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Life of a rabbit water bottle...

Ambience

Warren Veteran
When do you get rid of it?

If not why not?- what do you use to clean it out- stop it getting algae in the summer.

I use rice and brushes,but i still get mini bits of green in the lids- i am just about to throw all the bottles and replace with new or get bowls for hygeine reasons.

What does everyone else do?
 
My are indoor and they never get dirty. I'd just use ceramic bowls if i were you, much easier to clean out.
 
Mine never get dirty. Indoors though. I do get new ones maybe once a year because I just like buying new ones!
 
My indoor ones are fine too- are the normal rabbit bowls- that are brown- too small for water to be dispensed?

Can you link me to a good size bowl please- thanks.

Also i do replace the outdoor bottles as and when- but i wondered if anyone has some tricks on keeping the bottles algae free - or if bottles just inevitably deteriorate and are to be thrown and replaced.

Thanks
 
I use the brown dog bowls. Amuses my friends greatly that my rabbits drink out of dog bowls. :lol:
 
In my piggy accomodation I use 'ezi filler bottles', these are cleaned in hot soapy water once a week and use a combination of bottle brush and some 'magic balls' which work exactly the same as rice to keep mine clean. I rarely get any traces of algae if they are done on a weekly basis. If left for a few weeks they do start to green up.

In my bigger accomodation I use large bowls
 
Mine are scrubbed out every week in hot soapy water with a baby's bottle brush and then sterilized for 30 mins in a cold water sterilizer with milton or similar tablets. NEVER have green bottles and never have to throw away unless broken.:?
I sterilize as I don't know which bottle belongs to which hutch when they are taken of during clean out and can't risk passing anything between animals.
 
I just use a cheapo plastic dog food bowl - they are quite big (more than big enough for 2 heads) and were only about 99p - so we have spares too. (To put out and about around the garden etc)
 
tbh I only have one bottle for Suki - everyone else prefers bowls. It never goes green though? I change it daily:?
 
I don't use bottles any more, but when I did, I found that using sterilizing fluid or denture tablets once a week kept them clean as rngpwelfare said :wave:
 
We mainly use bowls, we just use the same bowl as their food bowl (the Mason and Cash ones) but change the water several times a day/do top ups.

They have bottles too, and we have covers on them which stops algae from ever forming, never had any algae on any of mine, and then they get sterilised in Milton every so often as well.
 
If you cover them algae won't grow as it needs light, I use an insulated cover, helps stop it freezing in winter and keeps it cool in summer.

I use the ltr bottle's as they drink alot through the day in the summer- They don't do covers for these do they?
 
tbh I only have one bottle for Suki - everyone else prefers bowls. It never goes green though? I change it daily:?

I change them daily on all of them- just a couple of bottles it's happening too- i wonder if it's just age. The newer bottles are fine.
 
In my piggy accomodation I use 'ezi filler bottles', these are cleaned in hot soapy water once a week and use a combination of bottle brush and some 'magic balls' which work exactly the same as rice to keep mine clean. I rarely get any traces of algae if they are done on a weekly basis. If left for a few weeks they do start to green up.

In my bigger accomodation I use large bowls

It's in the caps where the brush won't reach- there is a little line that i can't get any size brush down and rice just goes soft and gets stuck in it too.
Tempted just to buy some new now.
 
Mine are scrubbed out every week in hot soapy water with a baby's bottle brush and then sterilized for 30 mins in a cold water sterilizer with milton or similar tablets. NEVER have green bottles and never have to throw away unless broken.:?
I sterilize as I don't know which bottle belongs to which hutch when they are taken of during clean out and can't risk passing anything between animals.

Thanks i bought some milton but it ended up broken in the post- post man was not happy- will order some more. How much do you use? I don't like the idea of using hard chemicals on stuff like rabbit water bottles much though. I usually use vinegar.
 
Thanks i bought some milton but it ended up broken in the post- post man was not happy- will order some more. How much do you use? I don't like the idea of using hard chemicals on stuff like rabbit water bottles much though. I usually use vinegar.

I use the fluid, which you can get in supermarkets (in the baby section). It tells you how much to use to the water ratio, depending on what you are sterilising. For a washing up bowlful of bottles and/or bowls, I use about a capful.
 
It's in the caps where the brush won't reach- there is a little line that i can't get any size brush down and rice just goes soft and gets stuck in it too.
Tempted just to buy some new now.

There's a bottle brush at the bottom of this page which has a thin brush on the end, specifically for the cap/spout :D

http://www.ratwarehouse.co.uk/shop_view.php?cat=21

I use them all the time - they're really quick and reliable :wave:

ETA: When I say I use them, I mean I buy stuff from the Rat Warehouse. I now use bowls for the rabbits water, as they seem to drink more from the bowl than they ever did from the bottle.
 
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