# Water bottle vs water bowl



## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

I haven't seen this discussion before and was curious. Which do you prefer?

I used to always say only water bottles but with Mocha having babies and ending up with 16 total rats in a cage together, the two water bottles just wasn't enough. Yesterday I added two water bowls and it's great. I think my favorite part is that multiple rats can easily drink at the same time and they're used to drinking that way because it's how I give them their formula. I will mention that I use fleece and the shelf I have their bowls on has no fleece at all (I like to leave one shelf bare so they have a cool surface to lay on) so there is no issue for me with substrate or debris ending up in the water bowls.


----------



## liesel (Feb 13, 2013)

The problem I always found with the bowls is my rats tip them over and then until I notice nobody's got water. If you somehow have rats that never do this though I do think they'd be better since they wouldn't leak as often. I think the problem though may be that the water gets stale quicker?


----------



## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

I use water bottles as bowls would get messing really fast. Always have two water bottles in case one start malfunctioning. If you have a double critter nation cage, have one on top and another one on the lowest level in case you close the ramp and forget to open it after cleaning half a cage.


----------



## Zoreo (Jan 19, 2016)

I use glass water bottles. I find that it really helps keep the water clean & fresh. When I used Aspen bedding, my boys didn't really understand the concept of a water bowl and tried to bury the water!


----------



## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

I also use a glass water bottle, the one I have is kind of ridiculously durable. I've dropped it so many times on my very solid floor and it has not broken, craziness. *knocks on wood* I find water bowls to be extremely annoying, unless you can find a way to make it impossible to tip over. Nothing sucks more than fresh fleece/shavings getting soaked by water and having to clean all over again... not to mention if there are poops in the area where it spilled they will get mushy. *bleh*


----------



## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I could not use a water bowl at all.

They would knock it over, play in it, poop in it, throw everything in it- food, toys, they would even go to the bottom of the cage and pull up bedding to stuff in the bowl.
I am super surprised your rats have knocked over those dishes!

I just use alot of water bottles. I prefer atleast 2 in every cage. But sometimes 3-4 depending on the amount of rats.


----------



## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

Well if you look at the green one its one of those kinds that shaped sort of like a volcano so they can't knock it over by standing on the edge. Only way to knock it over would be to literally pick it up and flip it. I haven't had any issues with them putting anything in them and I hope I didn't jinx myself with that comment.


----------



## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

I started out using heavy ceramic dishes for water. They never got knocked over. My problem was the poop in the bowls. I switched to water bottles because I could keep more _clean_ water available at all times and because it disgusts to put anything with feces on it in the kitchen sink. Yuck!


----------



## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

InuLing said:


> Well if you look at the green one its one of those kinds that shaped sort of like a volcano so they can't knock it over by standing on the edge. Only way to knock it over would be to literally pick it up and flip it. I haven't had any issues with them putting anything in them and I hope I didn't jinx myself with that comment.


Knock on wood!


----------



## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

catty-ratty said:


> I started out using heavy ceramic dishes for water. They never got knocked over. My problem was the poop in the bowls. I switched to water bottles because I could keep more _clean_ water available at all times and because it disgusts to put anything with feces on it in the kitchen sink. Yuck!


Any kind of dirty rat dishes I have get cleaned in the bathroom sink. Lol


----------



## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

InuLing said:


> Well if you look at the green one its one of those kinds that shaped sort of like a volcano so they can't knock it over by standing on the edge. Only way to knock it over would be to literally pick it up and flip it. I haven't had any issues with them putting anything in them and I hope I didn't jinx myself with that comment.


lol I actually have the same bowl in one of my boys cages and he flips it almost daily the brat  I even have the same color lol


----------



## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

moonkissed said:


> lol I actually have the same bowl in one of my boys cages and he flips it almost daily the brat  I even have the same color lol


I looked at that green bowl again and realize I have two of those bowls. Mine are blue. I don't use them because like Moonkissed, my rats flip them over all the time! 

How did your rats get such great manners?


----------



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

The only time my rats have access to a water bowl is during free time, since they have to ask to be put back in their cage. They like to play in it, but only one or two of them know how to drink from it.


----------



## Nieve5552 (May 20, 2014)

Ive used bowls for water as well, but now I only have a glass water bottle in the cage which have worked perfectly for the past 2 years  
I have about 5 ceramic bowls for rats, mostly for giving treats (veges, special dinners and oatmeals), and these work well as water bowls too, apart from the fact that they can pee and poop in them 
So just a water bottle in the cage, but these days I have a container of water on the floor during playtime so that they can drink water from it, wash themselves with the water or just jump in and play in the water haha


----------



## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

I have both. I like water bottles because it's less messy and the water won't be mucked with, which is why I always have those in the cage. I also have a bird feeding dish, those ones that you hang on the bars of the cage, and this works really well! I've never had my rats move them off the bars so the water stays pretty well clean. But they also like to wash themselves with the water because it's more open as opposed to a water bottle. So the water bottle they use to drink and the bird dish they use to bathe with. I'd recommend that to anybody interested!


----------



## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

BlackAce said:


> I have both. I like water bottles because it's less messy and the water won't be mucked with, which is why I always have those in the cage. I also have a bird feeding dish, those ones that you hang on the bars of the cage, and this works really well! I've never had my rats move them off the bars so the water stays pretty well clean. But they also like to wash themselves with the water because it's more open as opposed to a water bottle. So the water bottle they use to drink and the bird dish they use to bathe with. I'd recommend that to anybody interested!


Huh.......I have a rat that jumped into the kitchen sink and took a shower under the running water. I like your idea!


----------



## JAnimal (Jul 23, 2014)

I like water bottles however I do keep a bowl in there when I go away incase nobody notices that water bottle not working. Mine also like to bathe in it too.


----------



## BlackAce (Apr 18, 2013)

Catty-ratty: that's why I thought to do it too! I have a rat that had shown a lot of interest in water during their out time so I decided to experiment, turns out him and his brother really liked it


----------



## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

I'll be ordering one then! The last time I went into a pet store to a lava ledge, I came out with 2 more rats!

I actually just bought this bird bath to use as a hide out for them. I think they might like it better as a bath!


----------



## catty-ratty (Feb 21, 2016)

****! That is a really BIG picture! Can we edit with HTML to make it smaller?


----------



## InuLing (Dec 26, 2015)

Lol maybe mine don't flip them because without a substrate on that shelf they end up with a bunch of standing water everywhere? I love the idea of a birdbath and just might try it next paycheck.


----------



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

@Catty, where did you get that thing? I want one!


----------

