Water bottles?

[peeker]

I've been looking at the Lixit water bottles and wanted your opinions. Are any of you using water bottles? If so--what kind do you get--what size--what size feeder tube for what size bird?? Do you like them? How often do you freshen the water? Did your bird take to it right away? Any problems?

[curtissmith]

Originally Posted by peeker

I've been looking at the Lixit water bottles and wanted your opinions. Are any of you using water bottles? If so--what kind do you get--what size--what size feeder tube for what size bird?? Do you like them? How often do you freshen the water? Did your bird take to it right away? Any problems?

I use Lixit glass bottles on most of my birds. Works really well with the smaller birds (parrotlets, budgies and finches). Their water stays fresher and is more available. With larger birds it really depends on the bird. I have one(U2 cockatoo) who MUST have a bowl of water to dunk food in otherwise she won't eat much of what I give her. She likes dunking toys too, I guess wet chew blocks taste better.

The Cockatoo didn't like the bottle (the dipping thing) but the rest of the birds took to it within a couple of days.

If you do it get glass bottles. They are more expensive but can be sterilized. Do not use the cheap hamster type plastic bottles, they crack, are hard to clean/sterilize, and the bird will break it if it can get at the plastic. You can see the glass Lixit at http://www.smithpet.com/CgAcc.htm under Cups.

Tube sizes Lixit recomends:
Small (5/16") for smaller birds like canaries, parakeets, cockatiels and finches
Medium (7/16") for medium birds like conures, amazones, senegals.
Large (5/8") for large birds like macaws, cockatoos, African Grays.

I use small and medium. The largest bird I have is the cockatoo (U2) and it didn't like the bottle.

Curtis

[Takoda]

i dont use water bottles for many reasons. one is that it isn't very natural for a bird to drink out of a water bottle (although keeping them in a cage isn't too natural either). I also like the bird to feel free to dunk its food, I'm not going to deprive it of that if it makes it happy. And some of my birds really enjoy taking a bath in their bowl. So what if I have to change the bowl more often? I never have a problem with bird poo in the water, I position my food and water bowls so there are no perches above them.

[danforth3]

I use water bottle for my birds and they seem to love it. I have small Lixit bottles for the small birds and a medium for Scooter and Peeps. The tiels have two small bottles in their cage. It has worked well with my fids. The tiels got water bottle because they constantly pooped in the water and then drank it, especially overnight. I gave Scooter and Peeps water bottles because they love to dip or take baths in their water bowls. This assures me that they get fresh water. I love to watch Scooter she'll take a piece of food (which she normally would dip in her water bowl) and now places it in her beak and then goes to the water bottle for water soften it. We are still transitioning Peeps to the water bottle, but seems fascinated by it.

[Franciscus]

Razz uses a Lixit water botle and I highly recommend it. In order to get her to use it I attached it to the cage, near her favourite perch, above her water bowl. I then ,with her in the cage, pushed the little ball with my finger and peeked her curiosity. The rest is histiory. I clean it once a day but there have been times I had to be away overnight and it was left. I simply put in a drop of grapefuit seed extract to minimalize any bacterial growth. I intend to get them for two of the other fids too.

[Skyebirdsmom]

Originally Posted by Takoda

i dont use water bottles for many reasons. one is that it isn't very natural for a bird to drink out of a water bottle (although keeping them in a cage isn't too natural either). I also like the bird to feel free to dunk its food, I'm not going to deprive it of that if it makes it happy. And some of my birds really enjoy taking a bath in their bowl. So what if I have to change the bowl more often? I never have a problem with bird poo in the water, I position my food and water bowls so there are no perches above them.

Exactly my position on the water bottles too. My bird loves bathing and dunking in it too much for me to deprive him of such fun!! I change his water out sometimes 4 times daily...he MUST take a bath in it when clean and cold no matter if he just took one...must be an obsessive thing with him, LOL. Then there is the problem of the ball getting stuck and the bird having no water and you don't really knowit till it's almost too late. Birds have died of thirst with a water bottle, it was just stuck and the owner didn't pay attention. I have a friend whose bird thinks it's great fun to stick a seed in the tube and not let the water come thru, soooooo... I think all in all, why bother? It might work fine for some people who have to be gone most of the day...but I don't so I won't. No perches over water or food bowls here either.
Linda & Skye~

[Franciscus]

Those are good points Linda. Also, you do have to disinfect the tips often in water bottles. That can be done by soaking them in a bleach solution and rincing well before use. The bottles work for some folks, and not for others.

[Skyebirdsmom]

Originally Posted by Franciscus

Those are good points Linda. Also, you do have to disinfect the tips often in water bottles. That can be done by soaking them in a bleach solution and rincing well before use. The bottles work for some folks, and not for others.

oh yeah, I forgot that point!!! It's an important one too! Thanks for reminding us buddy!
Linda & HRC~

[peeker]

Thank you all for your comments! I am looking into getting some and see how they do! :) I'm home in the afternoon anyway so I'm really not worried about them clogging up the bottles and them not working. I fuss around the birds often enough to know if there's a problem LOL! The birds here are given showers often and I like the idea that the bathwater is the bathwater and the drinking water is clean for drinking. :icon_wink

[danforth3]

I've been using the water bottle for the past 8 months and have not had any blockage from food, in fact, Scooter tries her best, but has yet been able to block up the Lixit Bottles. We tried a different one with Scooter and that one leaked all over and she did manage to block it, bu the Lixit Bottles so far no blockages.