how do you water bottle train????

[natzback]

How do you get these guys to drink from a water bottle?
I have some birds that make a glorious mess in the water bowl and would love to get them to drink from bottles - any suggestions?

[birdsnthings]

Just put the water bottle up and leave a water dish at the same time. Birds usually go right for the bottle though.
Alice

[cfulhage]

Play with the end of the water bottle, the ball part. If you play with it long enough, your birds will eventually come over the see what you're doing. Please don't ever take out their water dishes though. The balls on the water bottles can get stuck, and then they are left without water.

The water bottle will give them a fresh clean water source, but they still need a dish to bathe, and dunk their food, which birds love to do.

[homebird]

I bought a waterer (sp) that is a little inbetween, for my mother's cockatiels. It has a very small cup-like end with the water container outside the cage, that looks similar to a bottle (without the spout). Both birds used it immediately and the dirty water syndrome was over. The cup is delicate & may not be great for a larger bird. We had their regular water dish out too but they were happier with the new one (probably relieved!). But observation is the key, obviously.
Jac

[MandysBlackRoses]

Unfortunatly birds are messy.

They do love soaking there food in the water bowl and sometimes themselves. It's a good idea to get a bird use to a water bottle if you plan on traveling at anytime. Bowls tend to spill. But in the cage at home it is a MUST have for the reasons stated above.

Change the water 2-3 times a day. And make sure you soak them in a bath at least once a week, and use a spray bottle to mist them every day. That might help keep them out of it, but they will still want to soak there food.

[peeker]

I use water bottles for my birds and got the idea too from my vet. I put a small amount of peanut butter on the end of the tube (not the ball part) to get them started on it.

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by homebird

I bought a waterer (sp) that is a little inbetween, for my mother's cockatiels. It has a very small cup-like end with the water container outside the cage, that looks similar to a bottle (without the spout). Both birds used it immediately and the dirty water syndrome was over. The cup is delicate & may not be great for a larger bird. We had their regular water dish out too but they were happier with the new one (probably relieved!). But observation is the key, obviously.
Jac

This is what I use too, and all my birds took to it straight away. I love them because the birds can't get the water messy and I keep them far away from the food section.

[natzback]

Thanks everybody!
I especially like the peanut butter idea!
Natalie

[peeker]

Originally Posted by natzback

Thanks everybody!
I especially like the peanut butter idea!
Natalie

Thanks!