hamster water bottle keeps leaking?

Question

I recently changed cages of my hamsters and I have tried 2 different water bottles and both of them have leaked all the water out completely. Both bottles are new and both have the ball bearing in them. Is there something I am doing wrong or any tips that would solve this problem? I have had to change all his litter out twice now. or should I just use a bowl of water instead?

The first bottle came with the new cage and the second one I bought new. I have been in contact with my local vet and pet store, none said should leak or one be better than the other.
What would you consider cheap? & Why are some of you out there such smart *ss? (you know who you are)

Answer 1

Are the water bottles new or from the old cage?

Check to see if your hamster is playing with the water bottle by chewing on it, or banging it against the cage. The easiest way to do this is to fill the water bottle up and stand it upright in an empty cage or mug or other hamster-free area.

If the bottle is leaking on its own, check to see if there are any shavings stuck in the tube/ball bearing area that would break the seal between the ball and the tube. Also look for dents or chips in the tube which prevent the ball from sitting flush with the bottom of the tube. The bottle must be hung as upright as possible so that the ball bearing sits at the very botton of the tube.

Also check the screw-neck of the water bottle to see if there is a rubber seal or gasket there. If the (reservoir part of the) bottle is not air-tight, the bottle will leak, and sometimes defective water bottles are sold that are missing that rubber gasket. Sometimes, rubbing the screws/seal area with a little bit of vaseline will also help make it air-tight.

Finally, check to see if there are any holes in the water bottle itself. Empty out the water bottle and put your finger over the tube opening. Submerge the whole water bottle in a bucket of water, and look for any bubbles that escape - you should be able to see any cracks or leaks in the molded plastic parts easily.

If the bottle is missing a rubber seal or has a crack, replacing it should solve the problem.
If it's hamster related, you may have to try a different style of bottle or attach it to a place where they cannot bang on it.

Habitrail minis make a water dish for hamsters called the Mushroom Oasis - it works better than a bowl as it protects the water from shavings a little, and is reasonably tip-proof.

You can use a bowl of water if nothing else works, but it will get dirty very quickly as bedding gets kicked into it. Some hamsters also like to knock over bowls, so it might flood the cage anyway.

Answer 2

You don't want to put water in a bowl they will tip that over within seconds of putting it in their cage and they won't be able to get water.The bottles they make suck and aren't built to last. I have gone through 3 bottles with my hamsters and 2 bottles with my ferrets. I have bought the most expensive to the cheapest to see which one is the best and like I said they all suck. The only thing I know of that causes this is that if the bottle is to big for the animal they have to push harder and this makes the bottle tear up more quickly. I mean if you listen at night with hamsters and they are vigarasly drinking from the bottle and making lots of noise then the water bottle won't last a week. You have to get exactly the right size which for a hamster is no more than 4oz and the critter canteen seems to work the best of all the crappy ones I've tried. It tends to stop leaking after a minute. The problem I have with that one is that when you screw the top on sometimes it will fall off if they are to rough with it. If you were only getting one drop of water at a time you'd probably tear up your botttle to. Also you don't want a bottle with a ball bearing that moves up and down those bottles really suck and won't last very long and leak really badly. I hope this helps you!

Answer 3

My guinea pigs one would leak every so often and make the bedding directly under the bottle wet but not the whole cage or anything bad enough where I would have to take all the litter out. I would say try buying one that you see the pet store using in their cages, also if the hamster drank water out of a bowl previously then he should be fine drinking it out of a bowl now. Sometimes when you switch from a botttle to a bowl, it takes them a lil while to figure out they can drink from it and also the water bowl gets very dirty and messes up the rest of the cage worse than a good working water bottle would. You would have to change the water more often and maybe clean the cage more often if you had a bowl instead of a bottle.

Answer 4

You can most defenetly return the 2nd watter bottle that you both.[ you cant return the other one because it came with the cage]. So head on over to the petstore and return the watter bottle that you bought[with receipt]. then go and look around the watter bottle section. and look for a brand name Critter Canteen, It is the best watter bottle out there. i use it for my hamster and it NEVER leaks. And no i dont think putting a bowl in there then a water bottle. But if you have to for a day or two. you can, im saying its not a good permanent drinking place because your hammie might flip it over. Also most water bottles leak little or ALOT maybe like yours, In my time as a hamster owner this has defenetly been the best watter bottle by Critter Canteen you will defenetly see a diffrence with the leaky one and Critter Canteen its the best water bottle for hamsters i think..Well... hope this helped!

Answer 5

you may not have the cap on tight enough to seal. try putting some clay around the rim where the cap and bottle meet. make sure you go all the way around the bottle touching both the cap and glass bottle. let me know if that works. the hamster will not drink from the bowl, because he will accidentally kick bedding material in the water, and they wont touch it.

Answer 6

Have you tried The one called Critter Canteen? We use them almost exclusively and never a leak. We have 20 in use right now. Most have been used for over a year now.

Answer 7

Take em back to the store and try again. A good quality one won't leak.

Answer 8

Take them back where you bought them and with the refund money buy top quality, this way you'll realized that you spent the same amount of money but you worked harder this way!
Our pets deserve top quality items, this si something that you buy retail!!!

Answer 9

Quit buying the cheap ones!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

buy another one and try again