Can Birds Drink Pool Water?

Do you have a pool at home? If so, then you know that birds absolutely love to pass by the pool from time to time. This also happens with any pond that they find in the street – birds see them as a free and accessible water source!

But can birds drink pool water, or will they die or get sick if they do so? Of course, we don’t want our little winged friends to get hurt whatsoever, so knowing the answer to this question is imperative.

In today’s Your Pet, Your Love guide, we are going to give you the best answer we can in the most straightforward way possible.

Can Birds Drink Pool Water?

Birds can drink pool water indeed – nothing bad will happen to them if they just have a few sips of pool water. As you know, the water that can be found in ponds in the street or in your garden is not filtered water, but it’s not like birds are used to drinking filtered water in the wild.

But there’s a problem with pool water that can certainly affect birds in the long haul – pool water is chlorinated. This means that when birds consume pool water, they are also drinking chlorine and hypochlorous, which is a chemical that can have really bad side effects in the future. 

So, the next time a bird poops in your car and you want to learn How to Get Bird Poop off Your Car, then perhaps you should focus on preventing birds from drinking pool water.

Can Birds Drink Chlorinated Pool Water?

Birds cannot drink chlorinated pool water in large amounts. It’s the same thing with humans – you cannot get the water in the pool consumed because it will harm you.

It’s not like you will get poisoned within minutes – otherwise, it won’t make sense to have this chemical (chlorine) in pool water. But when birds drink chlorinated pool water for prolonged periods of time, their bodies can feel the effects. 

It’s all about the excess. Their natural instinct is to survive by drinking water, and if they spot the location of a pool and get thirsty in hot climates, then it is unavoidable for them to drink this water.

What Happens if Birds Drink Pool Water?

When birds drink pool water in large amounts, their bodies can get poisoned with the chemicals that this type of water has.

Chlorine in large amounts can be really dangerous for birds, but as we mentioned before, just a sip from time to time will do nothing to them. Since pool water is toxic, we should always prevent birds from drinking it as long as we are able to do it.

Will Pool Water Kill Birds?

Chlorine poisoning can indeed kill birds! But before birds get to the point of chlorine poisoning, a lot of things need to happen first.

First of all, they need to drink lots, and lots of water. Remember that pool water has no nutrients whatsoever, but at the end of the day, it is still water.

For a bird to die from chlorine poisoning, they should have a lot of time drinking pool water nonstop, although it depends on the type of animal we are talking about. For instance, small birds are more prone to chlorine poisoning than large, aquatic birds, so at the end of the day, it all depends.

How to Stop Birds from Drinking Pool Water

Well, there’s not much you can do against birds drinking pool water when you are not around. You can indeed control what your bird eats (Can Parakeets Eat Watermelon, by the way?), but when it comes to wildlife, you have almost no control over it. Still, there are three tips that we can indeed give you:

1. Cover your pool. You can purchase a pool cover, which will directly prevent birds and other animals from reaching the water in your pool in quite efficient way.
2. Put a bird pond. Providing birds with a different source of water can help them choose the pond instead of the pool. Besides, including a bird feeder next to the pool is a great idea as well.
3. Scare birds. There are bird toys that you can put around your pool so birds think twice before approaching the water in the pool.

Pet Recap: Why Do Birds Drink Pool Water?

Birds drink pool water because they have no other choice. Perhaps they haven’t drunk water in a while, and they need to refresh themselves – they just like the water! 

Either way, although pool water won’t kill birds right away, it is important to prevent them from drinking this water so they can avoid chlorine poisoning. So, what would you do if there were birds near your pool, or your garage? Learn How to Get Bird Out of Garage and see you next time!

FAQ

Can Vets Treat Chlorine Poisoning In Birds?

It depends on the type of bird you have and the amount of chlorine water they have drunk in recent hours, but if you have a pet bird and suspect chlorine poisoning, then take them to the vet as soon as you have a chance.