Auto water/gravity water bowl – help!

[JackRabbit]

I’m stuck on the bottle vs auto/gravity water bowl decision! It’s driving me crazy to watch Marlee drink from a water bottle (she thinks she has to have her whole head underneath the spout and look up to drink), but Moshi is a “lets see what’ll float” and “what happens when I knock this over” kind of guy. I think I’ve figured out how to keep Moshi from knocking a waterer over, but how do you clean the “stuff” (fur, litter, etc.) out of the bowl part without taking the whole thing apart?

(Regular ceramic bowls are not an option around Moshi, he tosses all bowls and is strong enough to flip a litterbox with Marlee in it so the extra weighted bowls are irrelevant).

[jerseygirl]

and is strong enough to flip a litterbox with Marlee in it

Lol. He’s such a BOY!
I was thinking this of Gooseman just the other day because he has a tendency to “dive-bomb” the girls. No water involved though. ; )

Mmm.. I sometimes swipe the water with a small piece of flywire to take out the fur. Would that work?

[JackRabbit]

Flywire?

[JackRabbit]

And yes, such a boy! I watched him flip it last night — medium cat litterbox, including litter and Marlee. He usually just pushes or drags her around in the litterbox, but last night she got a surprise. Her majesty was not pleased, but Moshi was very proud.

[jerseygirl]

Too cute! But messy… Haha

flywire- like fine screen wire for doors and windows but made of polyester. Edit: fly screen mesh! That’s what I meant.
Actually could you put some sort of strainer basket in the bowl part and routinely lift that out for a rinse? Like a filter basket of sorts. Or would he fling that out?

[litheandgraphic]

Theodore is absolutely the same way about flipping things over and/or placing things in his water dish. But I’ve found that the autowaterer, especially if you get one that is big enough for two rabbits, it will be too heavy for him to knock over. I also put the bowl in a corner and he seems to be unable to get at it that way. Though the toys in the water thing continues. The other day I found his plastic keys there.

[Flopsie]

have you thought of using fasteners on the bottom like velcro to whatever surface it is on? This way you can remove it but make it harder for them to tip.

I did that with my litterbox

[JackRabbit]

Flopsie – we’re going to try the velcro on the litterbox in the bunny room this weekend when we clean (bought the velcro after I saw the other post). The ones in the bunny room (2 xl cat litterboxes) are inside the “kitchen/bathroom” crate — he can only move them so far without taking them outside the crate but still moves them. The one he drags around and flips is in the hallway play area, and we only put bunny stuff in the hall in the evenings.

Jersey — I think he’d flip a strainer basket left in there, but a small syrainer with a handle that I can use to just scoop stuff out might work. I’m kindof wondering if I would be able to just take the whole thing in the bathtub and turn it over to dump and rinse everyday without having to take it apart.

FLR – That is just too cute! Curious, does he have a toy basket to put his toys in? We keep a willow basket (I keep extras on hand so I can replace it when eaten!) in the bunny area and put their toys in it every night. The toys never stay there long and they never try to put them away but dragging them out keeps them occupied for a little while. Maybe Theodore would put his away!

[litheandgraphic]

JackRabbit – Yes!! When I first gave him the basket that is exactly what he did. Put his toys inside of it. So cute. But now he’s dragged the basket into his hide house, along with some of his toys, slowly but surely. I have a feeling that eventually all of them will end up in there…

[jerseygirl]

Jersey — I think he’d flip a strainer basket left in there, but a small syrainer with a handle that I can use to just scoop stuff out might work. I’m kindof wondering if I would be able to just take the whole thing in the bathtub and turn it over to dump and rinse everyday without having to take it apart.

Is the bowl part an odd shape or a round dish? If you could set a second part inside it (like an insert) you could easily take that part out to daily. You’d need to block of the top reservoir while you do it though. If an insert part doesn’t have a lip, he shouldn’t be able to get it out. Do you have a link to a waterer similar to yours?

btw, everytime I see this thread title, I imagine Moshi pushing Marlee around for a car ride. Like little kids do with a cardboard box.

[JackRabbit]

The insert is kindof shaped like a cross between a kidney and a pear. Its a Petsafe Healthy Pet Water Station. It just came a couple days ago so I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet.

And yes, it is like like a kiddy car ride! I think she’s getting a little tired of it. If she’s trying to pee and he starts, she’ll hop out and bite his butt until he runs off then she’s back in the box with tail lifted and squatting. He is all boy!

[jerseygirl]

Lol. A girl can’t get any peace!

Ah Ok. So they already have an insert. So when you take that out, the base would start to fill with water?

Only thing I can think to do is put a small cup filled with water under the reservoir while you have the insert out. Would that work???
Edit: I just read it has a flow control valve. So when you have the insert out, it’s not an issue?

[JackRabbit]

I have no idea. You definitely have to take the reservoir off to remove the insert. Right now its taken apart and sitting on my dining room table airing out before I wash it. I’m hoping it will. E easy to detach and just rinse out every night, then wash every weekend (it uses optional filters to somewhat purify the water in the reservoir). It looks like the stainless steel insert is just there so the water tastes better a d not so that you could just rinse out the insert as needed. If only there was one that recirculates the water and constantly filters “pieces” out of the water but that doesn’t gave a power cord!

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