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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 42 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 like it Oct 15, 2006
By DB
"busywoman"
I purchased the wiggler to prohibit mosquitoes from multiplying, and it appears to be working. I was told that birds like moving water. The birds come with the wiggler. Midafternoon the bath is filled with birds splashing around. This summer we were topping the bath off 2-3 times. The bath needs to be wide enough (I suggest at least 18") to accommodate birds and wiggler.
The squirrels/racoon have tied to steal the spinner several times. We found the spinner lying on the ground and have to reinsert. Most recently the culprit stole the foam donuts. API was very good about replacing the spinner once at no charge.
16 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Attracts More Birds to My Bath May 15, 2007
By ESVK
"SVK"
I have owned this little unit for over a year and it works great. Why? It is hard for birds to judge the depth of the water when it is not moving so they may pass over your bath thinking that it is too deep. (this may sound silly to us, but it is true). I get 2-3 times more birdbath activity now. You still have to clean your water and I remove the Wiggler before winter. The batteries last many months. Honestly, the price is a little steep for what it is, but it is worth it for what it does - attracts more birds. It should last many seasons with proper care.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Mosquito Deterrent? May 15, 2011
By Spudman
This 5.5-inch plastic and metal dome-shaped device when placed in a birdbath, armed with two D size batteries, wiggles the water creating silent concentric ripples from end to end. So why would anyone spend twenty or more dollars for a contraption that looks like a breast on stilts and just sits in the backyard birdbath? A fondness for concentricity? A touch of avian eccentricity? A passion for safe electricity? A love of simplicity? Read on.
Rationale for the Water Wiggler from Allied Precision Industries
Still water in a container eventually becomes stagnant, the sides and bottom of the water's receptacle becoming green and slimy with what we technically call gunk. The still water is also an attractive destination for mosquitoes, a safe place for these critters to lay their eggs ensuring the continuation of the vile species. A spinner on the bottom of the Water Wiggler agitates the water (but not the parched birds), creating continuous, gentle ripples in the birdbath's water and discouraging, maybe even preventing, mosquitoes from laying their eggs in birdbaths. The moving water is said to attract birds and more importantly "helps prevent the spread of west Nile virus by eliminating still water in birdbaths.
Product Features:
Easy to install. (Unless you are very, very short, Shleppies!) Just set it in the water. No Wires! No plumbing! No cumbersome extension cords!
Operates on just two D-cell batteries for a full season of continuous use. (Unless you live in a state with one yearlong season.)
Operates 24 hours a day. (Great for those night owls)
Silent. And very quiet too.
Full one year warranty
May use in the winter to agitate the water and attract more birds. (Probably won't discourage too many mosquitoes in the winter)
In the Backyard Birdbath on Spud Acres
We used the water wiggler in one of our three birdbaths for two seasons, and despite my initial skepticism, seemed to fulfill most of its promise. The birdbath with the wiggler was by far the most popular, attracting many birds for baths, drinks or a ringside perch. A birdbath housing a Water Wiggler still has to be cleaned, just a little less often. I know I felt so much more comfortable knowing I wasn't contending with despicable mosquitoes or putting myself at risk of contracting a mosquito-borne disease. What does one do with a perpetually wiggling device while cleaning the birdbath? Sometimes I held it in one hand and cleaned with the other. At other times I enlisted a helper to hold the wiggler while I cleaned and refreshed the water. And there were also those times when I just laid the little round wiggler on its back.
Several times a season I found the wiggler on the ground, spinning away, just wiggling in the breeze. I can only guess what manner of varmint villain caused the displacement of our innocent wiggler. Raccoon? Possum? Owl? Eagle? Or maybe one of those mischievous squirrels that live to antagonize. Except for the most recent occasion, it was just a simple matter of rinsing off and replacing the little wiggler. Several weeks ago, however, the entire heavy, cast concrete birdbath was totally toppled, the water wiggle lying in pieces on the ground. I tried to reinsert the spinner but it was too misshapen. Its one year warranty hadn't expired, but in our anguish neither Mrs. Spudman nor myself thought of contacting Allied Precision Industries for a replacement. The damaged wiggler now rests somewhere in the county landfill. Since the fallen birdbath is so heavy I can only guess that the culprit this time was a large raccoon, a deer, or one of the wild potatoes that lurk in the deep woods.
Verdict
I'm not sure if I'd buy another Water Wiggle since I'm not the one who bought the departed one in the first place. One must really love birds and backyard birding to spend such a hefty amount for this birdbath accessory. The West Nile Virus angle seems a bit far-fetched to me. I suppose in a small way one water wiggler in our backyard birdbath can reduce the potential spread of west Nile by an infinitesimal amount. Not providing any birdbaths at all would be just as effective, if not more so. All the birdbaths in the world combined are just a small percentage of the available breeding pools for mosquitoes.
The wiggler's batteries are long lasting, and the rippling rings do seem to attract birds. The presence of constantly agitated water does seem to diminish the amount of yuck (technical term) growing on the birdbath's surface. But I'm still on the fence with this one, wiggling and waggling with my opinion. If you think the stated benefits are worth the price, then get yourself a Water Wiggler. Comments about the Water Wiggler on other consumer sites are mostly positive.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Birds prefer this; doesn't eliminate mosquitoes completely Jun 29, 2009
By C. G. King
I have an odd birdbath arrangement on my deck that allowed me to test this unit's effectiveness. There is no question the birds prefer it, and though I still find mosquito larvae, there are fewer. I have two identical birdbaths next to each other and found that when I added the Water Wiggler to one, the birds went to it exclusively over the other. It was so obvious they liked it, I bought a second for the other bath.
Last year I replaced two end tables and temporarily stored the old ones next to one another on my deck covered with a tarp. I had removed the glass that had been set in the tops when I stored the tables and then a heavy rain created pools in the rectangular depressions. I noticed that the birds found this arrangement just right for bathing as the depressions are shallow and the space is good sized. Since I enjoyed watching the birds drinking and bathing, I decided to leave the tables there, but the standing water caused mosquito issues so I purchased a Water Wiggler to deter that and set it in one of the depressions. Almost immediately, the birds gravitated to that space leaving the other unused. Now both pools have Water Wigglers. I still check them for larvae and algae and have to replace the water regularly, but that's easy and the birds are happy. While I have a well-attended normal birdbath in my backyard, some birds won't go to it. The thrushes and warblers apparently aren't comfortable there, but do come to the deck baths with the moving water.
I found one set of batteries kept each unit working all last summer and fall. I replaced the batteries this spring and they are going strong. They seem to be quite sturdy as visiting night creatures sometimes knock them over or even out of the baths, but I put them back in each time and they show no signs of complaint.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Almost a 5-star Aug 05, 2009
By Schmedlap
"compulsive bookman"
This item, as promised, keeps water moving, attracts birds, detracts 'skeeters. Our resident racoons, however, must find it annoying as occasionally I'll find it upside down on the patio with the legs pulled out.
The reason it isn't a five-star is the price. This is WAY too expensive for what it is.
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