friend2parrots wrote:very interesting debate, thought I'd offer my thoughts --
some time ago, I had a pair of separately housed budgies. one of them dunked his pellets so I got him a water bottle. the other one didnt dunk, so i continued to give her water in a large wide bowl, which she also used for bathing (i'd replace the water if i noticed a bath had been taken)
well, they were both the same age, same in every way, really, and one day the boy budgie got sick. i took him to the vet, who diagnosed it as a bacterial infection, and asked if i used a water bottle. i said yes, and he said, after the course of antibiotics, i must NEVER use a water bottle for my birds again, as they breed germs. basically he said that it is impossible to ever fully clean the stainless steel spout. i told him that i would soak the spout in boiling soapy water and then in a bleach solution, and then let it dry, and he said nothing is ever enough to fully disinfect the little cracks of the spout and the rolling ball mechanism.
luckily that boy budgie survived the episode, and lived a long life thereafter with his water bowl, even though he dunked pellets. i just changed the water about twice a day or so. it also gave him the chance to bathe in there again, which, I agree with the posters above, is a fun and important thing for birds to have access to in their cages.
fyi the girl budgie never got sick ever in her life, and also lived a long life.
because of what the vet said, i have never used a water bottle for my current birds. i actually offer them a large wide bowl for drinking and playing, bathing, etc, and just change it twice a day, and neither has gotten sick in the five years i have had them (KNOCKING ON WOOD REALLY LOUDLY )
friend2parrots wrote:i took him to the vet, who diagnosed it as a bacterial infection, and asked if i used a water bottle. i said yes, and he said, after the course of antibiotics, i must NEVER use a water bottle for my birds again, as they breed germs. basically he said that it is impossible to ever fully clean the stainless steel spout. i told him that i would soak the spout in boiling soapy water and then in a bleach solution, and then let it dry, and he said nothing is ever enough to fully disinfect the little cracks of the spout and the rolling ball mechanism.
marie83 wrote:I do disagree with Michael and I do think birds should have access to fresh water at all times, not just at certain times of day, although I do agree with him on the food management principles.
Return to Health, Nutrition & Diet
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests
Parrot Forum | Articles Index | Training Step Up | Parrot Training Blog | Poicephalus Parrot Information | Parrot Wizard Store |