Bathing a cockatiel is essential to their overall health.

Regular bathing will greatly benefit their skin and feathers, as well as reduce the amount of dust that comes off their bodies.

However, some cockatiels may be hesitant or cautious to bathe…

They may not want to get wet, or they are simply scared of the water.

Cockatiels who are new to the water and haven’t bathed before will be especially hesitant, it’s up to us as bird parents to encourage bathing by providing plenty of opportunities for them to do so.

Cockatiels have preferences, they like things done a certain way, and bathing is no different.

Extremely stubborn cockatiels won’t even bathe unless it’s presented the way they like.

You need to discover your cockatiels preferred bathing method so they’ll be more willing to bathe when presented the opportunity.

Below you’ll find 6 different ways you can give your cockatiel baths.

Some are common ideas that you may already know, but I hope to give you at least 1 new idea for how you can bathe your bird that you haven’t thought of before.

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Quick Navigation:

• 1) Spray Bottle Bath
• 2) Water Tray
• 3) Steam Cleaning
• 4) Faucet Toy
• 5) Bathing In Leafy Greens
• 6) Showering With Your Cockatiel
• General Advice For Bathing Cockatiels

1) Spray Bottle Cockatiel Bath

Using a spray bottle to shower a cockatiel is probably the most popular bathing method, and for good reason.

It’s quick, easy, and can be done while they’re sitting on a nearby perch.

Unfortunately, some birds don’t like to be easy and will run away from the spray bottle.

The fact that you’re here looking for different bathing methods probably means your bird doesn’t like the spray bottle either.

For some birds, it just takes some getting used to, they may not like it at first but will accept it on the second try.

Take a look at this cockatiel completely flop for the spray bottle 🤣

If only it was this easy to bathe them all the time.

It’s also worth noting that when you spray your bird, don’t spray them directly at first.

Make the water rain from above as a nice misty spray before you really soak them.

You need to let them know they’re about to get soaked by gently misting them at first before you just spray them in the face.

Not all spray bottles come out misty, if you’re looking to replace your current spray bottle, I recommend you buy this one from amazon

This spray bottle allows you to just hold the trigger and super misty water will continuously spray, which means no more hand workouts while spraying your bird.

View the super misty spray bottle on amazon

2) Water Tray

Setting out a shallow dish such as a plate or bowl works great as a cockatiel bath.

Parrots who avoid spray bottles will typically prefer to bathe in a shallow dish filled with warm water.

The water will need to be at least past their feet so they can have a good wash and get their whole bodies clean.

Cockatiels who bathe this way will put on quite a show as they fluff up and soak up the water like a little feathered sponge.

Simply place a dish of warm water out for them to bathe in.

You could place it on top or on the floor of the cage, anywhere they’ll have plenty of room to splash around without hitting anything is a good location.

Encourage them to bathe by dipping your hand in and out, letting the water drip back into the dish.

If they ignore it or continue to fly away, you may need to try some more unique bathing methods.

3) Steam Cleaning

You can steam clean your cockatiel by running hot water and letting the steam rise up to their bodies.

This method allows your bird to clean themselves without working up the courage to step into the water as the moisture in the steam goes through their feathers.

Although steam cleaning is not efficient enough to be used as a primary cleaning method, it does have 1 good perk…

Steam can help clear your cockatiels’ nostrils of feathers and dust.

Hot steam will help clear any dust, fluff, and other stuff out of your cockatiels nose.

My vet has recommended doing this often, as a way to make sure the nose is clear at all times.

Since cockatiels are very dusty, there is a good chance they’ll get some fluff up their nose every now and then.

I personally give steam baths to my cockatiel once a week, on the same day I give regular spray baths.

Steam bathing is totally safe, there is nothing toxic or harmful about steam inhalation from hot running water.

4) Faucet Toy Bird Bath

There is this very interesting toy on the market that I’ve been looking at for quite some time.

It’s a little toy sink with a faucet tap and running water which can be used as a cockatiel bath, pretty cool in my opinion.

I can hear you asking “why is this better than a regular sink?”

Well, the answer is simple…

Regular sinks are filled with harmful germs and bacteria.

This toy offers them their own germ-free sink to bathe in.

It runs on batteries (4 AA batteries) to cycle the water from the bottom and runs water out the tap, the water just keeps cycling as long as the batteries don’t run out.

With this toy, you can give your cockatiel a bath and a shower at the same time.

The faucet toy includes other pieces such as toy knives, forks, and dishes.

You can just remove these to give your bird more room to bathe.

It’s a cool little addition to your birds’ toy collection.

View the faucet toy on Amazon here if you’re interested.

5) Bathing In Leafy Greens

Have you ever thought to bathe your cockatiel in wet leafy greens?

Lettuce, bok choy, or other leafy greens can be used as a bath by your cockatiel as they hold water really well.

You can clip the wet leafy greens to the side of the cage or give them a bowl full of leafy greens to bathe in.

Look at these adorable budgies bathing in some lettuce:

Always make sure the leaves are clean from any pesticides before adding them to the bathing bowl, the pesticides could spread throughout the water which wouldn’t be very nice for your cockatiel to bathe in.

Using this method, your cockatiel can have a good wash as well as a tasty snack 😋

6) Showering With Your Cockatiel

Letting your cockatiel shower with you is yet another effective way of keeping them clean.

As well as being a good way to wash your cockatiel, showering together is a fun bonding activity that will make your bird feel closer to you.

While showering, cockatiels shouldn’t be hit with direct water, you should position the showerhead so that the water rebounds off the wall, giving your bird a gentle sprinkle.

Also, make sure the water isn’t too hot or too cold.

Cockatiels prefer warm water at low pressure.

However, most showers won’t have an ideal place to set your cockatiel.

Purchasing a shower perch instantly solves this problem, anyone who plans to shower with their birds should definitely have a shower perch.

These perches use suction cups to stick to the wall, giving your cockatiel a comfortable and stable place to sit and clean in the shower.

I bought this shower perch from amazon:

Works like a charm, it’s easy to attach and supports the weight of a cockatiel with no problems.

I’ve found that if you continually detach and reattach the shower perch, it will lose some of its suction cup power.

What I do is just leave it stuck to the shower wall, it seems to be stronger that way.

However, I wouldn’t recommend using this for a macaw or cockatoo, it might not be THAT strong but it’s good for cockatiels.

General Advice For Bathing Cockatiel

• You cannot add soap, shampoo, or other cleaning products to your birds’ bath as they are toxic, just water is perfectly fine and will keep them clean.

• After bathing, you don’t need to dry them, let the wind and air do the work.

• Keeping the bathing opportunity there for longer will give hesitant cockatiels time to build up the courage to take a dip.

• Just because your cockatiel doesn’t bathe in a certain way once, doesn’t mean they won’t bathe that way forever. Offer the same bathing method more than once to see if they’ll warm up to it.

• Birds are attracted to the sight and sound of water, they’ll be more curious when they hear the sound of dripping water, which will cause them to investigate and possibly take a bath.