I need some ideas about how to get Tiko (my RLA) clean. She refuses to take a bath. I have tried taking her into the shower, putting a perch in the shower, misting her with a spray bottle, misting her on her favorite perch.

She is beginging to just be very dusty. I had a black shirt on and when she got off my shoulder, it was white.

Now, Tiko is flighted, which makes this even more of a challange, she just flies away whenever I come near even talking about taking a bath

Any insight or majic solutions?????

Well for Spike my Tiel, every time I would come near him with a spray bottle outside of his cage, he would fly to the other side of the room.. So I just started spraying him while he was IN his cage, so he really had nowhere to go. After a week or so, he LOVED it, he would climb right up to the front of his cage whenever he saw me with the spray bottle. The only suggestion I have is that if your bird looks really freaked out by being sprayed in its cage then its not a great idea.

Our birds are flighted and this is how I have overcome the spray issue as well. The birds are actually afraid of the bottle, but like the spray once they feel it. They are comfortable in their cage so you can try sitting the spray bottle next to the cage while your bird can get used to seeing it. You can transition the spraying, by doing a few light sprays daily, a do it in a fun playing fashion.

Have you tried the misters they have out now? http://www.mybirdstore.com/search.cg...+to+Search.y=0 A lot of people have had luck with it with birds who are otherwise afraid of baths. You pump it up prior to using it, press a button and hold the button in. A very fine mist is expelled from the bottle. It is less frightening for the birds.

This is what I used when I first started giving showers to a bird that wasn't used to them. It was accepted much easier than the spray bottle. I could actually hide the water container under my shirt and just hold the little tube sprayer part.

It does help with birds who are scared of water and/or the spray bottle.

Thanks everyone for the insight, (and the post about the importance of showers)

I though about spraying Tiko in her cage, but I didnt want her to feel like her cage was not a safe place. That is her little corner of the world, and she gets so upset even if I change out her toys and move things aournd....

Anyway, I bucked up this morning, picked her up and brought her into the shower with me. I kept hold of her the whole time so she couldnt fly away. Guess what??? I came out of it with only 2 bites that bled....

She is now clean, and is still stepping up for me, so I guess she doesnt hate me SO much.

Thanks again everyone!!!