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Um....I hear talk about using water bottles for birds. So the other day I bought a water bottle, but then today I went to the petstore and I am thinking I bought the wrong kind of "water bottle."

Are you guys talking about using the water bottles with the silver balls at the tip like you use for hamsters, or are you just talking about the water bottels that have the little trough at the bottom like a feeder dish?

Yeah they have a little silver ball. Try using the lixit bottles. they are good.

Exactly, use the lixit with the glass bottle. I guess it depends on how large your bird is though.

I have the largest for my macaws, I think they are 32 oz. & the 16 oz for my grey.

I use a Bridie Bulter bottle. That one has the little lip at the bottom. A lot of people say not to use the bottles but I feel it stays cleaner as Jazzy does not poop in the water and I change the water eveyday

I had also bought the one with the little trough at the bottom....I did put a water cup last night in my parakeets cage because I'm not sure he knew what it is was and I was getting concerned about it......will have to watch! Might work better for the finches since they are worse about pooping in the water and they have smaller beaks.

I tried a lixit with my TAG. He never did learn to use it: just pulled it off the side of the cage and then leaked all the water out playing with it. <sigh>

Cheers
Pat

I found this in another forum here on Up At Six:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=85081

If you use water bottles, remember that they are not designed to save time by making it possible to go long days between water changes. No, no -- they are meant to keep the water free of trash. The water needs to be changed at least every second day, and the bottles and stoppers run through the dishwasher each week.

I use the bowls that came with the cages and decided not to use water bottles. Since I'm going to change their water every day anyway, I decided to just stick with the bowls. Besides, sometimes my birds like to play in the water, and if it gives them some amusement/entertainment...

Water bottles are good but takes away one more thing a caged bird cannot enjoy which is a bath or soaking their food. I have birds that came to me on water bottles/these birds were scared of water when introduced to a bath. So when I built huge cages and still used bottles I still seen the confusion and stress of missing something I went strickly to bowls and added ice cubes to keep water fresh/compensated for evap in summer...I have IRNs/Amazons/Macaws and now they can and love to soak their food, I even give tubs for bathing in size specific for each bird they learned to enjoy water from the flock leaders splashing around in their tubs. I check/ clean 2 times daily ( by my own choice)...Remember birds were up in the trees and visited water and weren't messy but caged we see a confined mess.. we must keep them happy so I do not mind extra cleaning to have them. Just some food for thought

I've heard of using a water bottle in addition to the bowl so if birdie plays the water out, it still has some to drink. Seems like more work, but if your bird makes poop soup or plays it out, its a good idea

IMO, if you provide a water bottle, your birds should have other sources to water, as well... at least a water cup... so in that way they always have clean water (so long as they don't put food up the water spout) and can always be guaranteed to have water if the water bottle malfunctions.

My p'lets do most of their drinking from their water bottle, but they bathe, play, and soak their pellets in their 2 water bowls.

My p'lets do most of their drinking from their water bottle, but they bathe, play, and soak their pellets in their 2 water bowls.