Pionus and water bottle

[Lynsey]

I heard you can train parrots to use a water bottle. I got one on amazon for parrots. My question is, I know Pionus dunk there food in water. So far my baby is still being hand fed (at the store). Would it be bad for me to teach it the water bottle and not have a bowl of water in there? Just trying to have clean water all the time and not make a bacteria soup out of the water while I am at work.

 

[RavensGryf]

It's really a personal choice, but whether or not your bird makes soup it depends on the bird. Some birds of all species do it, yet I have a Pionus and his water almost never has things in it. Sometimes crumbs.

I also think the bottle would grow bacteria and be harder to clean out vs just wiping out a bowl. Even if some food gets in it, don't worry about bacteria causing infections if you clean and change it daily. It'll be okay

 

[SilverSage]

There is a lot of controversy over this, but the general consensus is that even a water bowl that gets pooped in is safer than a bottle, because if how hard it is to get the bacteria out of a bottle. Personally I put both in for one very specific reason - My husband is in the army. This means lots of travel, including on planes. I want them to have access to water, and the only way to really do that is with a bottle so I want them to know how to use it. I dont keep it in there all the time though, and it is really hard to keep it sufficiently clean. I recommend using two water bowls, one by the food and one across the cage. Most likely all the food will get dunked in the bowl next to the food, and the other should stay fairly clean while you are at work. Just be diligent to clean the bowls when you are home.

 

[angei]

My Pi had a water bottle and loved it. I was able to keep it clean with a bottle cleaner/scrubber and running a q-tip through the spout. It started to leak, so I got him a crock. He hated it at first, but I am having a hard time replacing his water bottle so he has adjusted. It does need cleaned daily, however, as he is constantly getting food in it!!! He likes to drink while he eats. Also, he let me know he wanted a bath by rubbing on the spout. Now with the crock, he gets in it and makes a mess.