When people think about getting a pool, they generally don’t think about sharing that pool with critters and other wild animals. However, having a pool also means performing pool maintenance and other preventive measures.
Your crystal blue sparkling pool is sometimes too enticing for critters and wild animals to pass up. To them, it looks like a nice clean pond and a great place to hang out. That’s why it’s so important to think about what types of critters and animals live in your area so you can take the necessary preventive measures to keep them at bay.
The Most Common Types of Critters That Are Attracted to Pools
If you think chlorine and concrete are enough to keep creatures out of your pool, you would be wrong. Animals are instinctively attracted to water; therefore, they see your pool as a place to submerge themselves in water, get a drink, hang out, and cool off for a while. Thus the need for a variety of preventive measures and deterrents which we’ll talk about in a moment, but first let’s talk about what types of critters you could see depending on where you live.
- Snakes
- Frogs
- Toads
- Ducks
- Birds
- Squirrels
- Rabbits
- Mice
- Deer
- Snake Away or granular sulfur, which can be spread around the perimeter of your pool area or yard.
- Garlic cloves or dried garlic sprinkled around the pool perimeter.
- Mint leaves and lemongrass. Snakes hate these.
- Frogs love the water so making it unappealing to them is key. Try adding a rubber snake to the water and the deck as they are a great deterrent for frogs. Additionally, frogs don’t like high chlorine levels so if you sprinkle some DE filter powder around the edges of your deck, it usually works well as a deterrent. For ducks and birds, a plastic owl or a product called Duck Off will sometimes do the trick.
First Things First…Be Aware of the Obvious
Before addressing your options for keeping critters away from your pool, let’s talk about the obvious like not leaving human food-stuffs, dog and cat food, trash cans, etc. open or lying around as these will naturally attract hungry animals to your pool. You should also consider relocating your bird feeders to areas that are away from your pool. Additionally, keep your trees, bushes, and other vegetation trimmed and cleaned out to prevent overgrowth which creates the perfect spot for an animal to make their new home.
Chemicals and Natural Critter Prevention Alternatives
Snakes generally end up in a pool by accident, then they have trouble getting out. The best way to keep snakes out of your pool is using one of the following methods:
Tools, Built-Ins, and Other Animal Prevention Features
The main problem when an animal ends up in your pool by accident or otherwise is that once they’re in your pool, they can’t get out. So, of course, the best option is to keep them from getting into the pool area to begin with.
1. Pool Area Barriers
A fence around your pool area is the first thing you need and they’re required by law anyway so that’s a no-brainer. You should also consider installing a pool cover, enclosure, or some type of netting. Just make sure your cover isn’t one that can be easily breached or fallen through; otherwise, you will have an even bigger problem on your hands.
2. Pool Safety Ramps
Products such as the Skamper Ramp or Doggie Dock are both designed to dangle over the edge of your pool deck and overlap into the water. This offers an escape route for any animal or critter that has gotten into your pool but can’t get out. These are also good for helping your dogs get in and out of your pool more easily as well.
3. Built-In Options
If you’re building a new pool, consider installing a beach entry option at one end or exit friendly steps and ledges. Alternatively, you could install a full pool screen or glass enclosure, which in most cases, except for deer and dogs, will prevent most critters from getting into your pool.
4. Psychological Deterrents
Decoys and other scare tactics are great for keeping animals out of your pool. You could try a scarecrow, plastic owls, plastic snakes, and/or plastic alligators.
You could also install motion detection lighting, sprinklers, chimes, decorative flags, or other similar physical movement deterrents to see what works for your particular situation.
If You’ve Got a Problem and Need a Solution Fast…
Who You Gonna Call?
No, not Ghostbusters!
Foley Pools that’s who! We are your pool experts and have served Frisco and the surrounding areas for almost 30 years.
Just one call does it all! Go ahead and Contact Us today. We look forward to serving you.