Water: Dish or Bottle Feeder?

[Michael]

You use bottles, dont you Michael?

http://trainedparrot.com/Water_Bottle

[Pajarita]

In my personal opinion, the biggest drawback to bottles is the small amount of water that comes out at one time. Parrots are not hard-wired to take many sips/gulps at one time so getting one single drop at a time is bound to mean too little water intake in the long run - and I don't like that at all! The problem with birds is that is impossible to externally check for dehydration

Captive parrots have all day long to drink unlike wild birds that may be putting themselves in jeopardy by landing at the water's edge. It is fairly easy to tell if a bottle-watered bird has been drinking because the water level in the bottle will drop enough that it is obvious (if the bottle is consistently filled to the brim). Except the very rare occasion of a bottle leak, water level drop demonstrates drinking whereas a dish-watered bird that won't drink, well you pointed out how there's really no way to tell.

Actually, it's very easy because they all drink as soon as I give them the clean water early in the am - depending on the species, the number of gulps they take (cockatoos, in my personal experience, been the ones that take the most gulps, about 8). And, as far as I can tell after years of observation, that's pretty much their water intake for the day - which coincides with what parrots do in wild, too (crepuscule, when it's harder for the predators to see the prey well), so it seems to be one of those hard-wired behaviors that they keep in captivity and why the 'drinking all day long' doesn't seem to be a normal thing for them to do. As you know, I try to make things as similar to nature as I can. But, I would assume that feeding pellets make most of them drink more often although I have known birds that actually passed out from dehydration even though they had water available (2 cockatoos and 1 gray according to a previous avian vet I had -one of them came in as an emergency while I was waiting for my turn with a dog and she told me after I asked her what had been wrong with the bird)

[Michael]

Actually, it's very easy because they all drink as soon as I give them the clean water early in the am - depending on the species, the number of gulps they take (cockatoos, in my personal experience, been the ones that take the most gulps, about 8).

Sounds right. But then the bottle is fine too. Mine drink from the bottle as I put it in as well (and you can see that in the videos) so you're points against bottles still aren't an issue. It keeps the water clean and it's possible to visualize the water level. They can be used for longer periods of time and does not provide a bacteria breeding ground as a pellet-dunked dish.

[Chantilly]

You use bottles, dont you Michael?

http://trainedparrot.com/Water_Bottle

Reading your post on stopping 'pellet dunking' i disagree with stoping this behaviour. It is natural, seeing as pellets are to hard for them in the fist place and I think it is kind of cruel to stop them dunking their pellets, seeing as they probably shouldnt have them in the first place!!! If Tilly couldnt dunk her pellets, she wouldnt eat them, she would just go to her fruit and veg and seed.

Actually, it's very easy because they all drink as soon as I give them the clean water early in the am - depending on the species, the number of gulps they take (cockatoos, in my personal experience, been the ones that take the most gulps, about 8).

Sounds right. But then the bottle is fine too. Mine drink from the bottle as I put it in as well (and you can see that in the videos) so you're points against bottles still aren't an issue. It keeps the water clean and it's possible to visualize the water level. They can be used for longer periods of time and does not provide a bacteria breeding ground as a pellet-dunked dish.

Thats another thing though, you change the bowls regularly enough to prevent that.. atleast one time a day up to three. With the water bottle I recon it should be cleaned atleast once every two days still, especially once the parrot gets its beak into his fruit and goes for a sip.
Pluss I think bottles are just too risky! Speaking of fruit what if your parrot has a drink with a mothful of mango and it dries up around the sip ball and then the parrot isnt able to get at his water.. It could to easily go wrong... and for me it isnt worth risking my princesses for it. Pluss Shrek would lterally die without her' water dish' to bath in.. because it is so much more fun than using the laundry sink or the 'bathing dish' on the bottom of her cage.
Just my oppinion

[Pajarita]

Actually, it's very easy because they all drink as soon as I give them the clean water early in the am - depending on the species, the number of gulps they take (cockatoos, in my personal experience, been the ones that take the most gulps, about 8).

Sounds right. But then the bottle is fine too. Mine drink from the bottle as I put it in as well (and you can see that in the videos) so you're points against bottles still aren't an issue. It keeps the water clean and it's possible to visualize the water level. They can be used for longer periods of time and does not provide a bacteria breeding ground as a pellet-dunked dish.

Well, I don't feed pellets (easy but too unnatural a diet for my taste) but I doubt that water grows that many bad bacteria after a few hours even when pellets are dunked in it -and, if parrots were going to get sick from it, they would all be extinct in the wild where water has all kinds of 'nasties' in it . In reality, the bottle or bowl decision all comes down to what the owner prefers, Michael, the easy way or the more natural way. I go with the more natural even if it's the harder way.