>Hi everyone, I was just wondering if there's anything that can be done
>to stop a badly leaking water bottle? I came home from work tonight and
>the whole thing had leaked out. Needless to say I had a lot of bedding
>to change. Is there anything I can do to make it stop dripping, or do I
>just have to get a new bottle? Also, is it alright for them to go
>overnight without water? Should I put some veggies in with them in
>case?
What kind of water bottle is it? If it's a Lixit (round ended free
hanging bottle), it could be that either you lost the gasket, or it
didn't get seated properly.
And for any kind of water bottle, occasionally something gets
shoved up the valves (the little steel balls) and jams them so
everything runs out.
If it's one of those cylinder jobs with the bent end, usually a sneaky
gerbil has gotten a tooth in it somewhere...
If you are using Lixit's...check at the end where the plastic flange
for the hanging wire is. If a gerbil chewed that off they may have
made a hole into the bottle itself.
I always after filling and sealing my bottles, with spout end up,
squeeze the bottle a little and put my finger over the end, then
invert. This causes a slight vacuum to start with and that usually
prevents dripping. After the inversion if I see bubble streams
it means the gasket didn't seat right..
Double check those parts and try the fill and invert, and see if
you see any bubble trails. If not, and it continues to drip after
a few drops, you need a new bottle.
Yes, it is ok if they go overnight, but no longer. You can put in
some apple or carrot to help with anyone getting thirsty.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
