Water bottles with quail?

[Bettacreek]

I know I've heard of people using the rodent water bottles (with the balls in them) for their quail. I'm hoping to be able to use this, because mine are kicking crap into their waterers. I've even tried covering half of the cage with cardboard so that there wasn't bedding anywhere near the waterer, but, nope, they somehow manage to kick it across the cardboard and get it right into the waterer within a few hours. I'm tired of dumping and scrubbing the stupid water things 4 times a day. Anyways, who uses these water bottles, and are they for coturnix or buttons? Was it hard to teach them to use it, or do they naturally peck at it since it's shiney? How old do the quail have to be when can you start to use them? I really hope I can use them for the quail, for $1.82 for one, it's cheaper than the quail waterers, doesn't take up cage space, would be easier to monitor, would be cleaner, and I wouldn't have to modify it to get it to work properly. Plus, I could just melt a hole in the sterilite containers that I plan to use (after minor modifications) to hang them easily on the outside.

 

[Akane]

They'll start pecking the drop of water on the end immediately. Within minutes they figure it out. The buttons do fine with the smaller bottles after about a week. They aren't big enough to shove the ball on even tiny hamster bottles for the first week. I go ahead and put the bottle in but put a small lid or shallow dish of water under the end. When the water in the bottle starts going down I know they have it and let the dish start to run dry between refills until everyone is drinking from the bottle. The adult buttons can push normal balls (not spring loaded type tubes) on medium to small bottles. They do fine with the 8-16oz ones from walmart but can't use my heavy duty 32oz lixit bottle or the spring loaded 32oz critter canteens. The chickens have those bottles now. Larger quail would probably be fine with them.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

I am converting all my button quail to using the 8 ounce to 10 ounce rabbit water bottles.. I buy the one that has the hanger for fish tanks. I keep all mine in old tanks.. Keeps the bedding from getting all over the house..

My quail learned rather fast to use the bottle. But until they had it mastered. I left their old form of water dish in the cage.. I removed the old dish once I knew for sure they were getting enough water from the bottles..

Most learned fast. I mostly have full grown adults using the bottles. But I have one approx. 6 week old button that is drinking out of one.

Hope this helps.. It is a lot cleaner.. Keeps the cage dry and from smelling.. Game bird crumble starts to smell sour if it gets wet..

 

[Bettacreek]

Awesome, thanks guys! The bottles should definately make life much easier and cleaner for everyone here.

 

[ButtonQuailHeaven]

I have never had the shavings in the water problem once I started throwing hay over the shavings. The hay holds the shavings down and they love to hide in it and eat it. The babies especially love the hay as they can hide under it as if they were with the mom. I tried hay alone but the cages got stinky too fast. I just use water dishes with mine and have no problem with shavings now. Drinking out of a dish is more natural than a water bottle and I like to keep my birds in as natural of a situation as I can.

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
which is more than likely why you have so many sucessful broody hens! *facinated* lol I think I may be getting some hay...LOL