water bottle question

[Rosey]

We bought one of those water bottles and I havea question. One day it looked like he barely drank so I loosened it upand he gobbled the water. Was it on too tight that he couldn't getwater or what?

I've been watching how much he drinks now closely and i'm a bitparanoid. Can you tighten those so strong that the water doesn't flowright?

 

[Spring]

I'm not sure about being hard to drink from. IfI attach thehook too tightly it usually does the opposite andconstantlydrips out.

I provide a bowl and bottle for Pebbles, and just a bowl for Poppy.They seem to favor the bowl over the bottle, but it can be messy.

 

[mambo101]

I'm not sure I fully understand the problem withyour particular bottle. If it's not a bottle with the little ball onthe end of the nozzle, then that's your problem. The ones that don'thave that little ball are just too hard for most bunnies to figure out.Change it up if that's the case.

 

[Weetwoo_89]

Which one is better, in your opinion, a bowl or a bottle?

 

[mambo101]

I Feel a bottle is better, no question about it.Rabbits tend to push bowls around the floor of the cage knock themover. Truly a pain in the buttinski.

 

[Weetwoo_89]

I thought that bottles would be mucheasier, but somewhere I read that a rabbit will only drink if it has tofrom a bottle and that they like bowls better. Any truth to this?
<3,
RaE

 

[mambo101]

For the most past that is not true. All 3 of myrabbits are from breeders who had them drinking from bowls. I had themdrinking from the bottles in less than a week. Best way to do that isstick the bowls under the watter bottle. Most rabbit will figure outthe purpose of that long metal nozzle.

 

[Crystalballl]

When I got Holly, the breeder I got her fromuses Water Bowls, and I switched her to a bottle no problem.Like Mambo said, just put a bowl underneath the water bottle.I like water bottles so much better, both my buns push EVERYTHING allover the place, so it'd be very messy if I didn't use bottles!

Crystal

 

[stephiemarie78]

If you are using a crock they shouldn't be ableto knock it over. I use a crock for water snoopy moves it around buthas never tiped it over. Using a crock they get ALOT more water. I gotmy at petsmart its a dog bowl but snoopy doesn't know!

Yea he get stuff in the bowl but its easy to clean. I refill it maybe 3 times a day or less.

 

[Rosey]

It has the little ball on the end. If i loosen then it starts to drip.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

Weetwoo_89 wrote:

Which one is better, in your opinion, a bowl or a bottle?

Personally I much prefer bowls to bottles, and so do my buns. Theydrink way more with a bowl, it is easier to clean and I find theyhardly ever knock it over, also it stops my worry that somehow thespout will get stuck in a bottleand they wont be able todrink. It changes from rabbit to rabbit though, some will prefer bowls,others will prefer bottles, it's best to try both out and see which oneworks best for you.

 

[Michaela]

I provide my girls both bowls and bottles butthey don't use the bowls unless they empty the bottles (which isn'tvery often) But they will only drink from the bottle if it isinthe right place, just at the top of their steps.:rollseyes

Only problem with bottle is that your more likely to forget to refillit and wash it, which should really be every day or other day.:?

Best thing is to provide both and see what they prefer.

Rosey I'm a bit confused, what do you mean you loosened it?

 

[HoneyPot]

I think it's a preference thing - I prefer bowlsover bottles, only from personal bad experiences. I've hadtoo many bottles that leak and one day had a bottle that broke and mypoor bun was soaked and sitting in a cage full of water for an entireday - so I switched over to a crock and have never looked back (andneither have my buns - they love it)

______________
Nadia

 

[Rosey]

You know the part you screw on the bottle..that part is what i loosened.

Maybe I'm just overly paranoid.

 

[Brandy456]

Once i had a water bottle and she un-hooked itfrom the wire attachment and it fell and broke so i gave herbowl of wate and she sat in it 0.0 so i've stuck with waterbottles..

 

[JadeIcing]

You should see the water bowls mine have flipped and the bottles they have nipped and busted.

 

[Rosey]

i make a conscious effort now to monitor water intake and make sure he is eating.

 

[Spring]

Good plan. Always good to do just in case he becomes ill so you can catch it quickly.

 

[Bunman]

I fill the crock just about half way - that helps keep the water clean.

A heavy-straight-sided stoneware crock that's big enough will not flip.Stay away from the lightweight china bowls. The farm shop &such is more likely to have the heavy crocks, pet stores tend to havethe light bowls.

 

[naturestee]

I prefer bowls to bottles, and so do myrabbits. Mocha has refused every water bottle I'vetried. When I first got Fey, who was used to algae-filledwater bottles, she loved her bowl so much she would get upset and lungeat me when I touched the bowl. She didn't care about herclean and fresh water bottle that was next to it, though.With my four that have previously used water bottles, none of them willtouch one if there is a water bowl available.

Plus Kathy Smith recommends it in Rabbit Health in the 21stCentury. On her recommendations, if you do use water bottleskeep an extra bowl around and give it to them if they are ill orshedding heavily, as it may encourage them to drink more.

Edit: I use heavy stoneware crocks made for small dogs. They work great!