I always laughed when someone would come into the pool store and ask me how they can keep the ducks out of their swimming pool. I don’t really know why I found it so funny, I just did. I did have a solution though I never tested it myself, but it seemed to work because I did have people come back and tell me it did.
I use to sell these tall dolphin floats that were weighted at the bottom so they would stand up and bob in the water. These acted like pool scarecrows.
Now I know you are probably not going to be able to find the exact dolphin float I’m talking about, but you can use any type of bobbing float, preferably one that was tall, to act like a scarecrow.
If you are having this problem, and you read and try this method out, let me know how it works. Just write a comment under the post. I look forward to hearing from you.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Tags: birds, birds in pools, ducks, ducks in pool, ducks in swimming pools, swimming pools
Is there a foolproof method to keep ducks out of a swimming pool? Not foolproof, but there is at least one way that we have found to keep water fowl out of a swimming pool.
What is the biggest downside of waterfowl in your swimming pool? The big problem is the remains that the ducks leave, staining the swim pool bottom and the pool deck. It has been amusing hearing the stories from our customers about the various items they have used to keep the ducks away.
Our customers have tried many inflatable toys such as dolphins, sharks, people, and even snakes. Unfortunately, the ducks very quickly realize that these inflatables are no threat and are soon back in the pool. The same is true of rubber snakes and other creatures.
We have also seen several mechanical devices such as owls with wings that flap with the wind or noise makers. Again, the ducks may be scared away for a day or so but quickly return.
We have found that there is only one thing that can keep the ducks out of your pool and off your decks. It is a dog that will go in the water after them. If the dog will not go in the pool, the ducks will just swim around out of its reach. While some people may not consider this a fair trade-off it is the only thing that works.
I’ll go ahead and agree that Dogs will scare away Ducks and Geese, because it’s true. They scare away a lot of backyard creatures. However, there are some other issues that arise when having a dog in your swimming pool. The risk of them ripping the liner while they doggy paddle with nails and just the plain fact that dogs carry more things on their fur than humans and that all goes in the pool.
I don’t recommending having dogs in swimming pools, but I won’t act like I haven’t done it myself and how much fun I think it is. I just can’t honestly recommend it. But what Jen says is true, they will help keep ducks and geese out. If you don’t have a dog, the inflatables work too.