Parrot bathing

[mesmerred]

I have an African Grey parrot which up until a year ago used to love being sprayed. However he suddenly took a dislike to it and now won't be sprayed or bathe himself in a dish. He is healthy and preens regularly, but the spraying did help to keep the "parrot powder" down and I would have thought he would want a bath! Any ideas / thoughts?

[wildwood]

No idea why it has suddenly developed a dislike for spray. There is a reason, but it may be so obscure as to be disregarded by a human.

As long as he keeps preening there is nothing to worry about. The powder is a lanolin based powder the bird gets from special down that grows on the chest area. If you rub it between your fingers it feels like talcum powder. The powder is essential for preening as the oil-gland is almost vestigial.

[mesmerred]

Thank you for your help and I agree that I must have made a very subtle change which was important to him, but I didn't notice. He looks ok but I'm glad to have checked. Do you know, are there any health risks to humans associated with the powder? With two Greys, both in the living area, there is a lot of the stuff flying about the house, which no amount of vacuuming can capture, although I think the spraying helped. Obviously we are breathing it in. Any thoughts?