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Cage Water bottle alternatives to end leaking -- AgSelect valve system?

Samizdat

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Hi everyone,

I have a 2x4 grid C&C cage with two guinea pigs and we always end up with water in the cage from our water bottle. I don't think it's dripping so much as leaking quite a bit when the girls drink. We keep a small plastic tray filled with litter under the bottle to absorb the water and we have to change this daily.

It seems like everyone on-line complains about leaking or dripping water bottles. A few years back people were recommending Edstrom Water Buddy bottles which apparently used a valve instead of a ball but these appear to be discontinued. I am mystified as to why there isn't a better solution available.

I'm considering installing a valve and tube based system from AgSelect like this one: https://agselect.com/starter-kit---flex-tube-watering-with-3-guinea-pig-valves.aspx. Does anyone have any experience with this or similar systems? I've seen it mentioned on these forums over the years, but only once or twice, which somewhat surprises me. It might be overkill for two little pigs kept as pets at home (as opposed to a commercial operation) but I'd love to stop the leaking!

Are there any other alternatives I'm not aware of? Or maybe just a better way to handle the constantly collecting water?

Thanks!
 

CavyChrissy

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I had no idea such a thing existed for small animals! I'm only a farm girl by marriage, though : )

I will say that I have 3 regular water bottles, all different brands. They all drip a small amount, but none of them leak like you describe. A few tips I read on here that have helped me: 1. after you fill the water bottle, squeeze it a little while you screw the lid on. This helps creates extra vacuum. 2. keep a large flat rock under the wattle bottle to absorb the drips.

But I say, if the valve system makes it easiesr for you, then I am all for it!!!
 

Samizdat

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Thanks, CavyChrissy! The one we have at the moment is a Super Pet Top Fill and the small container we keep under it always fills with water within a day or so. I think that's due more to guinea pig activity than to simple leakage. This bottle doesn't really have a vacuum seal, as the flip-up top is certainly not airtight. Maybe I'll try again with a more traditional bottle that provides more of a vacuum, though I think the girls will manage to spill a lot of water even so.

I'm really tempted to try the AgSelect system, and it's not even very expensive. The idea of a valve instead of a ball-sipper tube is intriguing.
 

LifeAsItMayBe

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How does it work? The picture is so small I can't really tell what it is. My girls would probably pull the tubing into their cage, chew it to pieces, and ignore the part they're supposed to drink from.
 

pigger123

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What kind of water bottle are you using? I have Lixit glass bottles and they don't leak at all.
 

Samizdat

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How does it work? The picture is so small I can't really tell what it is. My girls would probably pull the tubing into their cage, chew it to pieces, and ignore the part they're supposed to drink from.

The system seems to use a one gallon bucket that is suspended above the cage, and water is gravity fed through a tube to the valve from which they drink, as seen in the photo on this page. I get the impression that if the tubing is locked down it would be pretty hard for them to pull it off, but of course you never know until you try it.
 

Samizdat

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What kind of water bottle are you using? I have Lixit glass bottles and they don't leak at all.

We're using the Super Pet Top Fill bottle right now. It's good to know the Lixit bottles work well for you. I might give them a try if I don't go for the AgSelect system. The problem we seem to be having isn't so much the bottle just leaking on its own as it is the pigs making an awful lot of water spill out when they take a drink. I get the impression from the AgSelect site that their valve design helps to mitigate this problem, or at least that's what they claim.
 

CavyChrissy

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I have 1 Lixit flat-sided plastic one, 1 Oasis, and 1 brand unknown with a gray chevron pattern that I got at Petco. My Lixit does drip a bit, but not much. My pigs seem to like that one best, not sure why, but it's always the first one to get low. I like that it has the quick-release mounting thing. However that means that you have to make sure that when you screw the cap on that the nozzle is pointing the right way, which is a pain. Maybe the glass ones are better.
 

jaycriae

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One of my guinea pigs drinks super weirdly and splashes everywhere so I always have to deal with soaked bits of bedding underneath the bottles, I'll definitely look at this & also try the squeezing thing. Thanks!
 

lissie

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I'm considering installing a valve and tube based system from AgSelect like this one: https://agselect.com/starter-kit---flex-tube-watering-with-3-guinea-pig-valves.aspx. Does anyone have any experience with this or similar systems?

The pic in your link is too small to see, but I think they are the same valves like the ones on this page.
https://www.bunnyrabbit.com/price/waterbottle.htm

I don't have experience with those valves, but I've tried something similar.
I bought these bottles for my pigs to try, none of them could figure out the valve.
https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22110
 

Samizdat

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Yes, that pic is pretty tiny, and unfortunately I cannot find a larger picture of the system in action. I may give the Lixit bottle a try before going with the whole AgSelect system. Though if the problem really is what I think it is, which is that my girls are splashing/spilling a lot while they drink, rather than the bottle itself dripping, then I don't know if the Lixit will be any better.

jaycriae, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who ends up with soaked bedding! The amount of water that accumulates in the tray we keep under the water bottle is unreal. I should probably just turn it into a little swimming pool!
 
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