FINCHforum

I'm going on a few vacations this summer and would like to streamline care for my birds for my pet sitter. One of the things that takes the most time is cleaning and changing of the water containers. Currently, I do it daily. I us a cup type container for water. The birds do soil it quickly hence the need to change it and clean the container daily. What other containers or tube waterers would enable me to change the water less and keep it fresher?
Also, isn't there something I can put in the water to keep it fresher too?
Thanks,
Natalie

There is a product called "Sparkle", or if you shop at Petsmart you can get a product there for keeping bird water fresh, but I can't recall off hand what it's called.

If you can't find either of those, a few drops of Apple Cider Vinegar is available at most grocery stores and it does the same thing - discourages bacterial growth.

I would use a tube/fountain type waterer so that the birds can't soil it - or try to take a bath in it.

Theres a plastic feeder/base that holds a LOT of water that would be ideal for you. Or the plastic tube feeders 2 items below that, are the type I use all the time.

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/shopping_cage-sw.mgi

There are many water systems that attach to a garden hose that makes outdoor aviaries supper easy. Make sure you get one of those food hoses approved for drinking. You can get them at Lowe's and they will be white in color and expensive. But they release no polycarbonates and crap. This company has really affordable systems
http://www.strombergschickens.com/produ ... omatic.php

Here are some pix of the water tubes so you can see what we mean.
I clean mine every other day or so.
BUT going on vacation, I recommend you put 2 water tubes in the cage. That way if there is a problem with one, the birds won't die from lack of water. I had one of my tubes "somehow" dump all its water into the poop tray.