# Leaky Water Bottles



## Kyah (Oct 29, 2007)

Hello,

I have 5 large rabbit water bottles that I bought last year from the feed store which drip (and leak) quite bad. 

I tried to return them, but it's been over three months since I've bought them, so the lady said I couldn't get my $ back..... She had no clue how to fix them. :grump: 

I ended up buying some from the Walmart, and they work fine.

Is there a trick to fixing the buggers, so they don't leak, or do I have to buy replacements screw-on covers? 

Thanks,
Kyah


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## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

What kind were they? I bought some at the feed store (I think they were critter canteens, they were blue) that were pieces of junk, they either leaked til empty or didn't work very well. Most of mine are the Bass Equipment ones now, and they work great, I think they do have a plastic liner in them though. I did have one rabbit chew a hole in his, and even though I put tape over it it still leaked.


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## Kyah (Oct 29, 2007)

Hi beaniemom,
On the bottle it says - "sta-pure systems". I bought them from the co op store (for $8 each too  ). 

I took the liners out to compare with the ones that work well, and they are the same shape, but different colors. The bottles from the co op have clear liners, and the ones from Walmart are whitish colored. I'm not sure if that's the difference, or if it's the tube part itself. 

The good ones now, I can even take the covers and put them on a 2 liter pop bottle, but not these ones..... they just leak out all over the floor. What a mess.



> I did have one rabbit chew a hole in his, and even though I put tape over it it still leaked.


Yup, Maddy did that too.  The only way I found to fix it was the hot glue gun.

Kyah


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## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

I had some that leaked. I carried the top to the hardware store and got new rubber washers with a smaller hole in the middle. This created a better seal when it was screwed back on. The washers are pretty cheap too, maybe 30 cents, and I keep extras on hand.


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## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

Yeah, its a big hole though! LOL I would have thought they'd last longer than 3 months!

I've had mine since May/Juneish some bought later than that, They've even frozen solid and are still going strong! I think I only pay like 5 bucks, I did buy the "soda kit" too, now THOSE leaked all over, but it could be that the soda bottle was the wrong size!


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## sewtlm (Mar 22, 2006)

If it has a small/pin hole I've used a waterbed repair kit with good results.

It also works on single cracks with no siperwebing.


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## Kyah (Oct 29, 2007)

I didn't think of trying at the hardware store! I'll go this weekend and see if they have any. Yes, having a few extras on hand would be a good idea.

Thanks,
Kyah


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## turtlehead (Jul 22, 2005)

Kyah said:


> The bottles from the co op have clear liners, and the ones from Walmart are whitish colored.


Back when I first got rabbits, I used 2 or 3 water bottles hanging on the fence (I just use one 3 gallon tub now). The guy at the feed store told me when I bought them "I only have one all season water bottle" and if I recall correctly the all season one was cloudy whitish and the summer only ones were clear. There wasn't anything in the labeling to indicate that some were winter-worthy and some were not. He just said so.

So maybe you're using warm weather water bottles in cold weather? 

I'd hang onto the "bad" waterers and see if they work better in warm weather. Can't hurt.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I buy walmart cheapies and some are several years old and none leak!
I just buy cheap so if it springs a leak, no big deal, toss and buy new.


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## bunnylover (Nov 1, 2007)

Buy the Walmart cheapies, if you ever have to buy water bottles again! They are, in my area, about $3 each if I remember correctly, 32 oz (if I remember...) They are the same size as the other water bottles I bought at the feed stores for $8 ea. And of the $8 bottles, about 1 out of every 3 bottles wouldn't work, or quit working very soon after we bought them. Not a single one of my cheapies have quite working, in almost a year now. Again, same size waterers. The brand is Natures something, they have 2 colors, blue and clear.


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

If water bottles are what works best for you, try these:
http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Lock-Fl...4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1200758344&sr=1-4

Tractor Supply Co. sells them here for $4 - $6 each, depending on size. They have a metal valve inside, instead of the roller ball that other bottles have, and they do not leak. I have a friend that uses the larger sized bottles for her large breed dogs whenever she has to crate them, and she swears by these bottles.

On the other hand..you could nix the bottles all-together and use ceramic or stone crocks - http://im.edirectory.co.uk/p/3140/p/107080.jpg. I use the crocks for my rabbits and they work fabulously. They are heavy enough that the rabbits don't tip them over...the straight up and down sides help with that too. I use the larger ones, that hold around 32 oz of water and only on the hottest summer days do I ever have to fill them more than once per day. Some of my buns like to play in the water on those hot days too, but again, they rarely ever tip them over (plus playing in the water helps keep them cool). They are shallow enough that a quick dip in hot water will loosen any ice in the winter, and then you just turn them upside down and the ice falls out. 

Depending on where you buy them, they can get a little pricey...especially for the larger sizes. I keep my eye out at yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores and buy every one I find at those places and never spend more than $2 each for them. The Dollar Tree in town gets them occasionally and I buy every one they have (can never have too many spares!) because, after all, everything's only a dollar lol. 

I don't know how many of you have tried the crocks for water bowls...maybe some of you have and they just didn't work out for your situation...but I've tried both bottles and the crocks, and I'll never buy another bottle again.


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## Beaniemom (May 25, 2007)

Have you had any problems with the kits jumping in them? The one and only time I put bowls in with the does/litters they promptly jumped in the bowls, I then had soaking wet kits in cold weather, so not good! On the other hand, the rabbits who are still outside did learn how to drink out of the bowl and keep a spot thawed... just wish they would teach all the other bunnies who promptly dumped theirs! I have to go buy a bunch of J feeders too, I'm tired of them dumping the bowls!


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## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

The sides on most of my nesting boxes are high enough that, by the time the kits are old enough to climb out, they are also old enough to jump back _out_ of the water bowl if they happen to fall in...so nope, no drownings here. Also, when they first start hopping around, I will often use one of those stainless steel cage bowls (the kind with a wing nut and a bolt so you can affix them to the wire) and place it about head-high for momma. She can reach it to drink, but the kits pretty much stay out of it.

When they get a little older, they do bounce around in and out of the water when they play which does tend to dirty the water a bit, but when I have kits I check on them several times a day to be sure they are all okay and, if necessary, change the water. I have a large 48 x 36 cage I put all my kits in when it's weaning time (I rarely have more than will comfortably fit there at one time) and I put the water bowl in one corner and the food bowl (I have a loooong shallow bowl for the kits so they can all crowd around) right in the middle. That way, while they are clambering all over each other as they eat, they aren't close enough to the water to step in it.

If yours make too much of a mess with the crocks, try placing a small crock under the spout on your bottle to catch any drips (or get the drip-less ones in my previous post). I tried that myself for a while but found it to be more trouble than just using the crocks alone.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

I have an assortment of bowls and crocks and when there are young kits I use a shallow one. If I am in doubt about the safety, I put a couple of rocks in the crock so they can drink but not really get very wet. If I breed the rabbits while using the black rubber pans (depends on the weather) I will definitely need some rocks in them.


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## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

I use the walmart water bottles also. One of the necks/screw part brok after one week of summer use. I called the number and told them abuot it. They sent a replacement out to me. Didn't ask for old one back or receipt for proof of purchase.


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