The Caique Site
|
|
The Caique Manual
7. Water Water should be available to your bird at all times. I provide my birds a large open bowl either attached to the cage or on the bottom of the cage. I do this so that the bird can not only can get a drink, but also take a bath whenever it wants. This method of watering has its problems. The most common is the tendency of the bird to defecate into the water. This requires that you change the water every day or more frequently when the bird makes "poop-soup." Water bowls should be sanitized with 10% chlorine bleach at least once a week to remove the thin biofilm layer. There are other watering methods. The most common is the use of water bottles that release water when the bird touches the tip of a feeding tube. While this solves the problem of the bird fouling its water, it presents other problems. First, the bird often plays with the bottle and releases all the water at once and it has no water until you discover what has happened. Also, during the process of drinking, particles of food can get back flushed into the tube and introduce contaminating bacteria. To help prevent this growth, the water is acidified in the larger research animal colonies. Still, you should inspect the water bottle every day and change it when it becomes fouled. The bottle should also be rinsed with bleach once a week just like the bowls. Finally, if you want to spend a bit of money, you can buy an elaborate automatic watering system. With this system, water is delivered directly to the cage because it is hooked to your plumbing. This type of system is best suited for commercial aviaries, not your home.
|