Water bottle suggestions, please :)

[julesk]

Hi all :)

I'm in need of a new drinking bottle for my conure. Currently he has one that looks like this, with the little 'dish': Glass Feeder/Waterer 6", holds 2.5 oz

Problem is, he dunks his fresh food in there, and it gets sucked up, causing a very slimy smelly bottle, very fast.

So I was wondering if one of those hamster/rodent ones would be okay for a bird? The bottles with the metal tube, and little ball they have to push to get water.

That way he can't shove anything up there as easily. I realise some people say the ball can get stuck, but I'd put two bottles in his cage and check them daily.

If birds can use those sorts, are there any brands you could suggest? I wanna get a good one, to try and stop leakage, and also to be stainless steel. A lot of the ones at the petshop don't state what metal they use.

Thanks all :) And Kalli (the green cheek conure) says thanks too! :D

[Lori~D]

Water buddy - Hands down. Will NOT drip...even during travel...easy for bird to learn. Bird gets a direct flow and dooesnot have to "lickk". Very difficult to plug up or stick. I use that and fr the big birds we used Farnams Lixit with a STEM and not the ball. They are plastic and chewable but My birds are not allowed to climb on the cages - they go out of the brd room to playstands or outdoor cages. They can also be filled from outside the cage. washed int he dishwasher easier. they DO NOT ever backwash and the water stays cleaner and fresher longer. They are worth everypenny (Water buddy) in extra price.

[julesk]

The water buddy's look awesome, but it seems they are no longer being made :S Plus I couldn't find anyone is AUS that stocks them.

Are the Lixit okay? I think I could find one of those somewhere is Oz. I take it the Lixit don't use balls then?

[dmiller91]

crap. just ordered water bottles <sigh>

[Lori~D]

NO -Lixit does use balls in most. But they bought out Farnam. I will get pics .....runs off....
http://www.kvvet.com/KVVet/productr....gle&URLCheck=1
The stem and tube seems large but its actually easy enough for a Parrotlet to use - I used to raise parrotlets and they all used these.
Its a shame about the Water Buddy. The Edstrom Valve is in fact still available so some one enterprising person needs to make a stainless or glass bottle (open top) with that valve for an affordable price and I will buy Many Many!!

[r2rusmc]

I use the Lixit with tough tip for all my macs and it works well. One time Mia stuffed her pellets up inside the stem but that was back when she was first switching over. Hasn't happened again.

For the greys, they are using a glass water bottle that I picked up at the local pet store, again with the ball valves. None of them have had any problems.

This past weekend I got my friends severe macaw to use a water bottle, same style as the greys.

I do want to try out the valves though but am waiting until I need to replace my Lixits.

[Phenomenon]

Originally Posted by Lori~D

NO -Lixit does use balls in most. But they bought out Farnam. I will get pics .....runs off....
KV Pet & Equine / KV HealthLinks - Dog, Cat and Horse Supplies, Pet Meds and Nutritio
The stem and tube seems large but its actually easy enough for a Parrotlet to use - I used to raise parrotlets and they all used these.
Its a shame about the Water Buddy. The Edstrom Valve is in fact still available so some one enterprising person needs to make a stainless or glass bottle (open top) with that valve for an affordable price and I will buy Many Many!!

That's exactly what I use. I love the ease of filling it from the top! I also fill it part water and part ice to keep the water fresher longer as it melts.

Each of my birds has been trained in the use of them. I have had no dripping or trapping issues.

[BIG MACAW]

I use the lixit water bottles for all my birds from macaws to teils they learn very quickly how to use it and what you should do is tap the little ball about 5 or 6 times and that kinda creates a vacuum so the water won't drip out

[julesk]

Thanks for the help all :)

I ended up getting him this: Super Pet Chew Proof Water Bottle, 6 oz. It was the best I could find at the local pet store :)

The others were all cheap plastic and crappy looking, but this one looks closer to the Lixit bottles.

Thanks people!

[Lori~D]

HOnestly? Those are a pain in the butt after awhile they are hard to get the top open because the metal separates from the plastic lid inside. The opening is small and hard to clean out. The step is not bent enough and leaves few options. You will see in time. The thing with the stem bottles as opposed to balls is they are WAY easier to clean as the whole bottle comes apart and is open on top and bottom to go right into the dishwasher and the stem cleans out easier as well (its so wide) and it can be sanitized in the dishwasher as well. They will not drip (unless they are broken or faulty) and I have only had one of those in five years of using them. The bird gets a steady stream of water without having to keep moving the ball which is healthier. They will not drip and no tapping is needed even while traveling down the road. I dont like the floating duck inside because it traps bacteria and you cannot get it clean, just like bio balls in an aquarium filter but bad bacteria as well. I had a few of those and I threw them out after the tops became a pain and the ducks got yucky and the springs rusted.