Water bottles failing

[CJR]

So the other day, Bessie's cage stank really badly for some odd reason. I checked it out, and it turned out that her water bottle had broken and dumped all over her liner - hence the stinky.

I gave her a dish of water for the night, and she drank out of that happily. All the petstores were closed at that hour.

The next day, bought a new water bottle. It doesn't give any water. Bessie now has the dish again, which I don't mind and she seems to prefer, but it gets dirty frequently.

What water bottle can I get that will not fail me? The first time the bottle failed, I believe that Bess was without water for about 24 hours. I do NOT want this to keep happening.

Currently she has a dish of water (it attaches to the cage) underneath a ledge to keep poops out of it. Can I keep the dish as long as I clean and wash it daily? Or would a non-fail bottle be a better idea?

Thank you.

Ps. The first bottle I had was a plastic Lixit, and I think I lost the plastic stopper out of it. Tia also uses a plastic Lixit, and it's never given problems. The second water bottle is a glass SuperPet.

 

[caiti]

What do you mean by it doesn't give any water? You mean the ball on the nozzle won't move so she can get water? I have a glass superpet bottle as well, it works but I know obviously every one won't work every time. Hhmmm...I also have a back up water bottle that I've had for a while. It doesn't have the "ball" in it, it's kind of hard to describe. It has a nozzle and a little solid tube within the nozzle that releases water when you push on it. It also has a flip cover on the top of the bottle too fill it. I think it's called Water Buddy or something weird (I'm not sure where it is, I'd have to dig it out).

Maybe if you got a bottle with a different delivery system it might help. Also, are you filling the ball stopper bottles all the way? I think you need some air in it to create the vacuum.

I'd think the dish would be fine as long as you can clean it out often, make sure you clean up if she spills it and make sure she isn't getting wet. It might be easier to try to find a bottle because it would be more time consuming to accommodate to a dish and if she spills it or gets wet she won't be able to get new water or be cleaned up until you come home. Bottles can have that same problem, but ones that work properly won't.

EDIT: I just looked up the Water Buddy and a company called Edstrom used to make it, I guess they don't anymore. Maybe some other company makes something similar. I've had it for years and I really like the way it works, it has never leaked or anything.

 

[alli713]

For your Super Pet bottle you need to leave at least an inch of air in the top of the bottle, as well as shake it as you put it in the holder, or touch the ball until water drips out. This allows the vaccum to get started. I have used Super Pet bottles and never had an issue when I do these things.

I also use Lixit bottles, and if it is missing the plastic o-ring in the nozzle, it won't work.

I would not continue using a dish as that's just waiting for an accident where she dumps it all over herself or her liner again.

 

[StevieP]

I have Super Pet glass bottles too, and they work well but sometimes you have to get them started.

There are 2 balls in the nozzle. If there is air in between the balls it won't work, so give it a shake or 2 like Allison said.

They actually recommend to fill them all the way.

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

lixit has a glass water bottle and its supposed to be really good

 

[alli713]

I always leave a gap of air in mine and they work just fine. I've also heard of people having issues if they fill them all the way so who knows.

 

[Essentia]

I use both the superpet and glass lixit bottles. I recommened the glass lixit ones (found int he bird section) over the superpet, especialy lately. You aren't the first person to get a "broken" bottle in the last few weeks.

 

[Riven]

When I use water bottles I use the lixit glass bottles with no problems, with them you need them filled completely up. Or you can get a valve style bottle by Edstrom if you can find one, I thought someone said they weren't making them anymore?

Any kind of ball style will leak if you have a cage that shakes, like from her jumping or running on a wheel, because the shakey cage wiggles the ball and simulates the same action that releases the water when a critter is drinking.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Edstroms-Water-...mall-pets-/320579364319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

 

[Spoof]

I use bottles from Morton Jones, both the Edstrom nozzles and their other type. Both work well.

 

[CJR]

Well, look at that! I shook the glass bottle like was said and it works now! Thanks!

Ps. The dish I use for water is the "coop cup" - it attaches securely to the cage and can't be tipped over because of the way it is positioned.

 

[ticklechin]

I keep the nozzles from broken glass bottles and also try on nozzles with glass bottles of food in my fridge-I found 4 oz soy sauce bottles work in a pinch with the lixit bottle nozzles so I keep a couple of clean soy bottles on hand when my lixit ones get broken by nasty frisky chins at night!

 

[starleomach]

I switched to the Ryerson Bottles and have no regrets at all I LOVE them and they are dishwasher safe

 

[greychins]

I've had problems as well with the superpet bottles. I personally don't care to chance that they're flowing 24/7 so we don't use them anymore.

Ps. The dish I use for water is the "coop cup" - it attaches securely to the cage and can't be tipped over because of the way it is positioned.

Oh it can be tipped over, believe me. I used to use those for pellets... they would somehow lift the entire bowl out of that ring it sits in and dump it everywhere.

 

[BlahBlah]

Hey I have this water bottle at the moment and it really works great! I got it from here, the one desinged for chins...

http://www.johnhopewell.co.uk/default.asp?template=productdetail.page.xml&productId=24

Hope thats helps