Are bird baths sanitary
Bird baths can cause many issues in regards to ill health, but to maintain high standards can avoid an unsanitary bird bath in the yard.
Bird baths are sanitary but it really depends on the person responsible for maintaining it, with no partially bird bath style or material benefiting the most. Birds won't use an unsanitary bird bath but can do which can lead to illness. Maintain a cleaning routine with fresh water to avoid bacteria or algae growing.
Unfortunately as bird baths are used to keep birds re-hydrated, the water is ingested by birds with delicate immune systems, so its not at all possible to use chemicals.
Soft, non toxic chemicals can be considered to clean bird baths, but nothing must be added to the water to assist in it staying clean.
Bird baths are sanitary as long as you are willing to keep it clean.
You must clean the bird bath itself, especially the bowl that holds the water to prevent bacteria setting or algae growing.
This can happen if you don't clean the bird bath two or three times a week, along with replenishing the water every time too - but it helps to refill the bird bath every day with clean water.
Sterilize your bird bath with a 50/50 water to vinegar mix only to kill off bacteria, while never applying anything else such as the use of a diluted bleach solution if you can.
In the end the bird bath with the wildlife that is going to be attracted to it will work out on its own. To maintain high standards when cleaning the bird bath out regularly, while changing out water is more vital than ever.
Bird baths are only going to benefit birds so its important to do your utmost to keep it clean, tidy and free of bacteria that can be unavoidable at times.
Unsanitary if NOT maintained
Sanitary issues surrounding a bird bath for everyday use by our common backyard birds can be avoided if only it were to be cleaned out regularly.
Really, the secret weapon to keeping a bird bath sanitary is cleaning it as often as possible.
It may not be possible to clean your bird bath two or three times a week, but three or four times a week is the target regardless.
In all seriousness, bird baths do get a little unsanitary and its hard to avoid issues of bird droppings or dirt entering the water. But again this can be cleaned out often to prevent the muck setting, thus creating an unhealthy water source.
Birds like to drink in clear fresh rain water, or bathe on the shallow edges of lakes, rivers and ponds.
For the bird bath water to be unsanitary, this would be noticeable by birds, thus birds would prefer to avoid the bird bath at all costs.
Regular cleaning a requirement
Birds bath are sanitary if you do indeed continue to clean out the bird bath of the water, to replace it with only cold water out of the tap.
Never feel the need to fill a bird bath with mineral water, bottle or water at extra expense when birds can happily, and safely - drink or bathe in water out of the tap.
Its imperative to beat off potential harmful bacteria developing on the surfacing of the water by making sure to tip off or pour out bits and pieces - in-between cleaning out the bird bath two or three times a week.
Benefits to cleaning a bird bath as much as four times a week is going to benefit you more, as less maintenance is needed later with the development of stubborn algae or hard to remove residue slowly grows worse.
Clean your bird bath twice a week at the very least during colder, chilly months, but step it up more in warmer, more humid conditions as bacteria develops quicker in the heat.
You only need to tip out the bird bath water on the ground below it, or into a drain in the yard.
With that you can then simply replenish the bird bath with a jug full of fresh tap water.
Fresh water is imperative
Bird baths can only remain sanitary if only they are kept replenished with use of fresh water, soon after filling it via the faucet in the kitchen.
I say fresh water is imperative because as you'd probably know, water soon bubbles over if left out too long, thus the water quality soon diminishes.
Not a problem for fresh water that must be left outdoors, as wildlife other then backyard birds would be perfectly OK to drink it over the coming days.
Regardless, bird baths must still be continued to be refilled with fresh water as to keep the more fussy birds coming back. Knowing that can help you develop a routine, as getting to lazy by replenishing later can see fewer birds use the bird bath.
I've said it before but its only water out of the tap that is needed to offer clean, fresh water.
Clean, fresh water must really only be used once the bird bath has been cleaned out, this way the water remains cleaner for longer.
Colder months will create healthier conditions for water to just sit there in the bird bath, but notice how it soon fogs over under the heat of the sun.
With that in mind, be sure to favor a shaded spot for your bird bath to help keep the bird bath more sanitary, for longer.
No harm done to birds
Having said all that, its not really a common thing to see birds who frequent our bird baths become ill after using the water out of a bird bath.
Bird baths are sanitary if regularly clean out with fresh water added as often as possible.
But anything that can enter the water tends to be avoided by birds anyway. Its not normal to see birds drink or bathe in poor quality water.
Harm done can happen but would often go unnoticed, but don't assume its not your responsibility to care for birds as you'll soon drop bird bath sanitary standards.
Bird poop is not good for sure as its likely to release toxins that is not good for wildlife if ingested, so do make sure the bird bath in use is not prone to droppings in the water.
To have a bird poop filled bird bath would require a more frequent clean out to avoid the water becoming toxic.
Similarly, but less hassle is the growth of algae, you really don't want to see this get out of control in a bird bath as its made harder to remove later, yet more difficult to keep the bird bath water fresh from the get go.
Little green algae is possible and not a problem, but do your best to stop it developing all together.
Conclusion
It can seem unlikely a bird bath can remain sanitary over the course of its use, but indeed wildlife such as birds have come to work around troublesome bird baths.
What that means is, unsanitary, left to go bad bird bath water - plus the bird bath - would simply not be used by delicate creatures that are willing to use it.
Birds know when water is bad so will simply not drink the water or bathe in it.
With that in mind, as the person responsible for maintaining the bird bath, you will have to clean out the bird bath two to three times a week, or more if at all possible.
In fact to clean out the bird bath, before replacing the water with fresh tap water - every day of its use - would be the best course of action. That is not to say everyone does, nor is it possible to keep up such a time consuming routine.
Bird baths will remain sanitary as long as you are willing to put in the time.
Bird baths need cleaning out regularly to beat off potential harmful toxins developing in the water, but to replenish with fresh water every day can avoid these issues.
Little harm can be done to birds as they tend to avoid unsanitary bird baths, so keep up a tight schedule of cleaning the bird bath while replacing the water more often.
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