can I use these dishes?

[Madcat]

MisterGribs hey there! I don't leave the water very long. After they take a bath, I take the water dishes out. Sometimes if there is poop I will empty and refill. Just depends. But I definitely don't leave the water out for a long time.

[Madcat]

Here is a pic of the other water dish I use. I use a water cleanser additive to cut down on bacteria growth. They can't poop in those as easily because the opening is small.

[MisterGribs]

Madcat What kind of cleanser do you use? I have heard of it but I don't think it's readily avialable here. I'd have to order it.

[Finley16]

I always us aluminium due to plastic causing infections...

[Sojourner]

I always us aluminium due to plastic causing infections...

Explain please? Aluminum - what? And what infections is plastic supposed to cause?

MisterGribs

Madcat


As for water "cleanser" - if you are just trying to cut down on algae growth, get the tinted water silos just like the ones Madcat has (only blue) - or make a slip-cover for the tubes. Knit or crochet or just use one or two of those elastic wrist bands for racquetball players if you have the fat tubes. Or sew a tube out of slightly stretchy fabric.

GlamGouldians has the tinted water silos. I've been using the untinted ones for seed but my finchy guys have taken to throwing all the oat groats out of it - well Pyewacket has. Bambi and I think she has lost her ever-lovin' mind. At any rate I'm switching to a hopper feeder ASAP. They never liked that silo as well as their old silo feeder, but the old silo feeder was so flimsy I'm not inclined to get another. It only lasted a year of being gently used by 2 tiny finches.

Anyway back to water. I don't like to put anything more in their water than just the vitamins and if it kills algae I worry about it not being very good for the birds either. Since its easy enough to make the water be "in the dark" the algae won't grow to start with.

[MisterGribs]

Sojourner Is that slime coating really just an algal bloom? All this time I had thought it was bacterial. That, or birb slobber.

[Sojourner]

Whenever I have seen goop in a water silo it is some form of algae. Not that I have EVER seen such in any of my silos. We never had this problem in my mom's birds (she was a breeder) either. But I've seen it at some other people's houses and the cage is always in a window getting bright sunlight.

I've only seen that sort of thing (bacterial bloom) in really poorly maintained aquariums. You shouldn't have enough water in a silo for long enough to get bacterial bloom, assuming you are cleaning the silo each time you refill. I also sterilize every so often either by putting it through the dishwasher or soaking in a 5% bleach solution (and then thoroughly rinsing).

Does the water get cloudy and look like it has swirls of smoke in it? That is what bacterial bloom looks like in an aquarium, and it is caused by excessive ammonia in the water from overcrowding or not enough oxygenation or failing to make regular water changes. None of these conditions should be possible in a water silo for finches.

I imagine what you are feeling/seeing is a thin layer of algae starting on the inner surface of the tube. I will lay odds that blocking light from the tube will vastly reduce if not totally eliminate the issue.

I use brushes intended for cleaning labware and sterilize those regularly as well - using bleach water, I'm not sure the handles wouldn't rust to heck and b'gone if I tried putting them through a dishwasher. I also sterilize all my bird cage cleaning brushes at the same time. I have toothbrushes and various other brushes I use to clean perches and whatnot.

I know you were joking, but birds don't really HAVE slobber. They use their tongues to manipulate things as if they were fingers. Bird slobber would make stuff stick to their tongues which would make it much harder for them to feed - such as moving small things out of the way so they can get at seed, etc. Or trying to pick up and carry nesting materials - they want a dry mouth so that stuff doesn't stick to them the way a hair might stick to our tongues and make us go "PPPPP! PFFFF! PPP PPP PPP BLEAH!"

[Madcat]

Hey guys!!! Yep, I order from glam gouldians as well. I use aviclens for the water. I clean the cage and dishes with enviroclens.

[Babs _Owner]

Madcat

I love those!! I use the long 18" hang-on troughs for seed for the juveniles because (like your kids) they simply enjoy doing every thing as a flock. I've seen as many as 9 in the trough at a time.

Now for a trip to the dollar store to see if they have some like yours for bathing!