planning to let him out until morning. I didn't. But he spent the next three hours flapping his wings furiously in the cage. I mean non-stop. I felt so bad! The avian vet told us he was extra-muscular, owing to his racing pigeon background. She said she rarely sees birds as muscular as Chauncey. It has felt weird to us to keep a racing pigeon confined. We're probably misguided and way too sentimental, but that's part of it.

When he's on our bookshelf, it's in our office. So there's constant interaction with us, with music, with talking and singing. He's not sitting alone all day. He's just looking down on us from his perch. At night, when he's in his cage, it's right next to my computer so we talk and sing. He settles in. But he just doesn't want to be in there for the most part. Any time I open the door, he almost hurts himself trying to get out. And he really, really hates our hands.

We're still open to finding Chauncey a beautiful aviary where he could be more free to be himself. But, of course, we love him too much to give him anything but the best. So, unless a perfect, loving, reputable place shows up, he's here with us. He's stuck with us! We are committed to our guy as long as we need to be, as long as he needs us. 

(btw: Allergies or no allergies. I would NEVER give up an animal because of that, just FYI. We took responsibility for our little rescue pigeon and we never renege on those commitments to our animal friends. I have hopes that I'll get used to his dust/dander. Been taking homeopathics and other things which are helping. We also have a great HEPA filter and HEPA vacuum in the room and you'd think that would be enough. 

*CAGE TIME?*

I don't know . . . what should we do about cage time then? I'd be very happy to let him out for just a couple of hours if I could get him back in! 

Problem is, when he gets let out for exercise, he won't come back. And we can't catch him. I stopped trying and just accepted that he'll come back at 5pm, like clockwork, for dinner. And then he stays in.

The other night, I had to leave and couldn't get him back in. (Our room is pretty well pigeon-proofed.) It was dark when I got back so I thought I'd try to grab him the way people have suggested here -- wait until it's dark, he won't see you.

Well, he saw me a split second before I could grab him and went flying into a wall in the dark room. I was just devastated! He didn't hit his head, thankfully. And we had a vet visit (his first) scheduled for the next day, so I felt reassured that if he had hurt himself, he could be checked. He was fine. I won't try that again. (Funny thing is, we're able to catch birds at the wildlife hospital by turning out the lights. I was surprised at Chauncey's quick response.)

A few people have suggested that because he's a racing pigeon, maybe 10 years old, not handled much, that he may never get used to the types of things pet pigeons enjoy. We can accept that. Chauncey is Chauncey. But we still are always trying to find better ways to interact.

As far as baths go, I'll keep trying. I've done most of the things suggested here. I think he won't go in his bath because, 1) if I put it in the cage, all he wants to do is get out of the cage and he has no interest. 2) If I put it outside the cage, he has no interest in coming down from the shelf for anything but food.

I realize we've probably done his "training" wrong. We're muddling through with our first pigeon rescue, sorry for Chauncey he has to be our learning pigeon.

*One P.S. on Chauncey's Band:*

The vet thought Chauncey's band was bothering him, so we had it snipped off. It was his old racing band, the one that wasn't traceable anyway. She called it "getting rid of his slave bracelet." We had a chuckle on that. I may be imagining things, but he seems to really notice. He's not picking at that leg anymore, or favoring the other leg. I didn't fully realize he was doing this until I saw his behavior, post-band. I wonder if that band was put on improperly. At the wildlife hospital, we've seen some pretty bad banding jobs.


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## Mindy (Apr 2, 2009)

I remember the Chauncey story and I think you guys are great. I know the feeling with getting them back in there cages. I have 4. Two of them, when it comes to be 7:00pm I go in the room and they are already in there cage. But the other two, OMG, its turning the lights off and well you know how the story goes. All I can say is that he is one lucky pigeon and I know you guys will figure out something, I have figured out they do like a routine, and are creatures of habit. min


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have to agree with Plamenh. He should be spending more time in the cage. Bathing does help with the dust, as evidenced by the amount of dust left in the water. Although, it won't entirely get rid of the dust problem. It's often more difficult getting a lone pigeon to bath. When there are more than one, they will copy each other and jump right in.I think I'd try keeping the bath in the cage if there is room enough, and keeping him in the cage more. I know you hate to make him feel confined, but lets face it, how much exercise is he actually getting just sitting on the bookshelf? Let him out in the evening when you are there. How dark was the room when you tried catching him and he flew into the wall? Was it totally dark? I know some of our pigeons can see better in the dark than others. Misting him isn't going to help take off the dust. When he baths, lots of it is left in the water. You guys sure didn't start with a particularly easy one, did ya? LOL. Pigeons have a mind of their own, and can be very strong willed. This guy sounds as though he has a very good idea of who he is! I gotta give him credit. I kinda like a strong willed bird. Not the easiest, but when you do win one, it's a real kick.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks, Jay. I think you're right. We just look at Chauncey and think, you little bugger! He does have a mind of his own and I respect that fully. I'd do precisely what he's doing if I were in his situation. I just wish I could outwit him. I've always been a sucker for our rescues, though.

Want to come over and teach us how to put a pigeon in his place? I really could use a trainer . . . for me, not for Chauncey. I'd love to see a master at work.  

We thought he'd be freaked out by the vet visit, but it cracked us up how calm he was. We were thinking he's been having one over on us. On the way home, when I talked to him, he talked back at me through the portapet. We stopped for a quick bite (ate in the car, didn't leave him by his lonesome) and he cooed at us the whole time. He was less upset by the vet visit than any of our cats have been.

*He Took a Bath . . . Finally . . . 10 Days Later*

He finally took a short bath today. I put a very small plastic plant saucer on the one table I hadn't tried -- our computer desk. The saucer was much smaller than the ones I've been trying, almost too small for him. (It was one I'd used for our Japanese Quail dust baths when we fostered the quail.) 

I set it under the full-spectrum lamp and within short order, he went over to it and bathed a little. Of course, the location is right next to our computers so he got them wet in the process. Thank goodness I had the sense to put my camera away.

It figures Chauncey would choose the ONE location that really doesn't work. But I'll play around with it. 

Don't know if he just got tired of being dirty, or if the size/location appealed to him.

*Designing Chauncey's New Crate/Home*

I will try (gulp) to keep him in his cage more. You're right about him not getting much exercise anyway. We're going to invest in a bigger crate in the next couple of weeks and maybe at that point, we'll do a detailed assessment of how to make his "home" better for him. I look inside and it just doesn't seem homey. He doesn't like anything I've put in there. He gave up on the basket after a few days, avoids anything new, is afraid of stuffed animals. So right now, it seems so stark. He's got a front perch (1-inch wooden perch) and a back shelf (also wooden, about 8 inches deep). He missed the back shelf a few times, hit his noggin, so now he doesn't even go up there anymore. He sits at the front of the crate, on the paper, just looking out at us. (I was thinking of building some kind of ramp for him to get on the back shelf. He doesn't want to try jumping up there anymore. It's not that high -- about a foot off the cage floor with two feet clearance above the shelf. He used to love it and slept on it all night.)

I use a big roll of Kraft paper for the flooring (love it for the easy clean up and price). He's got a few bricks to perch on, a mirror he doesn't look in, a hanging parrot mirror/bell toy he doesn't play with, a big water bowl he seems to love, and two food dishes he adores. I do keep one stuffed animal on his perch (a robin) but he doesn't seem to care about anything but the bricks. He did take a dump on the stuffed animal a few times so I guess he's giving it a message. Poor stuffed robin has been through the wash a few times.

Once we get the new crate, if I post pictures, think people might be able to give us some feedback on how to redesign his home?


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

spray, but he he will eventually decide to take a bath on his own


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I forgot what the measurements of his cage were. When I put a shelf in a cage, I just put it on a couple of 2X4s or something. It's only about 4 or 5 inches up from the bottom of the cage. Have you considered lowering his? That way he wouldn't have any problem getting on it, and it would be better for him than perching on a 1 inch perch. He can even lay down on it. Most pijjies don't play with toys or like stuffed animals. A large mirror that can be found in most stores, would give him something to look at and bow to. He may like that. He doesn't need a lot of things. Believe me, I'm NO master at training birds. Each one is different. I have a couple that still keep their distance. One I've had for a year, and just started making headway with her a couple of days ago. It takes patience. As far as the bath, maybe he liked it because it was shallower. You may be able to slowly go up in size. Or maybe it was the location. Figures he'd like it where it won't work. That's about right for a pigeon. LOL. I'm glad he bathed for you anyway. Let us know how goes the battle. Good luck.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I just checked out your pictures. You do have a large mirror. Does he pay any attention to it? That shelf could be put on top of the two bricks. Put one under each end. I bet he will sleep on it. He doesn't want a basket or nest bowl. He isn't nesting. Even if he were, he would be on a perch at night, (shelf), not a nest. If you want to give him something to do, try putting in a millet spray. He may enjoy picking the seeds out of it. Maybe he just needs another pij for company. He's used to being with other birds. He probably had a mate. It's not really normal for him to be without bird companionship.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Glad he finally decided to take a bath! I think you are right that he just got tired of being dirty.  Regarding the amenities in his cage, I started thinking about what my birds enjoy. They like a comfortable perch in a high, safe location with a good view of...everything. They are very curious birds and like to keep tabs on things. A view out the window is nice if you can manage it. As you've noticed, they are individuals so I like your method of offering choices and responding to his preferences.


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## valeri (Sep 6, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> Maybe he just needs another pij for company. He's used to being with other birds. He probably had a mate. It's not really normal for him to be without bird companionship.


I think about that everyday. That, more than anything, bothers me -- that he might have had a mate that he's missing. I know I can't let him fly free, but I wish I could send him out to look for his gal pal if he had one. 

Because I've been having some allergies with Chauncey around (some sinus and respiratory stuff) I wanted to wait before we get another pigeon -- give my body time to get used to Chauncey, find what works for me in reducing the sensitivity issues. I'm doing my best to cover my bases. (My husband does fine with Chauncey.)

Before I started having problems we had been planning on finding a second pigeon early in the new year -- to keep Chauncey company. I'd like more than anything to bring him a pal. There's a local pigeon rescue that would be more than willing to help us find Chauncey another friend.

I'm going to see how it goes. No matter what, we'll look after Chauncey. I know he'd do better with another bird and I hope we can make it all work for him in the best possible way. Now if only we could get ourselves into a good space with some property for an aviary. That would be ideal for Chauncey . . . and all the pigeon rescues we plan to have.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I hear ya about the allergies. I have asthma, and aside from the loft, we have a pij who lives in our living room! You guys are doing great with Chauncey. Things will work out. That would be great.......................someday having a little loft for rescues. It's really very rewarding. You'd love it.


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