I have had it with water bottles! - - Rant!

[rockdoveranch]

Our temperatures have been going up into the 90s for several months now and I am sick and tired of the water bottles leaking as the temperature changes throughout the day and night.

I tried the little trick where you fill the bottle to the top, screw on the lid, squeeze until water comes out, place your finger over the end of the metal tubing, and then turning the water bottle over to create a vacuum. That worked when our weather was a little cooler. But now there is so much dripping that I am afraid to be away from the house all day.

I assume water bottles work just fine if you have house rabbits in a house where the temperature is regulated and constant.

I am going to go back to crock water bowls.

Back in the 1980s the woman I got my French Lop from, who was a breeder and now is a judge, kept a plastic ball in each crock water bowl. When the rabbits went to drink their noses would touch the ball, the ball would go to the other side of the bowl giving the rabbit just enough room to drink without getting their necks and dewlaps wet.

In nowhere rural Texas I cannot find any small plastic balls. I assume they still make them for kiddos. I am headed to the big city and will look in the stores there.

Rant! Rant! Rant!

Thanks for listening!

 

[dewey]

Oooh, I hear your pain. I won't even deal with those ball type bottles.
This type with the pressure valves are totally leak proof, have a pop open lid & don't have to be removed to be refilled http://mortonjones.com/detail.php?product_code=317 and they're only $4 or so. Some other places online carry the pressue valve type.

Just a thought but a cleaned stone is free and will work like the golf ball in a crock. With it being so warm, though, they might enjoy laying their head in the water crock, lol.

 

[rockdoveranch]

Oooh, I hear your pain. I won't even deal with those ball type bottles.
This type with the pressure valves are totally leak proof, have a pop open lid & don't have to be removed to be refilled http://mortonjones.com/detail.php?product_code=317 and they're only $4 or so. Some other places online carry the pressue valve type.

Just a thought but a cleaned stone is free and will work like the golf ball in a crock. With it being so warm, though, they might enjoy laying their head in the water crock, lol.

Wow Dewey! Thanks for the link! This is what is so cool about forums. Getting help and direction from others!

 

[dewey]

You're welcome, glad it was of some help. I've found so much great info on the forums!

 

[CYGChickies]

I've heard that the leak-proof bottle waterers can hurt a rabbit's teeth when they pull on it. Does anyone have personal experience with this? I'd be afraid to risk it if it's something other peope have experienced.

CYG

 

[M.R. Lops]

Speaking of water bottles, my Holland Lop doe broke her water bottle. She is so vicious with her water bottles, she pulls and tugs on them, and she knocks them off onto the floor. One time when she knocked her water bottle off her cage, it broke. Also, when ever I leave for a couple seconds to refill all the bunnies' water bottles, they like to take the ring that holds the bottle to the cage and knock it off or get it tangled up in the cage wire. I would use water dishes but most of my buns are lops, and I heard its not good for their ears.

 

[dewey]

I've heard that the leak-proof bottle waterers can hurt a rabbit's teeth when they pull on it. Does anyone have personal experience with this? I'd be afraid to risk it if it's something other peope have experienced.

CYG

...curious where you heard it and why the leak proof was thought to cause some type of damage, when the leaky ball tip type waterer has a much more enticing tip to chew on and rangle with. The leak proof (spring valve) has been used by breeders for eons. Just a tiny part of the tip of that waterer rests inside the cage (at least the ones from MJ)...it's a spring valve waterer so they have to push it to drink.

Speaking of water bottles, my Holland Lop doe broke her water bottle. She is so vicious with her water bottles, she pulls and tugs on them, and she knocks them off onto the floor. One time when she knocked her water bottle off her cage, it broke. Also, when ever I leave for a couple seconds to refill all the bunnies' water bottles, they like to take the ring that holds the bottle to the cage and knock it off or get it tangled up in the cage wire.

The ones I use are almost impossible for a rabbit to knock off a cage, plus they're held firmly in place with a spring latch that they can't really get undone or off, yet still allows the breeder to easily remove and replace the bottle. They fill from a pop-open top, from outside the cage, so no need to remove the bottle until santitizing it.

Not sure what the set up is, but sounds like maybe your bun might enjoy having a few other "clanky" type toys around like an empty tuna can to toss around and make noise with, or some infant chew-keys or rattles hung on the side of the cage, or a rabbit safe ball with a bell in it.

 

[oneofseven]

I have been using a water dish and have a bottle in the cage. They won't touch the bottle. How do I train the rabbits to use the bottle?

 

[Ms. Research]

I have been using a water dish and have a bottle in the cage. They won't touch the bottle. How do I train the rabbits to use the bottle?

Well if you have both of them in there, the rabbits, I believe will take the one they are used too. When I got my rabbits, they were used to using a bottle. I use a water dish. They got used to the water dish. Got a snout full of water a few times, but they got the hang of it. I believe a rabbit is more comfortable drinking from a water dish. That's just my opinion. Many breeders use bottles. Take the water dish out, and show them the bottle. Do it on a day you can observe them. See if they take it. If they do, you got your water bottle. If not, you will need the water dish. Bunnies NEED lots of water. If they don't drink, they don't eat.

Good Luck. Hope others chime in who have the experience in bottles vs water dishes.

 

[Beekissed]

My meat stock rabbits were outdoors and we never had any trouble with nipple waterers losing water with temp fluctuations. Of course, we didn't use the bottles that came with the nipples but would substitute with 20 oz. pop bottles instead because they were more flexible in tight spaces. Maybe that flexibility kept them from losing water? Not sure.

You could always go the continuous watering system with the 5 gal. bucket and black hoses to nipples in the cages. I finally graduated to that system when we got so many rabbits that water bottles were time wasters. It also makes it easier to add ACV to their water, easy filling, easy cleaning~and on hot days you can place frozen bottles of water inside the bucket to keep the water nice and cool. It was worth the $100 for the original system and only costs a few bucks to add onto with extra hose, T couplings and nipples.