Is it ok to have my finches drink out of the birdbath?

steph · Post by **steph** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:13 pm

As long as I provide fresh water daily is it ok to just have one water source - the birdbath - rather than having a separate drinking water tube? I was thinking that birds in the wild drink out of birdfeeders all the time, and they're fine...right?

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:58 pm

As far as we know they are fine... but they move on... they may get sick from unclean birdbaths and other dirty standing water, but we would never know.

Most people should be emptying their birdbaths every day and refilling, to not allow for mosquitoes to have time to grow. Standing water just invites them!

The birdbath as the soul source of water would be OK, I think, as long as you are keeping it clean/fresh. Don't forget that it will get pooped in though, where most other waterers are not so open and are less likely to get pooped in. If it's the only source, IMO it could stand to be cleaned or at least visually checked for poop more than once a day.

I think one of the folks on here who has an outdoor aviary rigged it so that the birdbath has running water pumped in a couple of times a day, so the water just overflows and is refreshed. The excess drains away in the rocks below. Indoors, if you are in a basement, you could rig the same setup on a timer, as long as you have a floor drain, and it can be directed to the drain. The danger might be in seed and other debris clogging the drain.

steph · Post by **steph** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:21 pm

I'm going to have a lot of potted plants in my aviary, so I was thinking when I go in to clean the water I could just use the birdbath water to water the plants then wipe it out and refill it with fresh water. I was going to put rocks in the bottom of the birdbath bowl, but I think it would be a pain in the neck to keep them all clean. I'm not so worried about mosquitos because the aviary is within my screen porch.

Rayray · Post by **Rayray** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:27 pm

outside the aviary i have a fishpond that is connected to my waterfall and little bathing / drinking place in the aviary , this all works good , water is very clean , although i have to sat that i filter it first with a regular pond filter with UV light .

inside i use regular water for drinking and bathing , i fill up a gallon bottle with water and add 2 or 3 drips vinegar , i give the birds daily fresh water , so in your case bathwater as drinking water isn't wrong just make sure you refresh it every day .

Ray

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 3:47 pm

steph wrote:I'm going to have a lot of potted plants in my aviary, so I was thinking when I go in to clean the water I could just use the birdbath water to water the plants then wipe it out and refill it with fresh water. I was going to put rocks in the bottom of the birdbath bowl, but I think it would be a pain in the neck to keep them all clean. I'm not so worried about mosquitos because the aviary is within my screen porch.

This is exactually what I do. I water my plants with the water that I take from the bird bath. I do not have seperate drinking water. They drink and bathe in the fountain and the large water dish. It is changed twice a day. Never had a problem. They are going to do it anyway...... you cannot stop them unless you use those tube things and I hate them.

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:39 pm

Yes they will drink out of it that's for sure. I use a tube type feeder (called a fountain feeder - not sure why) but it has a small fingercup type bottom to it, too small to allow the bird to poop in it, but doesn't leak, or drip like those ball type waterers. I also have a waterbuddy, but only the girl drinks out of it. The boy is just not bright enough to figure it out, I guess.

Will get myself in trouble for that I'm sure!

I agree that if you are emptying the bath water and wiping it out often, it will be fine as the only source of water. I just don't have the luxury of the room for a permanent structure such as a fountain or a real bird bath. I put a saucer in for the birds to bathe in, but remove it immediately after they finish their bath, so they don't count on it for drinking water. Good idea to make use of that water for the plants. Waste not want not, eh?

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:58 pm

Franny

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:06 pm

Me thinks you do protest too much...

(Just kidding.)

steph · Post by **steph** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:11 pm

What are protesting, B CAMP

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:57 pm

I don't know what franny means by protesting .I just made a joke about what franny said
The boy is just not bright enough to figure it out, I guess.

franny · Post by **franny** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:40 pm

Yup, that's all. I know, a very sexist comment....

Sorry guys.

steph · Post by **steph** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 11:22 pm

Haha...I am a bit slow

readingfc · Post by **readingfc** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:36 am

My finches have both a bird bath to drink from and a water bottle (the type you use on a rabbit cage). The water stays nice and fresh in there and they have all learnt to use the "bottle".

ac12 · Post by **ac12** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:18 pm

I was initially frustrated becuz they would drink out of their bath tub rather than their water dish.
Same when I changed to a Plenn Plax outside hanging bath (to contain all the water they were splashing). I had the water fingernail tip to 1 knuckle deep, 1 inch. This seemed to make it easier for them to get their backs wet than when the water was shallower.

Then one of the birds (the mom) got ill. For some reason whenever she would take a bath, she would go into what looked like a shock. I thought maybe thermal shock from the water. So I lowered the water level in the bath to fingernail length, 1/2 inch. That lowered the water level enough that the birds could not drink from the bath w/o going INTO the bath. That seemed to have been the kicker to get them to drink from the tubes (glass tube w/small narrow cup at the bottom). Up till then only the dad would drink from the tubes. Now they regularly drink from the tubes, and only some times drink from the bath.

Now that mom is better I have the bath water about 3/4 inch deep, and they are sometime drinking from it again.

But because they do drink from the bath and I find poop in the bath water almost every day, I try to change the bath water 2x a day, morning (so they start w clean water) and later afternoon/evening (to clean out the poop that they leave during the day).

I started put in 1 to 1-1/2 drop of apple cider vinegar per ounce of bath water (I hope that is the right ratio), and then air out the vinegar smell before putting it in the bath.

fincher · Post by **fincher** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 6:32 am

it will be fine just having the 1 water source. i have only got the 1 water source for my avairies. birds arnt like us and you cant tell them to use this water bowl to bath in and then use a different 1 for just drinking out off it. i think so many people woryy about birds getting sick if there water bowl has just i little waste or that in and clean them every day or 2 well i dont i clean my water bowls every 10days - 14days or so and if they get a bit of algea in or that i dont worry. in all that i dont get that many sick birds it also helps to build there amune system up aswell.
thanks chris