for birds when it's hot? I have the Perky-Pet Water Cooler Bird Waterer but the water gets hot after a few hours. I already have a weather dome that blocks the sun but it still gets hot... Is putting ice in the water even safe? Once the ice melts with the water it changes the taste of the water and tastes disgusting to me so I wouldn't even do that with the bird water cooler. I don't have any trees in my backyard...
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How to keep the water cool (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MobiusX
- Start date
When I lived in Arizona our temperatures in the summer routinely reached 100+(F), I think that is 37+ Celsius on a daily basis. The birds seemed to have no problem with the water getting hot. They would come in for drinks and bathing in the middle of the day. I don’t think you really need to worry about it.
Would you want to drink hot water? No, I don't think so. If I wouldn't drink it then the birds shouldn't either, that's how I see it.
I wouldn't want to sleep in a bush or tree either, but I am not going to be inviting the entire bird world in to share my duvet.
I wasn’t trying to be an irritant, just saying what happened at my house. Sorry for trying to put your mind at ease!
Ruff
Two birds in one.
I don't think cooling the water should even be an issue. Birds are adapted to what they find in their home environments. At one point I tried to use an immersion heater to keep water liquid during the winter for the birds here in Canada, having read this was greatly appreciated. And it was, by birds like cardinals that would normally be found further south than I am in the winter. But as soon as it got cold enough for warmer climate birds to have to migrate out of my area, the native birds that overwinter every year had no use for my little setup and it was the squirrels that took it over. Not that it wasn't great to help them out with a nice drink, but they were only doing it to avoid eating snow or ice.
If I can make a suggestion to the OP, what might be important is to change the water a few times a day to prevent biological buildup of parasites or mosquitos or whatever. In my summer bird bath setup, I use a special hose timer, widely available in North America, to turn on the water supply for long enough to rinse things out completely. Look for such a timer in gardening supply stores. I rather inelegantly have a hose feeding into my setup but less countrified setups could be used if desired. And the water supply is plentiful enough here that the timer is only needed when the township decrees no watering, that may be the case in some areas as well. However, the timer was only around $35 and makes me feel ecofriendly. They can of course also be used for the intended purpose, watering garden plants automatically. I've done that too when there would be no one here for too long a period.
If I can make a suggestion to the OP, what might be important is to change the water a few times a day to prevent biological buildup of parasites or mosquitos or whatever. In my summer bird bath setup, I use a special hose timer, widely available in North America, to turn on the water supply for long enough to rinse things out completely. Look for such a timer in gardening supply stores. I rather inelegantly have a hose feeding into my setup but less countrified setups could be used if desired. And the water supply is plentiful enough here that the timer is only needed when the township decrees no watering, that may be the case in some areas as well. However, the timer was only around $35 and makes me feel ecofriendly. They can of course also be used for the intended purpose, watering garden plants automatically. I've done that too when there would be no one here for too long a period.
