HELP!!!!!!!!

Question
My cockatiel just fell in a coffe cup, none in her mouth, just her chest, feet and some wing and tail feathers. I sprayed her down with water, she thought she was taking a shower. I don't know how to hold her or restrain her to use the sink to wash her down. what else can I do?

Kim

Answer
Hi Kim,
Accidents can be most harrowing if you are not prepared on how to deal with them. If a 'tiel is allowed free range around a home where it could possibly get into situations such as the one you just described, I would recommend that some training be done where the bird is taught to be restrained in a calm fashion. From an early age, my birds are trained to accept being restrained, and taught to lay on their backs. They are taught to allow me to touch their wings, their feet, their beaks, etc. This allows me to be able to check them out, hold them for grooming, etc, without them becoming stressed out. Sometimes, which sounds like in your case, if a bird doesn't have this training, it's just necessary to restrain them and perform whatever it is that you need to do, whether they like it or not. Just try to hold him as described below, and wash him off as quickly as possible as to minimize the stress. Another suggestion is to keep your birds wings clipped. Many 'tiels meet ill fate when they are allowed free roam of a house in places most people wouldn't think possible. For example, birds have died or have been severely injured flying onto a stove and falling into pots. Or even drowning in toilet bowls. It's something that you'd never expect to happen, but it's happened more than I'd like to know. If you need to restrain your bird, gently put your hand around the back of him, over his wings, but always make sure you never apply too much pressure on the chest area. Birds have air sacs on the outside of their lungs, unlike humans. By applying too much pressure on the chest area, could possibly prevent them from being able to breathe properly. You could towel the bird, in the same fashion, but remember to be cognizant of if the bird is able to breathe. Always make sure that water temperature is not too hot, of course, and if you wanted to put some water in the bottom of your sink like a bath? There isn't a need for a deep amount of water, where the bird could submerge completely. Just enough for him to splash around, or for you to splash some water on the area needing cleaning. It's a good practice, Kim, to get a bird in the habit of being accepting to handling if it's going to have free range. Try to clean him the best you can, and maybe during calmer times, try to work on being able to restrain him. Make it fun for him. Make a game out of it. Praise him profusely when he's accepting of being held/restrained. Start small, by laying your hand across his back. Start there. Then when he's accepting of that, try cupping him, etc. Baby steps, one step at a time. *smile*  
Best regards,
Linnie :)