Water Bottle review w/ *Warning*

[gabbagabbawill]

I wanted to post a review and warning about this water bottle I purchased for my Conure:



I purchased the water bottle above from one of the big box stores. It has a little green turtle in it as a water height indicator.

Jello was readily drinking from it, as he was already trained to drink from a water bottle by the breeder, which is great, because it can be one of the best ways to ensure a clean supply of fresh water with less chances of spoilage.

However...

The first problems I had was getting the bottle to sit up straight. Then, the parrot knocked it completely off the cage once. After this, I decided that it would be best to put a water dish in in case the bottle was knocked off again... well, I'm glad I did, because the next day, I saw my parrot trying to drink from the metal tube, and no bubbles were coming up... he wasn't getting ANY water out. It was *slightly* tilted to the left and resetting it upright allowed it to "bubble" and water to flow again. When I noticed this, I immediately took the water bottle out of the cage and returned it to the store.

I wanted to post this warning to folks who might be using THIS water bottle to *at least* have a back up water source available for your bird. Also, it is possible that any water bottle could have a malfunction, so while great in theory, it may not be the best in practice.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has had success with long term water bottle use... as I would like to consider getting another bottle, especially for traveling purposes.

Now, I have stainless steel food bowls and water dishes that I change out throughout the day to ensure he has clean water at all times. He enjoys this more, too, as he loves to sling the water onto his feathers and "shower" himself!

[Michael]

Yeah, stay away from all the cheap water bottles. However, I have not had many problems with the Lixit glass bottles. I've been using them for my parrots for over 2 years. One time that it broke was a slightly leaky ball. It was a slow leak and I caught it early on. The bottle would be drained halfway rather than the normal 1/16th or less that would result from the parrot drinking. So I had to replace it. The other time I broke one after boiling it and cooling it down with cold water too quickly (stupid mistake). Otherwise I've relied on water these water bottles 100% for my birds and trust their integrity and mounting. If you have a bottle that the bird can knock off, it clearly isn't safe. My parrots get showered occasionally but if they really want to, they know how to shower out of the water bottles. Also I always hang the water bottles at some distance from food sources so there is no chance of pellet dunking into the bottles. The birds eat on one side of the cage and then take a walk when they want to take a big drink. They are both used to eating a meal and then drinking it all down in one shot at the end.

[Cage Cleaner]

I was thinking about switching my Sun over to a water bottle. Has anyone had problems with them putting pellets up the water bottle tube? That is my main concern.

[Michael]

No, but just to be sure, keep them apart. Also I often offer the water bottle by hand to the birds just for a drink. In the mornings I let them out and after putting fresh water in the bottles, I recall them over for a drink. So that is Truman's main drink for the day and he may spend all day without touching the bottle again or just after dinner. This shows me how much he is drinking, allows me to use it as positive reinforcement for recall, and assures me he can make it through the day should the bottle fail.

[gabbagabbawill]

Yeah, stay away from all the cheap water bottles. However, I have not had many problems with the Lixit glass bottles. I've been using them for my parrots for over 2 years.

That's good to know! I have been looking at them, and think I'll try the Lixit... Jello likes to put his pellets and other food into his water bowl, even though they are on opposite sides of the cage! It seems like anytime he is ready to get some water, he'll carry a pellet over and drop it in just before he gets a drink...

Do you suggest a certain size for small/ medium parrots? I'm thinking the bigger the bottle the better... what do you think?

[Michael]

16oz, 7/16" tube is what you need. That's what I use for Senegal Parrot. Same bottle, 5/8" tube for Cape Parrot. Would be too big for Senegal but possible. The bottle is plenty big. Would last a week (but change daily anyway). No need for 32oz.