Warning to conure owners.....

[birdman78]

I just wanted to share this story that someone else told me. They said that they had a conure, I think a green cheek. Apparently this was their first conure. They were feeding pellets and instead of giving the bird a water bowl, they gave it a water bottle. The bird ended up getting sick and they couldn't figure out what was happening. What was happening was that the bird was trying to soak it's pellets and was stuffing them into the water bottle and clogged it up and wasn't getting water. The bird did not make it.

New conure owners, please be aware that a lot of conures like to soak their pellets. My Autumn makes a disgusting soup of pellets and anything else she can find in her water bowl. She soaks each pellet before eating it.

I just thought this story was so sad. This is not someone I know well and I didn't know the little bird, but when I said I had a conure she told me this story. I thought I would share it.

Thanks for the info. I will be getting a GCC soon and had no idea. I don't use water bottles, but it's still good to know.

 

[Micki]

. . . if you are going to use a water bottle with a conure, have a bowl of water available too.

Both of my conures have a water bowl and a water bottle. Fiddle has to make birdie soup and does not use the water bottle. Banjo does not dunk her food and has clean water most of ther time. She also uses her water bottle.

Vicki, good reminder!

 

[birdlady]

The water bottle and spout must not have been cleaned daily as it should have been. It is tempting for the owner to let a water bottle go without cleaning until it is empty, but that certainly is not good husbandry.
ML

I was thinking the same thing...but either way, so very sad for the poor bird.

I use a water bottle in Nani's aviary but bring it in each day to clean. I have contemplated usng them in cages, but decided against it, I think...they like dunking too much. lol And I refresh water at least twice a day.

 

[Emmilyy]

I have heard of this happening. If i were ever to use a water bottle, no way would i take away Cookie's water dish.

Sure, its a pain to be constantly cleaning it when she soaks pellets in it - but she LIKES to do it and i wouldn't take that away from her.

 

[birdlvr466]

The water bottle and spout must not have been cleaned daily as it should have been. It is tempting for the owner to let a water bottle go without cleaning until it is empty, but that certainly is not good husbandry.
ML

Exactly. I only have one bird with a bottle but it is cleaned thoroughly everyday. No matter what species, water bottle or water bowl all should be cleaned with hot water and soap daily. Also as a side note, whenever converting from a water bowl to a bottle you always leave the water bowl in place until you are 100% sure your bird knows how to drink out of a bottle. Very sad.

 

[JohnCanty]

I am new here, but just wanted to let you all know that this is the type of thread that convinced me to join, Very useful information.

 

[Gen120]

aw, that is so sad! Poor baby! Thank you for the story, I have a water bottle and a bowl in all my fids cages! My cockatiels drink out of theirs all the time, but they mostly drink from their water bowl. Sammy has only a water bowl, because she does not seem to know how to use a water bottle (I am still trying). My conures and amazon like to dunk food, and I have to change their water 2 or 3 times a day (depending on if they take a bath or not, hehe).

 

[tattooedispatcher]

awww how very sad!

 

[Bokkapooh]

The poor thing. A simple thing would have been was CLEANING THE WATER BOTTLE DAILY. Just because its in a bottle doesnt mean you shouldnt clean it daily. I recommend cleaning atleast twice a day and also providing a water dish.

 

[itzmered]

Thanks for sharing both my Hahns and Sun Conure love to dunk their pellets.

 

[Mystics Mom]

Oh, that's so sad. This is definitely important for conure owners to know! But it's definitely good to keep in the back of your mind no matter what kind of bird you have.

i check my Birdy Butler bottles every day and if level hasent went down then i know something is up...usually they are empty but i had one malfunction once i could tell by the water level not changing all day

 

[Chicklette]

What a horrible way to die. Just terrible. Not having any water, I would have been mortified. I never use water bottles, even for my chinchillas. They always seem to get clogged or leak, I gave up on them. I just use water dishes on all my animals.

 

[atvchick95]

that is one of the reasons I'll stick to cleaning dishes and refilling them several times a day

I had rabbits THEY clogged up their bottles

but all my birds put food in their water I have one pair of lovebirds that within minutes of getting clean water they put their food in it - not just pellets but seeds too and anything else Roxy puts her balls and beads in hers LOL

but they never do go back for the food they leave it there

the only one who does go back for it is Billy (Quaker) he only dips his cheerios in water but he dips it and takes it right back out and eats it

Kaycee eats everything over her water dish including pieces of millet - now that is a pain to clean Those wet pieces of millet do not like coming off the dish well at all

 

[GigQQgles]

That is a sad story. I switched Skittles to a waterbottle when he was very young since I was out of the house most the day at work and thought it would be better than him having a dirty water dish most the day. I did notice early on that there were times that he did get some pellets stuck in the nozzle of the water bottle so I do check it and thoroughly clean it daily. He has learned how to get enough water out of the bottle to land in the dish I have below the water bottle to make birdy soup with. I do clean that bowl out at least twice a day. I do my best to make sure he has a safe water source.

 

[Angelicarboreals]

What a great reminder. Little Merlin used a water bottle and I always stressed to the bird sitter to check the nozzle both morning and night when I was away from home, he loved to soak his pellets as well.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

That is sad. My tiel Squeeky always soaks his pellets luckily he drinks out of a bowl.

 

[CityGirl]

I had read long before I got my conure that caution was needed if a water bottle was used, for this very reason. She has never had a water bottle and never will because she is the biggest dunker of food I have ever seen! Pakki, luckily, doesn't dunk and so far, Freddy hasn't. He did arrive with a water bottle, but he played with the attachment and knocked the bottle on the floor. Because of my worry about water bottles, I had put a water bowl in his cage just in case.

 

[txbirdmom]

I use both water bottles and the dishes. My quakers and Pionus bath and soak their food in the dish and drink from the bottles. That is a great warning I think it should be posted on every bird board so that new owners will know.

 

[lsware]

It is a very sad story. My one parrotlet has a water bottle which I clean well every day. He also has a normal water dish. I know he drinks out of both because I've watched him. He is only 12 wks old and I've had him about a mth. They are very good little eaters and very active.

 

[SallyPax]

I use a water bottle as a back up to the bowl. My conure is so wild when he takes a bath, I like having the water bottle as a source until I get home to refill his bowl.