is the bottle working?

[flowery]

I've got the kind of bottle with ball bearings at the spout. When I use it there's bubbles so it shouldn't be spoilt. However the hamster drinks furiously from it and I can't seem to see any bubbles! I've got no idea if the hamster is getting any water out of it. It doesn't drink from a water dish either. Help!

[BrainGirl]

Robos are tiny little creatures with tiny little tummies. They're probably drinking so little at a time that not enough comes out for there to be air bubbles forming in the short term. You've got a dish for them too which is good so if I were you I would mark the bottle's level and see if it goes down at a regular rate over the next week or so

[flowery]

Originally Posted by BrainGirl

Robos are tiny little creatures with tiny little tummies. They're probably drinking so little at a time that not enough comes out for there to be air bubbles forming in the short term. You've got a dish for them too which is good so if I were you I would mark the bottle's level and see if it goes down at a regular rate over the next week or so

point noted will keep an eye on it from now on~

[Pebbles82]

I had loads of problems with bottles and worried myself silly about this! I found measuring it going down didn't seem to help much as it was still difficult to tell. I now keep a couple of spare bottles just in case, because they can fail or get jammed. The other thing I found is to check how well the water is flowing out of the end - only half fill the bottle with water (something to do with pressure), and don't screw the cap on tight, leave it a bit looser, then test by pressing your finger over the end of the spout and see how easily water comes out. I'd rather mine had the odd drip than water wasn't coming out. I still check to see if bubbles are going up! I leave the cap of my bottle really quite loose now. I use these little mouse bottles now too - they don't really leak even when the cap is screwed on loose and water comes out easily. They're cheap enough to buy a couple

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[Thin Lizzy]

Because they drink very little water I used to worry.
But, I always squeeze the water bottle to see air bubbles and always check the spout as it can sometimes get stuck. It's always good to keep a spare water bottle.
I always check daily!

[flowery]

Thanks all! Ever since then, I do check regularly for air bubbles whenever they drink, and as and when I'll tap the bottle's ball bearing to check too. So far so good.

[Artisans_uk]

Originally Posted by flowery

Thanks all! Ever since then, I do check regularly for air bubbles whenever they drink, and as and when I'll tap the bottle's ball bearing to check too. So far so good.

You can also just touch your finger on the end of the spout to move the ball bearing and if your finger gets wet, then the water is there and the ball bearing is working alright.

I always put fresh cucumber in the cages each night, so if there is ever a problem with the bottle, the fluffs can get moisture from eating the cucumber. My robos have always loved cucumber.

[Thin Lizzy]

Artisans that's a good idea about the cucumber!