Dunking of food in water bowl

[Yoshi]

If you are cleaning the water out daily at a min- usually more - water contamination is not going to be an issue unless you are giving them food that is already contaminated with a decent level of bad bacteria and I think at that point you have other issues. Even under ideal growing conditiond in a lab with the proper auger and temps it takes a few days to grow contaminating bacteria. Now if you leave the water for a few days that is a different issue.

As to water bottles - I would worry about getting the metal tip and ball fully clean where a dish all the surface area is easy to get to and scrub clean.

 

[Mizzely]

I'd be much more worried about contamination in the end of a water bottle or my quaker plugging up the end than I do in a bowl that gets changed out two to three times a day. I KNOW I can wash a bowl!

 

[MMBURKE29]

Thank you all for your advice. Kind of suprised that dunking is so common with birds. And very glad the consensious is that changing the water 2-3 times a day will eliminate my fears about contaminated water. I not only change the water but clean out the bowl too -- it gets gross quick.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I recommend that you talk to your vet about this issue - changing the water 2/3 time a day is not a solution.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Yoshi - You just use a bottle brush and disinfectant - like you do with your baby's bottle. Not a problem.

 

[Yoshi]

Hankmacaw - I used to test for contaminants on animal feeds in a lab - in fact only just left that position a couple months ago for a better one. Room temp water dunked with food that isn't already contaminated is not going to grow something significant in a few hours to a day. A vet may say something like that as a scare tactic to make sure their customers are being vigilant about their bird's health, but the bacteria has to be present AND have time to grow in number to have an effect.

 

[cosmolove]

Not all birds will use bottles, also I know my birds really enjoy their bowls for their baths which is good for their feather condition as well. Overall healthiness I see no difference in leaving a bottle of stagnit water for a couple days but its clean versus clean water 2-3 times a day.

A bottle can get clogged and then your bird could be without water for atleast a day or until you check it next. I know with the bowls I can see when they dunk and I can just grab it and walk into my kitchen clean the bowl and refill it and give it back. If you're really worried about contamination you could have multiple bowls or try to add a bottle as well. I had dexter's cage like that for a while but he never really used the bottle so I took it away.

 

[luvmyzoo]

My conure loves to dunk pellets, vegetables and today he was dunking pancakes in there! It is really funny how clever they can be.

 

[suileeka]

As far as I'm aware, bacterial contamination is just as much a concern with bottles that allow backflow from the valve (which Lixit bottles do) as it is with open bowls. I believe the Bird Butler is designed differently, but it's also possible for birds to drain that bottle completely by triggering the valve for fun, for baths, etc.

Both of my conures are dunkers.. one of them is particularly determined and will climb as far as possible with a pellet in her beak just to dunk it. She moistens her food both in a bowl and with a bottle, and there is just as much - if not more! - slimy build up on the interior walls of the water bottle from her doing so as there is in the bowls.

My personal preference is to provide multiple sources of water.. Lior has two water bowls and a water bottle available at all times. Usually she manages to leave at least one of the three clean.

 

[marian]

The link seemed mainly to deal with lack of water, particularly resulting from blocked water bottles? I would've thought the risk of contamination in a water bowl changed 1-2 times a day would be pretty low (lower than the risk of a water bottle not changed often enough, or not cleaned properly).

Hiram is a elderly dunking amazon. As long as you change that water several times a day, I see no problem.I won't EVER take this away from him.

 

[HollyT]

Ravi is Dunker. But only dry food items. He's concocted some interesting soup. I also use a birdie butler water bottle on his cage to ensure he has fresh water. Thankfully he's not a nozzle stuffer too And I change his water dish twice a day, birdie butler once a day.

 

[Mare]

When I went to pick up Amigo from his previous owner, over four years ago, I was appalled at the condition of not only his cage size but his water bowl. His water bowl was thick muck, yuck. He had no food in his food bowl. I don't know if this has allowed him to have a stronger immune system, or not, but he has never had a health issue, so far, in his life.

 

[Mythreeiggys]

I don't trust water bottles at all. Like Lindsay said, they can easily empty to the water for fun or bathing or can shove food in the valve clogging it and leaving them with no water. I know they won't die without water for a short time but I don't like the fact that they wouldn't have any access to water. Plus, my Conures would die without a source to bath in

 

[andor]

Oscar & Sookie dunk. Oscar came to us a dunker and Sookie was not. She learned this behavior from Oscar. :\

 

[Amali]

Amali is a dunker as well. Since I'm gone a good part of the day at work, both of my guys have both water bowls and water bottles. I also put a couple drops of GSE in their water - this was recommended to me by a breeder. She also uses GSE when sprouting to combat any bacteria.

 

[Jazzysmama]

I have discussed this with my avian vet and I fully trust his opinions. Jazzy was a dunker, a major one! She was eating a pellet that was hard and crunchy. When I switched her to a much softer pellet she suddenly quit dunking. Luckily she does not dunk fresh food. I tried the idea of moving bowls to opposite sides of the cage and that didn't work. Jazzy did accept the water bottle. The regular lixit bottles became a toy, drain the bottle and lets make a swimming pool in my cage! It leaked constantly. I worried about getting the ball in the tube completely clean. I switched to the type that works by way of a valve. Jazzy got creative and we ended up with food stuck in the tube which it can build bacteria just as easily. Many ppl think that if their bird drinks from a bottle that they don't have to clean it as often which is not true. I could not get a nipple brush in the tube to clean it so I used pipe cleaners, I still feared that I wasn't getting it completely clean. My avian vet said I didn't have to change their bowls as often as I am but after all of our pseudomonas problems I've become obsessed with things when it comes to water. Since switching to bottled water and lots of disinfecting of everything, cage, bowls, toys constantly. we've not had another case so far. Someone is always home here so my girls get clean bowls of water every three hours. If a piece of food lands in their bowl or a drop of poop, it's changed immediately. I tried everything to get Breeze to accept a bottle and she proved to me that it wasn't happening!

 

[Mrcrowley]

Oh my word have you touched on this subject my Conure's ruin every single water bowl in any cage is contaminated with food even the Pio's cage Im changing their water bowls every day so I know your pain trust me .

 

[Robin]

Mine don't poop in the bowls just food gets dunked.

 

[Archiesmom]

My birds make soup, all of them except for my lovebird.
I just change waters in the morning when I get up, when I get home I wash out the bowls and refill them, and I refill them before it's lights out in the bird room. That seems to be the only way I've managed. Even if I leave mine in for a day, they get scuzzy and gross

 

[Mrcrowley]

And what is it with a green water I swear it is like some alien juice and I swear there is no food that is green they are eating.