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Post by Scratchpost on Oct 15, 2023 6:04:20 GMT -7
Hi all,
I'm sure you know that Aka hates the spray bottle for bathing etc., I have posted about it a few times.
It Summer in South Africa now, and the midday temperature reaches about 32-34. It starts heating up at about 10 am and only goes down to a respectable temperature around 17:00. This is an issue for Aka because he needs his daily sun....
In Summer when it's really hot I only out him in the sun for about 20 minutes, or until he waves his foot to ask if I could bring his cage back, but even so, it's extremely hot. There is a place on the one side of the cage where he can get to shade but he never goes there so he sits in the sun and pants for a few minutes which isn't good long-term.
I have his bath in his cage when he's in the sun but he only bathes about 50% of the time which is an issue because if he doesn't bathe, he can't cool down. Until last week.
I know he hates the spray bottle, he knows he hates the spray bottle, but I also know I have to spray him to cool him down if he refuses to bathe. Last week, I wheeled his cage into the sun spot like normal, and I put the spray bottle on the dining room table, in full view of the cage. I reminded him that if he doesn't bath I'll have to spray him. He gave the annoyed grunt, got down from his perch, and had a proper bath! It was so great.
I don't like threatening but sometimes threats work haha.
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Post by Jane on Oct 16, 2023 4:57:06 GMT -7
Greys can be very strong willed but Aka knew what he had to do to avoid the spray bottle! I wonder if it is the actual spray bottle he doesn't like or if it is more a case of him wanting to be independent and deciding for himself when he wants to get wet and doing it as he wants to.
Monty has always loved water and isn't afraid of a spray bottle but he likes to decide what he does (which is usually bathing in his drinking water) and when. He can protest if I try to spray him when he doesn't want to be sprayed.
Jane
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Post by Haz on Oct 16, 2023 18:47:59 GMT -7
Chy hates being sprayed but won’t take a bath. I have a bottle with a very fine spray that I use but she still hates it. She doesn’t mind tossing water from her drinking bowl.
Haz
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Post by Scratchpost on Oct 17, 2023 1:35:18 GMT -7
Hi Jane,
Yes they can be haha. I think it's a combination of the bottle and the spray to be honest.
I introduced him to the spray bottle when he was a lot younger (from advice from the breeder who uses it on their birds) and at the time, the spray bottle was bigger than Aka. Then I had the audacity to spray him with the scary, bigger bottle. Him not liking the spray bottle is 100% my fault, I should have waited until he was a bit bigger or older and let him touch and feel the bottle before I used it on him. The breeder's birds are all well into their 20s so they are used to it. Now, (he turned two last week) it might be an independence thing but I don't think it was like that in the beginning.
Aka has never bathed in his water bowl but that might be because his water bowl is smaller than the food bowls (about 9cm circumference).
Hi Haz,
I heard that those fine mist bottles, like the ones gardeners use for their plants, work well because it mimics the fine rain found in the forests where the African Greys come from but I haven't tested that theory yet. We don't have a garden shop close to us and I don't want to spend a lot (they are quite expensive since they are a 'special' garden tool) if Aka will hate it as much as he hates the normal spray bottle.
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Post by Jane on Oct 23, 2023 4:53:32 GMT -7
There are small spray bottles for air plants but I use a small bottle that came in a set meant for putting various cosmetics in for travelling. It measures five inches (including the spraying part) by one inch and you can't see much of it when it is in my hand.
Jane
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Post by Haz on Oct 23, 2023 8:56:15 GMT -7
I just have to show Chy a regular spray bottle and she will stop whatever bad thing she is doing.
Haz
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Post by Scratchpost on Oct 25, 2023 3:18:12 GMT -7
Hi Jane,
I have seen those, I have also bought a new spray bottle that does fine mist. This one is smaller than the previous one and I thought I could hide it in my hand or behind objects but Aka knows immediately and puffs up and starts growling. It's ok, he has a bath now. He doesn't bathe every time I put it in his cage, but when he does he bathes properly so I'm not too fussed. I have to put snack in the bath (pieces of orange/grapefruit skin so they don't dissolve in the water) to get him in, but once he's in he spends close to 20 minutes just splashing around. It's really cute.
Hi Haz,
Haha I have to hide the spray bottle I use for my plants (different one) from Aka when I spray them. If I don't, he puffs up, growls, and if I don't take it away soon enough he attacks it, as in flies/runs to where I am standing, hisses, then tries to bite the spray bottle, with my hands still attached. I learnt the hard way the first time lol.
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