Fantastic Finch Waterers At Last!!

[debbie276]

Also wondering how these differ from all the other ball value waterers??

[annague]

I go into detail in some of my initial posts about why I like these waterers but, to recap briefly:

* On the glass waterers (large ones in picture) there are no lids -- just a stopper so no pain with screwing and unscrewing lids and the unreliable seals on lids.

* Larger opening than those with screw-type lids -- means more easily cleanable in dishwasher or by hand

* These waterers are held upright by the metal support and the upright position means reliable water delivery (the old ones could be knocked askew easily)

* These waterers are made specifically for BIRDS -- so the ball valves release water very easily -- my smallest waxbills are using these without a problem

* My belief is that because the birds do not dip their beaks into the water, thereby adding saliva and any other bacteria they have in their mouths that these ball-valve waterers keep the water more viable and cleaner for the birds -- my birds have shown me they prefer it from the ball-valve waterers. Also, when I wash them I encounter less slime over the same period of time than with the tube waterers.

* The way these bottles are mounted means quick and easy removal and perfect reattachment every time. And because you position your holder the first time you put the bottles in, you don't have to "guess" again the proper height and position for the waterer

Ditto all the points above with the smaller/individual sized plastic ball-valve waterers (except they DO have a screw top which I don't like as much).

Another item in their favor (and remember this is all my opinion): They look very nice on the cage -- not all the ball valve waterers do.

I have a challenge for those of you who prefer the tube-style waterers. Buy one, teach your birds to use it, then put it side by side with a tube waterer after a couple of weeks of use (when they feel comfortable) and see which one they go to more often -- if they're like my birds they'll choose the ball-valve waterer. But, hey, like I said before -- if you like your water tubes or other water delivery methods then why change? Personally, I was unhappy with the tubes for reasons already mentioned.

Hope this helps!

[Ursula]

Thanks, Anna! Yes, this helps understand the differences better.

[albert]

The particular model has 2 balls, the top one is metal, the bottom one is plastic. I had 1 that the metal ball got stuck to the top end of the tube, but caught in time so no disaster happened. I threw it away right away.

A couple years back, my wife changed the water and the red plastic ball got stuck on the bottom end of the tube. I lost a pair of gouldians with young in the nest.

100% of my birds are on this drinker, with water cleaner added to the water. I usually change the water in 2-3 days (I got shot for saying this, so if you do not like the way I am doing, just ignore it)

I like the one used for hamster better, as picture below, but could not find them locally. It has 2 metal balls so I do not have to worry about the plastic ball getting wear out. The one on picture is 6 years old at least. The only down side is you have to adjust the angle of the tube when closing the cap to the bottle.

[annague]

Almost forgot Jon's Questions:

How often do you change the water -- Of course its the very best thing for finches if you have time to change the water every day. I don't alwayshave time to do this as an employed, busy mother with a super active teenager and husband. So for me, it depends on the cage and the size of the waterer -- for instance, I have just one small hand-fed firefinch with a 16 oz waterer attached to the cage. Because I give my birds tons of fresh veggies they don't drink the water but maybe two or three times a day -- Also, because of the volume of water compared to the use it is getting from the bird the water stays purer longer.

So, there is no exact answer -- you would have to use your best judgement for your personal situation. I would say you would be able to go longer without necessarily changing the water than you would COMPARED to a tube waterer.

In an emergency (for instance): I cleaned and changed all the waterers before we departed for 1 week to take care of some business -- I also always put an anti-bacterial agent in my water as well as Micronized Silver and I purchase Spring Water in 5 Gal quantities for my birds. My sister cared for my birds while we were gone -- she forgot and did not change the water for the week. (This was about a month ago) but I've had no problems due to this.

Please see my response in the post above this one for your questions on how they differ from traditional ball-valve waterers IMO.

Thanks for your honesty/response on ball-valves Albert! FYI: The Large glass waterers have all metal parts (one reason for their expense) so the balls should not wear out as they are stainless steel. I'll bet you like it at least as well as the hamster waterer! Your peales are LOVELY!

For the rest of you who use the Ball Valve Waterers -- please respond to my questions previously posted on whether you've ever had the ball stick and if you had birds die due to a ball valve waterer. I only had one incident of sticking. I like to bring out all sides of an issue.

[albert]

Anna, each pair has a 36"x18"x18" breeding cage, once in a while I have a fat bird due to too much egg food. That pair will be house in the 60"x18"x42" cage. In the bigger cage, they trim down their fat in 2 couple weeks.

This year I have produced 24 lutino and split BFPF chicks out of 5 pairs. Since May 2011, I have produced 15 Peales from 2 producing pairs.

Best of all, I am leaving to the airport NOW to pick up some Peales, Lutino and BFPF imported from Oregon and Canada.

[annague]

Albert, I am dying of envy right now. I have two lovely (girl) lutino BFPF's... I need some BFPF/Lutino males -- Do you ship? If so, can you PM me with costs, etc.?

I am also interested in seeing more posts from you -- PLEASE!! And pictures of your Lutinos .

[sierranomad]

Almost forgot Jon's Questions:
How often do you change the water -- I would say you would be able to go longer without necessarily changing the water than you would COMPARED to a tube waterer.

THAT makes them worth the expense, to me. I'll be getting a couple. Thanks!

Now, I hope they'll choose it over their bath water

[bugaboo5]

Best of all, I am leaving to the airport NOW to pick up some Peales, Lutino and BFPF imported from Oregon and Canada.

Sorry, Annague, for not being able to contribute (I don't use tube) and for going off-topic, but please please, Albert, post pictures of your new beautiful gems when they are stabilized from their trip. I'm so jealous -- I love all parrot finches but am partial to the Peales, Lutinos, Blue Face, and the Forbes.

On topic -- I will continue to watch this thread to see what others have to say. My only fear with tube watering is the ball getting stuck (I've read of others who have lost birds due to this). My other concern is that the birds do not get enough water or rather that tube watering is a more frustrating way to get water -- kinda like drinking from a straw when you can put your whole head in. But I'm enchanted by this new gadget Annague has brought up and may implement a couple in addition to the method of providing water I have in place right now.

[annague]

Bugaboo -- no problem; I went off topic, too about Albert's birds!

I do want to mention that I think you meant 'Ball Valve' as opposed to "Tube" in your last post. The Tube waterers are the ones where you fill the tube and tuck it into the base which has a channel that sticks through the bars so the birds can get at the water. The Ball Valve drinkers (should have just shortened it to BV!!) are the ones that Albert and I posted pictures of. Where the water is released a little at a time as each bird nudges the ball with their beak.

I think you are meaning to say that you use the Tube style drinkers not the BV? (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

[bugaboo5]

Whoops! Yes, I meant the ball valves (BVs). I do want to experiment with various forms of providing water, but I don't want to kill any of my birds in the process. I'm going to try buy a couple of these BVs that you and Albert are using, in addition to the water cups I'm using currently, which I'm changing out at least once or twice a day (especially with my Socs). Sorry for the confusion and thank you for the clarification.

[CandoAviary]

Over the last 30 years I have probably used just about every water contraption out there, from chicken waterers, to in line drips, to ball valves, to tubes.
I prefer tubes. They are quick to clean and fill, (I always have a 5 gallon bucket of clean ones..I simply remove the current tube from the cage, empty and drop into a bucket of bleach water. I replace with the clean one. Makes for quick water chage. The bottles took longer to clean thuroughly and even stainless corrodes after a while. I have had balls stick but I have also had tubes crack and leak so there is not a 100% safe waterer. Also with the ball type, I have had birds make a game of dripping water and making a mess with them. Especially birds that like to put food into the water...I have had them cram a sunflower chip up them

Albert, glad to see your parrot operation expanding. Best of luck with your lutinos

[lstyles]

Candace can you post a photo of the tube waterers (or a link with photo) that you use?
thanks,
Lori

[albert]

oops.. I was in the bird room almost the whole day today until my wife dragged me out

The birds are in good shape considering them staying 3 nights and 1 day in the box, 15 hours drive and 12 hours flight I will try to post picture once they settle down in a new thread.

Anna, I do not have a lot of birds available at the moment, I will pm you.

I think Candace is right about the tubes and BVs, I have to use a human baby bottle brush to clean the bottles before soaking them in the bleach solution.

[Sally]

I used the Water Buddy for a while, ball-type valve waterer, and I loved them (not made any more). However, I almost lost a couple of birds that just refused to use them. I did like the fact that I could refill from the top, so could just go around the room topping off waterers, they stayed so nice and clean. I found they worked best with my larger finches, but it was some of the tiny waxbills that wouldn't use them.

I switched back to tube waterers, I love the ones from birdsupplynh like this: https://www.birdsupplynh.com/catalog/pr ... aafc9c1734

They have a deeper, longer lip, which is a bit easier for me to clean out. However, some birds will always make a mess of this type waterer. I have recently started using the method used by Mike Fidler, of soaking the tubes in a Virkon-S solution. They don't even need to be rinsed out before refilling and putting them back on the cage, as the Virkon-S is totally safe for the birds. I just take down waterers, put them in a bucket of solution to soak, put up fresh waterers, and then all I have to do is keep rotating waterers--no more washing! I haven't been doing this long enough to swear by it, but it is working for me.

I too have had tube waterers leak and lost birds because of it and had valve waterers stick. One good thing with the valve waterers and mesh, you don't have to cut holes in your mesh for them, where I had to cut holes in my Quality cages for the tube waterers to fit.

I think we all have to experiment around to see what works for us--there is no perfect solution for everyone, as we all have different setups and collections of species (and varying tolerance for a bit of dirt ).