Bird Bath Success Story!!

Finch Fry · Post by **Finch Fry** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:39 pm

When I bought my finches, I purchased a clear brown tinted plastic bird bath. Its 2 pieces. Coming apart across the middle of it with a bottom section to hold the water, and a top section as a sort of roof/enclosure. Its quite large and is meant to be set into the sliding doors of a cage. Basically lift up the door, put the lip of the little water bath room inside the cage and the rest of the room hangs out. The top door slides down and grabs the upper lip thereby supporting the entire room and the bath functions as an out of cage bathing area.

Well I put it in the sliding door of the cage where i used to have the water... causing me to move the water dish. They were scared out of their minds by this thing and went no where near it. They also stopped drinking water. I quickly switched them back after a few hours so the finches wouldnt dehydrate.

I went back and forth with having the bathing unit hang on the outside of the cage with no success.. however they did start using it as a drinking water source.

Not what I had planned.

I then decided that they needed to bath AND drink, so i set the water dish back on the sliding door. I then took the bathing unit and put it under their nest INSIDE of the cage. Its like a big brown box on the floor of the cage, quite out of the way. At first, they did not go near it. After time, they started perching on it and pooping on it. But nothing. So i finally decided to take the top of the unit off and have it just act like a water dish. Sure enough, it was within the hour, they were bathing and splashing water ALL over the place.

I went back and forth with putting the top and and taking it off every other day trying to encourage them to use the bath with the top on. It never worked. I finally said to heck with it, and left off the top and they were bathing every day for a solid week. I put the top on monday and same result at first.. but i left it in , i said they can just not bath for the day if they want to be so picky.

Ok, so they tought me a lesson, they both went to the drinking water, had their fill and then bathed and pooped in it. Thanks guys!!!

I said, no way, not giving up. I changed out the drinking water and left the bath. Tuesday morning, i think they gave up and they used their bird bath WITH the top on.

Thank god they are because all the water splashing was getting the wall they were up against wet... and the paint was starting to crack from the constant wet and drying.

Moral of the story... be more stubborn then finches, you can win.

franny · Post by **franny** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:01 pm

This is a real lesson to me, to try again to get my finches to drink from the Water Buddy! I'm just not stubborn enough to outwait them!

Will try it again this weekend, when I can watch them. I WILL NOT GIVE UP! (I hate the way that if you don't get the bottom of the water tube on "just right" it will leak, especially when you have to move the cage to vacuum.)

BillD · Post by **BillD** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:32 pm

Think I may have purchased the same bird bath as Finch Fry. Hangs outside the door and has 2 parts. I haven't used it yet.

My 'kids' currently bath in water/feeding cups that are placed in 2 doors, and they do splash water around, but they are on the front of the cage so I don't have any issues. I have another tube water device (not a water buddy) with a small reservoir at the bottom. They cannot get in it to bath so the water stays pretty safe and they drink from that one.

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 4:59 am

I have one by Penn Plax. Clear plastic top, brown bottom tray.

BUT it is a BAD design. When the birds flap, water goes all over the bath, and when it drips down the clear top, it goes into the grove on the side, then dripps out onto the floor.

I put a bead of silicone along the edge and that acts like a rain drip, to divert the dripping water into the tray, rather than let the water go into the groove. However, the birds started to pick at the silicone and pull it away from the plastic. So tonite I did a 2nd top but with epoxy rather than silicone. That should stand up to the birds better.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:59 am

HOORAY FOR YOUR BIRDS!!!! I have one of those baths in my classroom for my shaftails. They drink and bath out of it, but it gets changed twice a day. My kids love it because we can hear them when they are taking a bath. Water hitting the top and making all kinds of noise.

It is good sometimes to be stubborn.