# water bottle woes



## scarletbegonias (Oct 24, 2012)

i am so done with water bottles. ive been through so many water bottles over the years and honestly havent found one i like.

i was washing my water bottle today, as i do, and noticed that inside the steel nozzle of my super pet glass water bottle has RUSTED and god only knows how long my babies have been drinking out of this rusty nozzle that i had never noticed before! im mortified and ashamed to have not caught it quicker but you cant tell just by looking at it.

Every water bottle i use either drips, or doesnt drip at all, and when i finally found one that i like, it rusts on me.
i thought stainless steel wasnt supposed to rust? thats besides the point. can anyone please help me out and suggest a good water bottle? i dont care if it's $50 at this point. i really prefer a glass one because theyre not porous and i find them easier to clean and more aesthetically appealing.

ive probably purchased every type of water bottle that petsmart, petco and pet goods has to offer and each one gives me problems after a while of use *grumble*

i only give my rats fresh filtered water and change their water and clean the bottles every day, so i have no idea how this one rusted the way it did but im extremely frustrated and concerned about how much RUST my rats ingested. does anyone know how this could effect them? any particular signs of illness i should keep an eye out for? and lastly, and water bottle recommendations? * sigh*


----------



## Fu-Inle (Jan 22, 2015)

I feel your pain, I've gone through about five bottles in about 7 months. Faulty, Leaky, Rust, The silver bit falling off. I've had the entire cage floor soaked because of faulty bottles along with some wet very unhappy rats xD. I just ended up giving up on them altogether.


----------



## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

Just learned the 2 kaytee bottles i had were rusted on the inside. I also had a giant plastic bottle I got from walmart that was maybe 4$? Replaced the kaytee's today with more of that plastic bottles and they work wonderfully. So far no signs of rust in the older one and they seem to drip just fine. My mom is currently trying to do something about the rust in the kaytees to see if they're salvagable for later use. Also I have been using a small plastic one for my hedgehog and it's worked just fine for over a year. (Except we lost the mini turtle that was in it </3 drain swallowed it)


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Curious if anyone has ever tried a bird water feeder like these
http://www.petsmart.com/bird/bowls-...aIRwLPkldJXjD2GdMMw21ygnxJyp_?_t=pfm=category
http://www.petsmart.com/bird/bowls-...6-2441050/cat-36-catid-400014?_t=pfm=category


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I get so tired of the dripping and the clanking when they're trying to drink and nothing wants to come out. It's a constant battle. I too used to use the glass bottles and had them rust on me -_- I might just go grab one of those water feeders and check it out.


----------



## FallDeere (Sep 29, 2011)

I went through several water bottles before finding the one I like: http://www.petco.com/product/110483/Petco-Universal-Small-Animal-Water-Bottle.aspx

I've only ever had one be faulty and returned it for a replacement that worked. I have not noticed any rusting yet. They are plastic, not glass, though, so you might not want them. They are by far my favorite water bottle. I use them for all my rats and gerbils. They are in prime chewing position if you have chewers, but so far, not even my gerbils have touched them.

I would worry about chewing with those bird ones, kkrats, but it's definitely worth checking out. Be sure to let us know how it works as I may want to try as well. I don't mind the clicking of the water bottle (which is surprising as I am sensitive to sounds), but I like the idea of them getting straight water instead of having to get it through a nuzzle.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

I use the large Lixit in-cage/aquarium bottles... They work a treat unless you over tighten them then you will need tools to get them open. Nice materials, nice finish and they are very durable and reliable... They also seem to be getting replaced by a new product line of top fill bottles with a lever valve... I didn't see the larger size on their web site when I looked today.

And yes, cheap stainless steel will rust. Stainless steel runs from pennies a pound to hundreds of dollars a pound.


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I would definitely get the one with the tank mounted outside the cage. The base seems to be hefty enough that they shouldn't be able to chew through it. I've eyeballed them in the store a few times and wondered but never bought one. They're cheap enough that having one destroyed shouldn't matter much, I'll just have to put some extra towels down under it just in case.


----------



## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I thought about using one of those birds ones but then having an adult who is use to the normal bottles suddenly switch to that? They probably won't understand for a bit and I didn't want them getting dehydrated.


----------



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I'd leave the other water bottle until I was sure they knew what the new one was for. I don't think they'd have any problem figuring it out though, they're always so curious about anything new.


----------



## Phantom (Apr 4, 2012)

My water bottles where all super leaky on me as well as some point or another. I just ended up getting fed up with them and got rid of all of them except my two travel water bottles. The incident that really stopped me from using my water bottles was when I cleaned the cage, filled up the water bottle, and stayed over at a friends house for the weekend. When I came back I found out that non f my rats had gotten water because the water bottle had stopped giving water. 

I now use something else entirely. I use a stainless steel bird bowl from petco. I've had thw bowl for about 13 years and it has not rusted on me. It used to be my parakeet's bowl before he passed away. I also use the lixit reptile waterer on a separate level of the cage. I change the water in the bowl daily, and the water in the waterer gets changed every 3-4 days or whenever the water is dirty. Usually the waterer stays clean longer than the bowl because it's on a seperate level from the food. I've been doing this for over a year and never had any issues. 

Here's a link to the waterer I use: 

http://www.petsupermarket.com/products/petsupermarket/pid-767100325.aspx?pn=lixit%20reptile%20waterer


----------



## SaraLovesRats (Jan 11, 2015)

I highly recommend s glass bottle from a good company like Jaycee I have a glass and stainless bottle from Kaytee made for rats


----------



## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I do not suggest the kaytee glass "stainless steel" thats what rusted for me.


----------



## scarletbegonias (Oct 24, 2012)

FallDeere said:


> I went through several water bottles before finding the one I like: http://www.petco.com/product/110483/Petco-Universal-Small-Animal-Water-Bottle.aspx
> 
> I've only ever had one be faulty and returned it for a replacement that worked. I have not noticed any rusting yet. They are plastic, not glass, though, so you might not want them. They are by far my favorite water bottle. I use them for all my rats and gerbils. They are in prime chewing position if you have chewers, but so far, not even my gerbils have touched them.
> 
> I would worry about chewing with those bird ones, kkrats, but it's definitely worth checking out. Be sure to let us know how it works as I may want to try as well. I don't mind the clicking of the water bottle (which is surprising as I am sensitive to sounds), but I like the idea of them getting straight water instead of having to get it through a nuzzle.


my girls are big chewers so i tend to stay away from plastic if i can, even though it goes outside of the cage i hate when they fall over!



Rat Daddy said:


> I use the large Lixit in-cage/aquarium bottles... They work a treat unless you over tighten them then you will need tools to get them open. Nice materials, nice finish and they are very durable and reliable... They also seem to be getting replaced by a new product line of top fill bottles with a lever valve... I didn't see the larger size on their web site when I looked today.
> 
> And yes, cheap stainless steel will rust. Stainless steel runs from pennies a pound to hundreds of dollars a pound.


ive never heard of lixit, but i am interested. definitely going to have to read up on these.



Phantom said:


> My water bottles where all super leaky on me as well as some point or another. I just ended up getting fed up with them and got rid of all of them except my two travel water bottles. The incident that really stopped me from using my water bottles was when I cleaned the cage, filled up the water bottle, and stayed over at a friends house for the weekend. When I came back I found out that non f my rats had gotten water because the water bottle had stopped giving water.
> 
> I now use something else entirely. I use a stainless steel bird bowl from petco. I've had thw bowl for about 13 years and it has not rusted on me. It used to be my parakeet's bowl before he passed away. I also use the lixit reptile waterer on a separate level of the cage. I change the water in the bowl daily, and the water in the waterer gets changed every 3-4 days or whenever the water is dirty. Usually the waterer stays clean longer than the bowl because it's on a seperate level from the food. I've been doing this for over a year and never had any issues.
> 
> ...


this also may be a possibility for me. im not sure though because any time ive given my rats water in a bowl type thing, they always toss bedding, litter and fod in the water dish?! its almost as if they were trying to "stash" the water for later!

nice suggestions everyone. here i thought i was just the only one who fights with water bottles on a weekly basis.


----------



## Maddie (Jan 13, 2014)

Ugh, my glass bottles have given me nothing but trouble and usually they are just leaking everywhere. I had one just pour out into the cage and on my rats while I was out and came home to a really wet floor and rats.

I'm trying something new (and I might regret it because they are cheap), but I found a cheap version of these at my farm supply co-op
http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/f...36-catid-600006?var_id=36-20368&_t=pfm=search

except instead of the spring to hold in place it has one of those bolt type of things that you screw in and can pop the bottle off easily. They were $4 apiece, so I'm testing them out and trying to make my rats figure out how to use the little lever to get the water out. I was hoping it might solve some leaking issues, but right now they are still guzzling on the glass ones that annoy me. Maybe I should put something on the tip of the little lever.


----------



## Rat Daddy (Sep 25, 2011)

Oddly the petco bottle is the lixit bottle or a nearly perfect knock off... The bottle goes inside the cage. but it has no chew points, so after your rats chew off the raised lettering the bottle pretty much doesn't get chewed any more.

I picked the bottle because my pet shop kept hundreds of feeder rats and lots of other small animals... this wasn't the bottle they recommended which I found odd because it was the bottle they used in all of their cages. I asked the small animal manager about the lixit bottles and he told me they last forever, they don't clog, they don't leak and they are easy to clean... Most customers prefer something cheaper or fancier... So I've used them for about 4 years... they don't leak even in the car in the travel cage... they don't clog and the department manager was absolutely right... they are quite boring... Except when you over-tighten them then they are a real bear to get open again, especially the big one. Think big pipe wrench or giant vise grips. They are made of a very strong plastic and big tools don't seem to bother them. 

I don't know anything about Lixit's new bottles.. they use a lever system to dispense water, you can refill them without removing the bottle from the cage. I suppose these might be a gawd awful idea or they might be awesome, I'd personally test them often... I suppose I would give them a shot based on the bottles I use now. I mean Lixit specializes in water bottles and manufacturers in the US. The way my current bottles are working I may never get to give them a try, but honestly I tend to prefer dealing with a company that has a good reputation to protect. 

Leaky or clogged water bottles can kill your precious rats... I for one prefer boring water bottles that just work. 

I'd be curious if anyone has ever had trouble with a lixit product.


----------

