Dip and Dirty
Nani insists upon dipping her pellets in water. It would be cute except the water gets NASTY! After only an hour or so it stinks like nobodies business. The first time she did it it smelled so bad that I had to go check if she was still alive, it smells like a rotting body! Watson my Quaker used to do that until I got him a water bottle. Here's the problem, Nani's cage has horizontal bars and the smaller Lixit bottle doesn't stay on, or fit for that matter. I tried another brand and it didn't either. I have a feeling the extra large glass one would fit but my local pet stores don't carry it. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the little darling dipping away:
Adorable right? Grrrrrr!
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6 comments:
I went through my share of water bottles, and there are two that work for me. Both Lixit and both have a little red ball in the spout, but they're plastic.
One has a little green plastic turtle in it that floats. It requires you put a clasp on the bars that the bottle fits into, and you press down a little lever to lock it in place.
Here's a picture, with the black bracket open behind the bottle. You just need a screwdriver to fasten it onto the cage bars, and it really keeps the bottle secure.
http://www.naturechest.com/lixitbottle.html
My favorite one has a little plastic square "knob" on it on the same side as the spout that you slip between the bars. This is supposed to hold the bottle in place, but of course it doesn't. So I used those little springs with a clip on each end -- I clip one side to the bar on one side of the bottle, pull the spring a little to steady the bottle, then clip the other end to a bar.
Here's a picture. You use a screw driver to put the "holder" onto the cage bars, then you slip the spout into the U-shape cut out on the clasp. Then I use one of those long spring things to hold it in place.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002Z162Y?smid=A2LDZGFAGG1QXE&tag=nextag-pet-mp-delta-20&linkCode=asn
Voila!
Wow thanks! The last one you posted is the one that doesn't fit, but that first one would. I've seen it in the small animal section at Petco but it doesn't have a red ball. I might try it. Thanks again!!!
It's okay if it doesn't have a red ball -- the red ball just attracts the attention of the bird so it's more likely to investigate. You'll have to have that little spring thing with a clip at each end - or something like it.
Of course you know to not remove the water bowl until you've actually seen Nani drink from the bottle on her own, right? Plus I suspect she's the type to try to wedge a pellet in the spout so all the water runs out . . . aren't parrots fun!
Our caiques don't soak their pellets, but they do pretty much anything else you give them. It's pretty funny to give them a nut or piece of bread or something on top of their cage and then they run -- while holding the food in their beak -- to their water dish to dunk it. Weirdos :)
Funny Nani! Be careful about the waterbottles, though. Most parrots like to dip pellets because they are so dry, unlike anything in their natural environment. Therefore, it is healthier for them to eat them wet, aside from the bacteria danger, of course, which can counter that! If you find a waterbottle that works, make sure she does not stuff the tube with pellets. I heard of a conure that did that, and died from dehydration.
Maybe if I provide both a water bottle and a bowl she can have the best of both worlds.
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