[Tedology]

Hello all,

Well, I *THINK* I have their new cage ready for their homecoming tomorrow.

That is...except the glass Lixit bottle. It is making me a bit nervous that it may leak. It gave me problems when I first set it up, but I think that's because:
a) it was refrigerated water (from a Brita pitcher)
2) I didn't fill it to the VERY top.

Seems a BIT better now. *crossing fingers that I don't wake up to find their bedding soaked!*

I did a search for water bottles and of course, saw all types of suggestions - some worked for some people; they didn't work for others.

I was wondering if anybody actually just put BOWLS in their cage? Perhaps weighted ones? I realize there is the chance of poop, etc. being put in there...as well as splashing around.

I just don't want to deal with saturated bedding!

Please help a new daddy with this first-world problem! Hehehee

 

[Hedgian]

Water bottles are the most horrid things ever. I can get 3 of the same exact brand and one could leak (this did happen and I came to 2 angry ratties in their flooded temporary home) You could have tons of times were nothing goes wrong the presto water everywhere. You can never be too sure about them.
I don't really suggest bowls because even the heavy ceramic food bowls i put in the cages get pushed and shoved and flipped over. And they could urinate in it and you not realize. Even though water bottles are so unpredictable it's probably the best way to go.

 

[WolfPuppy]

You can put a bowl in, but I wouldn't recommend it. It will likely get filled with bedding and spilled. You wouldn't be able to rely on it at all.

If you want a water bottle that doesn't leak, get one of the water bottles from Walmart. Those are really sturdy.

You're not the only person to ever be a rat newbie - I have personal experience with bowls because when I got my first rat I was worried that she didn't know how to use a bottle. Needless to say that it just got peed in and filled with bedding and after a couple of days I saw her drinking out of the bottle anyhow. XD Won't make that mistake again!

 

[aliceinwonderland]

I just put a bowl into the cage under the water bottle to catch any leaking for security. But I use this brand and with three bottles(two of the 24 ounce and one 12 ounce), I've only had the 12 ounce bottle empty out once and I think that's because my goofy Sherry built her nest right up against it so the bedding must have pushed the ball up. Putting the bowl in front of the bottle and starting her nest on the other side of the cage has stopped this from repeating. Now I just check the bowls daily and wipe them out of any pee/poo and I know that I have a backup if something does start to leak. I use anti-skid bowls(like this) and haven't had as much of a problem with them getting pushed around as much.

 

[PawsandClaws]

No bowls for all the reasons mentioned above. I find Lixit bottles to be pretty good (in terms of being leak-proof) if you go for the ones that are moderately priced. We use two different Lixit bottles - one for each level of the DCN to ensure if one is malfunctioning, they still have access to water reliably. We also check them immediately after filling them up (move the ball and make sure the water is coming out okay). My favorite bottle is this one by Lixit http://www.amazon.com/Lixit-Glass-B...0286&sr=8-3&keywords=lixit+water+bottle+16+oz It is a little bit more expensive than the usual but it is really thick, durable glass and has not leaked on me in the year that I have had it in use. It is a little fiddly to install (the bottle has an attachment you sort of screw onto your cage bars) but it makes it so that you place the bottle in the holder rather than just a wire strap so it does not move AT ALL. I love that thing. Eventually I want to replace all my bottles with this particular one.

 

[Tedology]

Thank you all for the advice!

I am happy to report that I woke up this morning and there's still water in the bottle! The small victories are often the best.

I think, just to be certain, I'm going to get a couple of bowls as "backup". I do have concerns that bedding will get in the bowls, but that just requires fishing/cleaning.

I have the lava ledge under the bottle (so they need to use it/trim their nails)...so I'll need to figure out how to best place the bowl. Perhaps under the ledge?

PawsandClaws - that water bottle looks pretty good. One review said the spout is the size of a pinky finger. Did you find that problematic? It seems pricey, but if it works, it also seems worth it!

 

[PawsandClaws]

Never had any issues with the spout and when given the option, the rats preferred to drink out of the more expensive Lixit bottle then one with a conventional spout, I suppose I have rats that enjoy the finer things haha.

 

[LilCritter]

I use fleece as bedding and then mounted bowls underneath the water spouts. The bowls stayed up off the floor and stayed pretty clean, and they caught any drippage... Which was nice because my rats liked to wash their faces with the bowl water. However, I recently switched to the Lixit valve bottles because my Superpet ones (which need to be mounted inside the cage) kept getting nasty from rat pee and I was having issues with rusting on the spout.

 

[erinsweeney]

I made a ceramic bowl specifically for my rats, the bottom is the widest part so it's tip-proof! I have a bottle in there also though. They use both pretty equally.

 

[JCM]

I had a bowl for my rat when she was little-she loved washing her face and paws in it. I no longer use bowls though (not even for food) since she has decided that bowls make great toilets.

 

[Kuildeous]

No bowls for all the reasons mentioned above. I find Lixit bottles to be pretty good (in terms of being leak-proof) if you go for the ones that are moderately priced. We use two different Lixit bottles - one for each level of the DCN to ensure if one is malfunctioning, they still have access to water reliably. We also check them immediately after filling them up (move the ball and make sure the water is coming out okay). My favorite bottle is this one by Lixit http://www.amazon.com/Lixit-Glass-B...0286&sr=8-3&keywords=lixit+water+bottle+16+oz It is a little bit more expensive than the usual but it is really thick, durable glass and has not leaked on me in the year that I have had it in use. It is a little fiddly to install (the bottle has an attachment you sort of screw onto your cage bars) but it makes it so that you place the bottle in the holder rather than just a wire strap so it does not move AT ALL. I love that thing. Eventually I want to replace all my bottles with this particular one.

Sounds like you are confirming that this bottle fits in a DCN. Is that accurate to say?

I ask because I just had to return a Lixit bottle. The nozzle was too large to fit between the DCN bars. The website didn't have dimensions for the nozzle, and I don't see one for this one either, but I'll buy one based on testimony on these forums.

 

[fireeyes2899]

I use water bowls in my cage and I perfer them. I have the bowls that mount to the side of the cage and I put a lava ledge next to it. That way they cant really get into to it that much. I had it on the ground and none of my rats tipped it or used the bathroom in it. I got tired of leaking bottles and how difficult they were to get fully clean. It really just depends on the rats I suppose.

 

[Jo'nBen]

Our two boys just have a ceramic bowl for water and it works great.. I change the water twice daily and have never found poo or litter or anything in the water. We started with a water bottle but it leaked and I rather like the ceramic instead of the plastic bottle. They seem to enjoy it as well for washing. The bowl is easy to keep clean. The boys wrestle alot and have yet to see spillage on the fleece liner. So good so far.