# Water Bottle Or Water Bowl?



## ksaxton

I use water bottles but I've heard people talk about using water bowls. What are the pros and cons of each? Is one healthier? I'm worried if I use a water bowl mine will climb in it and soil it 


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## Mitsy

I use both, The pros of a bowl is your basically forced to put fresh water in it everyday, it's a lot easier to clean, Algae doesn't grow in it. the cons is they rats might pee in it sometimes mine will leave food in theirs, they can knock it over and spill water all over their cage. 

I fixxed the knocking over by getting like a cat food dish one side has water and one has food. 

The pros of the water bottle is, They can't pee in it, takes up way less space in the cage, they can't knock it over. The cons is they are harder to clean, and algae grows in them.

I choose to use both so they can choose what they want to use. Plus it's cute when they use their paws as little cups.


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## ksaxton

Oh I never thought about algae growing in the bottles, I have only plastic water bottles what's the best way to thoroughly clean them?


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## Mitsy

I use a baby bottle brush cleaner and soak the bottles in hot soapy water, then clean the it out with the brush and make sure to rinse them out really good until the water no longer has bubbles in it and is clear when it is in the bottle.


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## thenightgoddess

Ive never had algae grow in a water bottle and my boys have had the same water bottle for three years. My boys don't like water bowls anyway because there nose gets wet ive tried to give them water in a bowl when they are out they shake there head and won't drink anymore. I also don't like them because my boys would probably get it dirty right away one of my boys thinks there food bowl is a place to put stuff so he would probably do the same with the water bowl.


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## gotchea

My water bottle used to grow algae sometimes, it was so weird. I used a glass bottle, not sure if that makes a difference. I have a phobia of drinking out of plastic. I fear it holds germs and bacteria. Also, in my experience with hedgehogs, they would get their tongue suck it the ball opening part. Ever since then I have feared the water bottle!!! But my question is do you all use metal or plastic for your rat water dishes?


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## gotchea

AND! bottles leak! I hate that....


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## ksaxton

Water bowl users, what do you do when you go away for a few days? Do you use a water bottle then?


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## PaigeRose

I got a big XL plastic dog dish from walmart for like $2 originally to fill with just ice to keep them cool. Now that I have the cage space for it, I leave it in all the time and change the water twice a day. I also have a big plastic water bottle (also from walmart) that has held up for a year or more- longest out of all my fancy bottles. I've noticed my girls have been using the dish more and more... yes it does get dirty fast though. They pee on the edges, kick a few pieces of litter in it, try and carry off the ice cubes... but it makes them happy so I deal with changing it a few times a day lol. 

The other day I had an extra piece of cornbread so I gave them each a bite and watched Sophie go to the water bowl, dip the bread in the water, and eat it slightly soggy. Then two others caught on! I had to change the water after that because it got crummy but it was interesting to watch! They also perch on the edges and groom themselves like a bird would. I don't have any swimmers but they dip their little hands in!

I don't usually go away for a long time, the longest I've been away was over night and then I just changed the water when I came home. I think that if I were to go away, I wouldn't leave the bowl in there just because it would be REALLY gross when I got back. I think thats the biggest downside, changing the water. Its not a big deal but if you arent there to do it then it gets messy. And I think it also depends on your cage set up. My cage is stupidly big and I have stick on linoleum pieces that the bowl is on top of so its easy to wipe up spills.


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## Aeyna

I haven't gone away for a few days... Also, I have a pet sitter I trust, so the rats would be with her. 

The bowl I have is this one: http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/f...-catid-600006?var_id=36-14341&_t=pfm=category

I guess because it hangs on the wall, I don't have them peeing in it or putting food in it. There are two lava ledges, one on either side, so all four can drink at once, which almost never happens, but still. I also have never had any spills. Just rats soaking their tails in the bowl, lol.

Edit: Originally their bowl was metal and smaller, but I didn't like it, so we upgraded to the big plastic one, and I love it.


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## gotchea

Plastic is this case might be better for a rat bowl. I would assume if you put really cold water in a metal bowl, the bowl would hurt the rats paws. Cold metal kind of burns. I wish they made glass bowls with a hard rubber rim!


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## Aeyna

I'm not sure if you can tell in the link, but the plastic is actually really thick. That bowl is very sturdy, which is good when it comes to rats perching on it, lol.


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## gotchea

I just looked at it again. I might invest in one of those. I just hate drinking out of plastic. I'd rather have really hard plastic than soft plastic. So I will probably get a bowl like you have.


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## Aeyna

If you do, go for the large one. I think it's much better, and with my 4, they only drink half of what I give them a day, and I don't fill it to the brim. Just means if something comes up and I don't get home as fast as usual, I know they won't be all the way out of water. 

Actually, just took it out, rinsed it, and put in clean water. It was super easy.


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## Phantom

There are alot of pros and cons when it comes to each. I think it's mainly based on preference. I have two water bowls, one of them being a gravity waterer.

The pros of water bowls is that your rats always have fresh water, they don't leak (unless a hole is chewed through), it's easier to clean, and my rats love cleaning and playing in it. The cons are that you have to clean it every day, the water does get dirty if you don't clean it, and if you don't have something that can hold it (like a snap on bowl) then you have a good chance of having water all over your cage. 

The pros of a water bottle are that you don't have to change the water every day, the water in there can last you a good week, and it's great for trips and very convenient that way.The cons are that algae and fungus can grow in it, it can rust, the plastic ones are easy to chew through if you have chewers, some of them tend to leak (which can be a pain for car rides), the water is not fresh every day, and I'm am a little afraid my rats will chip their teeth on them. 

It's really just preference. There are pros and cons to both.


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## gotchea

I use one right now that self fills, but it is softer plastic and because I clean it ever 2 or 3 days I feel I waste a lot of water. So hopefully this will be better. Thank you! :]


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## ksaxton

I've never given mine water in a bowl, but I'm not home during the day a lot so I would worry that it would get filthy fast knowing my four and then they would be stuck with disgusting water all day until I got home. Im also gone overnight and sometimes for days at a time a lot it seems lately. I'm going to give them a bowl of water tonight and see how they like it  


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## gotchea

Okay this might be weird, but what if I got one of those reptile waterfall things that is made out of rocks? Then I could put it in the corner of the cage so my rat wouldn't be able to chew on the cord. Then he would have running water!! Thoughts?


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## Charlottesmom

I only use water bottles, I have two of them on the upper level of the CN for the boys. I think I will also put in a bowl when I reopen the bottom level for them when they hit 6 months, I will have tons of space for it.


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## Aeyna

I think the waterfall might be cool if they use it, but if they don't, it would be a pretty expensive decoration... Plus, I would always be worried that they would figure out how to get to the cord. 

I should also mention, the reason I have a bowl instead of a bottle is for medical reasons for me. I'm on several medications, one that gives me insomnia and another that puts me to sleep. Because we are in a studio and sleep about 5 feet from the rat cage, I can't have a water bottle that makes noise because it might wake me up, and it took my doctor and I forever to figure out how to get me to sleep at night. For me, I would rather have the bowl and change it every day than risk going insane with the insomnia.


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## thenightgoddess

I have been dealing with water bottle noises in the middle of the night for four and a half years my rats have always lived in the same room as me so I don't even notice it anymore and one of my current boys doesn't even make any noise when he drinks which I haven't figured out how.


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## Lita

We have both, a small bowl of water and two small water bottles. We were unsure how well the girls were drinking, especially Ellie, so we added the bowl. They do enjoy it and drink out of both without issue. I even add in some of their fresh food sometimes so they can fish it out. I like having both because to me they get the best of both worlds. Clean water from the bottles and fun from the bowl. (Obviously i clean the bowl to)


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## Aeyna

Six years ago when I first got rats, I had bottles, and never noticed the noise at night. It's only been recently with the health problems I've been having that I had to switch to a bowl. I do have two bottles, and I suppose in an emergency or if I was going out of town, they could have those, I just can't sleep with it right now.


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## saratherussiandog

I use two plastic water bottles(critter canteen and I forget the other one) and a ceramic bowl(about 3-4" diameter) for water. I change the bottles every 2-3 days and the bowl 1-2 times a day because it gets pretty nasty. My rats like to soak their bottoms in the water bowl oO


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## mimsy

http://qualitycage.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_21_22&products_id=1842

I swear by those bowls. they come in 3 sizes and can be used on pretty much any kind of cage. I have some that are well over 10 years old and still holding up. I have a ton cus I like tossing them into the dishwasher when doing cage cleaning and then putting another clean one in. You can hang them high if you like or right at floor level if you have oldsters that need easy access.


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## xColdBones

It took a while for my rats to get used to drinking from a bowl, but it was only temporary because they chewed a hole in the plastic water bottle. (I now have a glass one.) I think most rats prefer to drink from water bottles though.


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## LeStan82

Baby bottle brushes work great for cleaning water bottles


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## Vaguity

We had both for ours because one of the girls liked to drink water from the floor (she likes us to squeeze the water out for her so she can mess about), so we thought a water bowl might be a good option for her...however, then she started to pee in it and it ended up as a pee bowl, which wouldn't be so bad if she didn't drink it too. Sigh. So yeah, the water bottle is probably the cleaner option but mine seem to have fun in the bowl, so yeah.


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## MangoTango

I have two water bottles (one glass, one plastic) and one ceramic water dish. They use all three. I change the water in both the bottles plus the bowl every morning so it's fresh. They don't seem to get the bowl too dirty, and I know they love having it - they'll both use it as a "wash basin" by dipping their paws in and then cleaning themselves. I just like them to have variety and choice.


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