Well I ended up at my local pet shop just to 'have a look'
. I found a water dispenser for birds in the bargain bin for £2.50 which is cheaper than the ones I saw online so I ended up buying it. It's
this one except it's white. I've found a few logistical problems though. The dispenser is designed to fit flat against the bars so if you want it hanging lower down into the base so that a hamster and reach it from the 'ground floor' it ends up tilting backwards. I have one of the
spring type water bottle clips which I am using instead of the original clip it came with and am putting some cardboard behind the water dispenser to try and keep it at the proper upright angle. It's a bit of a faff though and I'm not convinced the water is dispensing correctly. That being said Spike loves it. The bowl bit is just the right size and depth and he seems much much happier drinking in a more natural way than with the water bottles. Normally when he's drinking from the bottles his ears are slightly back and he's clearly irritated, with this one though the ears are up and he even seems to be drinking more than he was before - so despite the issues I'm pleased
. I am probably going to buy the Exo Terra though as I can stand it upright and not have to worry about getting it to sit at the right angle to dispense water when the level drops.