Drinking from a water bottle?

[ABirdNamedPetey]

Hi again everyone
I was wondering if anyone else uses a water bottle for their fids main drinking source? Petey, like most birds, not only poos in his water cup, but bathes and dunks his pellets in it. I think if I could get him trained to a water bottle it would be much more sanitary for him, especially on the days I'm not able to change out his water multiple times.
I have an 8oz glass water bottle with stainless steel drinking tube next to his water dish, but he has yet to even examine it. Anyone have tricks or tips on how to convert him to it?
Thank you in advance

 

[bug_n_flock]

Also interested. A water bottle would be the safest option for our special needs budgie. With quail, chickens, and ducks (and rodents too now that I think about it) the difference in overall clenliness with a bottle vs a dish is profound. It keeps everything dryer while making sure they always have clean water, and the poultry I have trained to it took right to it.



For a parrot tho, I think I would ALWAYS have available both types of water. Most partots just love water shenanigans too much. Plus the bottles still need through cleaning DAILY, with whatever sterilizer you please(bird safe, of course). When I did more with rodents we would clorox the water bottles 1x a week and change the water for fresh daily, even if there was water still in the bottle. Sometimes they would need cleaning more than 1x a week.



Think it would also depend on the type of parrot. My littlies would probably behave themselves, but the B&G might get it in her head to destroy it one day for no reason.


And if you do decide to go with a bottle as the only water source, make sure to check frequently that it is working properly. The rodent ones would get stopped up from time to time with whatever crud the critters had gotten on the spigot(they often drink with food still in their mouths. Guinea pigs also drink really weirdly from those bottles and tend to gum them up with hay/grass bits).


From phone, please forgive weirdness.

 

[wrench13]

Right, only down side is keeping it clean, especially the tube part. Not enough to just change the water, that tube has to be scroupulosly clean. Thank fully Salty only drinks from hid cage water, and never poops in it. If your conure poops in his , try bringing the bowl so close to the ceiling he really cany 'hang out ' on the lip of the bowl. My BeeBee parrot used todo that, and thatshow we stopped it.

 

[ABirdNamedPetey]

Thank you both! These are excellent points and ideas and I really really appreciate the help!

 

[noodles123]

They can also get clogged to where it looks like bird is drinking but nothing is coming out--- they never drink enough to drop the water level by much, so the lines don't really help.
Pretty hard to keep clean....I don't use them because my bird does fine with dishes (which are washed w/soap and refilled every morning and sometimes in the evening too).

 

[PickleMeDickles]

All of my birds use a water bottle, BUT....I always have a small bowl of fresh water as well. I figure if the bowl water gets filthy, they can use the bottle. And if the bottle malfunctions, they can use the fresh water. I just hung the bottles up and waited. Within a week I witnessed everybody using the bottle.

As a matter of interest, ALL 3 birds will choose "fresh" water from a bowl when available, over the bottle. I know I certainly wouldn't want to be limited to drinking out of a straw the rest of my life, there are plenty of times I want to "really drink" up, so I give my fids the same consideration.

An important note: I have been using the water bottle / open container combination for many years. Over the course of time I have experienced several "malfunctions" of the water bottle that would have limited access to water if not for the bowl. I have had the ball at the end of the spout get stuck and not allow water to exit, I have had the ball get stuck and all the water drain out, and I've had the metal spout get "pushed" out of it's space between the bars so that the birds couldn't reach it. I now ALWAYS have 2 water sources.

 

[ABirdNamedPetey]

You guys are awesome!
I definitely plan to keep both sources available, but the days when I am teaching my group classes at another location and not here to keep an eye on the water dish , I want to make sure he has access to clean water too.
I've learned over the years with my Guinea pigs and rabbits to check the tubes and balls often to make sure they are not getting stuck or plugged up, so when I check his a couple times a day as well when I check (and usually change) his water dish.
Thank you so much for the help!!! He still is ignoring the water bottle, but figure eventually he may get curious about it.