My pet got wax on its fur. How can I safely remove it at home?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unless the wax is interfering with flight or movement, then I would not be too concerned. But if you want to remove it, I would use a hairdryer on low & take your time softening up the wax. Gently work or scrape the wax from the feet & feathers, & all should be good. Thank you.

I am sorry to hear about Titan! I would consider bringing him to the vet for an exam to ensure that he didn't receive any burns from the hot wax. If he has an extensive amount of wax on his feathers you may also need the help of the vet to remove the wax safely. Small amounts that are not near the face can sometimes be removed with warm water containing very small amounts of dawn dish soap to help soften the wax with the warmth thereby allowing it to be removed, but if your parakeet has a large area covered with wax, doing this at home could be difficult and risky so a vet's help would be best.

If Gatsby eats the wax, it will likely just pass naturally. You can try to get the wax out by breaking most of it off. If you take Gatsby to a groomer on Wednesday or a vet, they may be able to shave off the hair.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bandit. I would bathe just the affected areas with Dawn dish soap. It is good at the stripping the fur and will hopefully strip any remaining wax off of him. You do not want him to ingest the wax. If he becomes lethargic or refuses to eat or drink, he will need to see his veterinarian. Good luck!

If he seems okay otherwise and was not burned, I would suggest keeping an eye on him and helping him get the wax off his face. I also recommend not letting him ingest the wax as it may contain chemicals that could be harmful to him.

Ouch! Poor Rocky! Burns are really high risk to get infected and are usually very painful. If possible, I would have your vet look at it so they can properly clean the wound and get him started on antibiotics and pain meds and topical treatment to have the fastest recovery. If you are unable to take him to the vet, you can try to gently clean it will a mild soap and water. I would also make sure he doesn’t lick it. You can put a Cone collar on him to prevent this. You can put neosporin OINTMENT on it twice a day to help it heal. I would also confine him so he doesn’t get the area dirty. This method may not work so watch the wound closely. If at any point there is pus from the wound or he stops eating or becomes lethargic, I would strongly urge him to see a vet as the infection could go systemic without oral antibiotics. I hope this helps and he feels better soon!

If there is a chance that the skin was burned by the wax, I would recommend having Milks examined by your veterinarian because burns can be very serious and difficult to heal. If the skin was not damaged, then the fur should regrow normally. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.