SAFETY ALERT: Bird Baths

[MiaCarter]

Hi everyone!
I wanted to share a quick safety caution on an in-cage bird bath that nearly killed one of my babies today.

Here's what one of them looks like:


The safety problem surrounds the two little clips on the top edge of the bath hood, circled in red. You're supposed to lift the cage door and snap it into the clips. But they're a tad too big and don't hold the bar securely. This caused the door to come crashing down, trapping the bird inside the bird bath!

I have no idea how long he was in there -- up to about 90 minutes. I woke up from a nap to crazy sounds from my bird room and all three of the others in that cage were *screaming* in distress and fluttering around the area of the bird bath.
The bird who was trapped inside was all puffed up and clearly starting to suffer from hypothermia. He was lethargic and couldn't fly properly; just "fluttering" and landing on the cage floor again.
I picked him up and he was clearly shivering. So I moved him to a hospital cage with a heat pad to warm him up.
He snuggled on the heating pad for about half an hour and is returned to normal. I'm monitoring him for a couple more hours before I return him home.

This could have easily been fatal if he'd been trapped in the water for much longer.

I experimented and it takes just a small amount of wiggling to cause the cage door to come crashing down, trapping the bird inside the bird bath!
Those clips DO NOT hold the cage door open securely!
This can be *deadly*, even with room temperature water. Any prolonged exposure water that's lower than body temperature will cause hypothermia!

I bought two different cage-mounting bird baths (different manufacturers) for two different cages. BOTH had the exact same "universal" clips and both product's photos and directions tell you to mount the clips in the same way.

But this problem is easily solved!!
Those clips slide off. You simply turn them upside down so they cradle the bottom bar of the cage door.
Simple fix and it could mean your bird's life!
I've also secured the cage door in the open position using some craft wire as a fail-safe.

I've emailed both the manufacturers and left notes and reviews for the sellers on Amazon, but I wanted to share here too in case someone has a bird bath with these clips!
Just flip them upside down, opposite of the way they're depicted in the photo, and it solves the problem and may very well save your birdie's life!

[cindy]

Simple solution...clothes pin the cage door open when using the tub.

[finchmix22]

Glad your baby was alright!

[MiaCarter]

Simple solution...clothes pin the cage door open when using the tub.

Indeed, I think that could work if you have a slightly larger bar spacing or a smaller clothes pin than what I tried.

Just to clarify, this is mounted in one of the extra feeding ports, with the doors that slide open vertically.

There wouldn't be any problem if you could somehow mount it in a small door that swings in/out. (But neither box/directions, showed this type of door. They all showed the same vertical-sliding door.)

At least Molly Sue is okay; that's all that matters!

[MiaCarter]

Here's another bath with the same "universal" clips, but these are mounted in the *safe* manner:

[delray]

Thanks for letting us know, although I don't use that type.

[dcompt]

Poor Molly Sue! Lucky you had the hospital cage and heat ready to go. I wonder if it will cause a lingering fear of the bath. They seem to have fairly short memories sometimes, but that was very traumatic.

[wildbird]

So glad you found Molly Sue in time! Thanks for letting everyone know & notifying the manufacturer.

[MiaCarter]

Poor Molly Sue! Lucky you had the hospital cage and heat ready to go. I wonder if it will cause a lingering fear of the bath. They seem to have fairly short memories sometimes, but that was very traumatic.

I know it!
Close call, for sure. Molly Sue is old -- 12 in June -- and I know he won't live forever. But I'd have been **heartbroken** if he died in such an awful way! Thank goodness his friends were yelling about it as it was their odd vocalizations that got my attention. They were very distressed.

Makes me feel awful that I tried to do something nice for them by getting some nice new cage accessories and it backfired in such a terrible way!

I thought of that too, that he may be frightened of the bath.
I got two slightly different models so I switched them and put it in a new port.
I've seen a couple others bathe already so they're not traumatized, but we'll see on Molly Sue!
I opened the hospital cage to see if he was back to normal and wanting to fly free for a bit but he went straight home to his normal cage and made a bee-line to sit with baby Squeepers! So all is well and he's back into daddy mode.

[Corkysgirl]

Wow, that's so scary!!! I had a problem with the door of this bird bath shutting the same way but for my it meant my birds had no water all day when I discovered it. I never even considered they may have gotten trapped in there. Yes, so glad you found him and he's fine now! http://www.amazon.com/JW-Pet-Company-In ... birds+bath

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl - I'm glad to hear everything worked out okay with your guys!

These little birds have such a fast metabolism and a day without food or water can be a recipe for disaster, so I'm happy yours were unharmed! A close call for sure.

Your's is a slightly different style from the one I purchased, but I actually considered that one you have. (I didn't get it because of the curved top seems it wouldn't work well with a square hole, leaving a space where they could fly out.)

Did you notify the manufacturer? I would, just so they're aware. That type of feedback helps them build safer models in the future.

[Corkysgirl]

Actually I should notify them about that. I didn't think of it. I have already notified them because the quality was so bad. I loved the concept. I loved how they worked, and fit, if it wasn't for the freak mishap if not very carefully watched...but accidents happen so it's not worth it.... but...the issue I really had with these are they break so fast. pieces break off, the main plastic part cracks and they LEAK!!! It drives me mad! I had to put multiple rubber bands around it going in different directions just to put more pressure so they didn't leak. I wish they would perfect it because my birds loved them. I went through five of them and they were all the same. They broke so fast. The main part on the top snapped off immediately with one of them. Oh...the curved top just abutted up to the cage so the shape didn't matter. The opening was only as wide as the door of the birds cage was. It fits very well, most cages.

[ac12]

I do not like those baths for the reason you said, they LEAK, a lot.
The problem is
- The water will be splashed on the top.
- The water drips down the inside to the joint where the top piece goes around the bottom piece
- The leak happens when the water follows the plastic and goes around the ledge of the bottom piece where it then drips onto the floor.

What I had to do was to make a drip sill by putting epoxy around the bottom edge of the top piece. The drip sill diverts the water to drip back into the bottom, rather than follow the plastic around to dip onto the floor.

I prefer the attached bird bath.
The water does not drip outside the bath, and I don't have to modify the bath.

[Corkysgirl]

ac12 I have them and use them for seed. I didn't think to use them for a bath. Good to know.

[CommaHolly]

Oh Poor Molly Sue!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad he's ok! thanks for the heads up,,,,,,,,right now I just use a tupperware on the bottom of the cage, but I was thinking about getting a door mounted bird bath,,,,,,,,I'll be sure to check it over carefully before I do!