putting food in water bowl

SunConureMom

New member
Jun 23, 2012
72
0
USA
Parrots
Calie - (M. Sun Conure, hatched 3/12)
Hello everyone. I have a 4 month old sun conure and I've had her for about 10 days. She has just started dipping her food in her water bowl and drops some in the water. I change the water as often as I can but I work all day and I'm worried about the water going bad. Should I try a water bottle? How do you get a parrot accustomed to drinking from a bottle? I feed a combination of pellets and seed and she eats a lot! Thanks.
 

AFP520

Banned
Banned
Jun 7, 2012
202
0
NJ
Parrots
Lucy, Sun Capped Conure
Agree about separating the bowls. Lucy's are at opposite sides of the cage. After she eats up, she goes for a drink and she's all set.
 

MaraWentz

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Mar 27, 2012
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Red Front Macaw, Elvis, 10,male RIP

Red Front Macaw, Erin, 1.5,female

Goffin Cockatoo, Blossom 2,female Rehomed

Blue & Gold Macaw, Oscar, Male, 21 years old, Rehomed

American Bulldog Mix,
It's no real problem. A lot of my Mommom's birds do it. They eat the food too XP We just change the water frequently
 

Customcasket

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Aug 24, 2011
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New Jersey
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Female Dusky Conure (Kayak) Female Sun Conure (Carlisle) Female Budgie (Meister) Male Budgie (Spooky Burd)
I separated the bowls in my guys cages... it did no good. They're stuck in their ways of dunking and making soup. Good luck stopping it, lol. I just change the water as often as I can. If I'm out of the house for work or class or whatever and they trash their water, they're stuck with it until I get home. They also like to bathe in the soup mixture they've made. Yuck.
 

Wulfgeist

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Feb 1, 2012
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Winchester area, VA
Same problem here. I have food on one side, water on the other side of the cage. *Both* birds do this to me. I've actually seen Tico with a pellet in hand--er foot stand there dunk and nibble. I guess they like it softened up and either lose grip of it or think they can get it out.
 

beck

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Jun 30, 2011
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Florida
Parrots
Moche the Quaker Parrot and Charlie the African Grey
My Quaker does this all day long. Picks up a pellet, shuffles over to the other side of the cage, and dunks and crumbles it over his water bowl, repeat. I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much, just don't let it sit overnight.
 

everdusk

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Oct 27, 2011
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Nova Scotia, Canada
Parrots
Marzipan (Hahns Macaw) & Pip & Monte ('tiels) // In Memory: Countess ('tiel), Primrose (GCC), Pauly, Star, Yoshi & Keitaro (budgies)
Ah! I was wondering about this! My conure's food is ALWAYS a pinkish red because she seems to like to fill her food dish with pellets. And she also bathes in it. Eww! I tried separating but it still happens, and then she gets annoyed and pulls the water dish off the cage so it falls down. I've since put them back side by side and just try to clean it frequently. Silly birdies!
 
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SunConureMom

SunConureMom

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Jun 23, 2012
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USA
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Calie - (M. Sun Conure, hatched 3/12)
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Same problem here. I have food on one side, water on the other side of the cage. *Both* birds do this to me. I've actually seen Tico with a pellet in hand--er foot stand there dunk and nibble. I guess they like it softened up and either lose grip of it or think they can get it out.

Yes, that is exactly what she does! Her bowls are on opposite sides of the cage. I have watched her hold a pellet or seed in one foot, climb to the other side of the cage, dunk the food and eat it. She does bathe in the dirty water too! She'll dunk her head several times in it - she looks so funny with wet feathers on her head. Oh well, thank you all! I guess I'lll just change the water often.
 

WannaBeAParrot

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Jul 5, 2012
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SE Florida and Sullivan County, NY
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Cody-Blu, female Blue-Crowned Conure, Hatched - (approx) June 1, 2014, in a South Florida tree.

Pritti (Cherry-Head Conure) -- Fly in Peace my beautiful boy. Forever I'll love you.
Ah! I was wondering about this! My conure's food is ALWAYS a pinkish red because she seems to like to fill her food dish with pellets. And she also bathes in it. Eww! I tried separating but it still happens, and then she gets annoyed and pulls the water dish off the cage so it falls down. I've since put them back side by side and just try to clean it frequently. Silly birdies!

That just about sums up our crazy conures. How can they not make one happy being funny children for their whole lives !:green1:
 

WharfRat

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Jul 3, 2012
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Central Tx
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2 Bolivian Green Wings-ReaRea & Miri,
2 Yellow Naped 'Zons- Shiloh & Halo,
Hahn's Macaw-Kalani
I've tried moving the bowls all over the place, nothing has worked, the GW's and the Zon's are terrible about this.

2 things that are worth mentioning; the Zon's have 2 bowls each for food and water since they are housed together, BUT, they will rarely eat out of 1 of the feed bowls and prefer to each eat out of the same one. :20:

Miri (GW) is the absolute WORST at dumping out food and water!! :mad: When loose, she will even go into ReaRea's cage and dump hers out as well. I've got 1 more trick up my sleeve to prevent this and it involves a trip to Home Depot to get what I think will solve this.
 

Icicis

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Jul 8, 2012
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Edmonton
Parrots
Icicis-Green Cheek Conure
Yup, my GCC dips everything, nutriberries, strawberries everything.

I have her water bottle as her water source, she shoves her pellets into the water bottle and clogs it :/

They will do anything haha
 

DebsFlock

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Banned
Jul 19, 2012
633
2
Los Angeles County, near Palmdale
Parrots
Scooter -- male Green Cheek Conure "Normal" but that's a matter of opinion! Hatched in March 2010

Scotty -- Male Cape Parrot hatched somewhere between 2007-2009 we think

Caballo Blanco -- male C
I have water bottles in addition to the bowls, but it's hard to tell when they start using it unless you catch them in the act. Otherwise you have to pick a time you can closely monitor what is going on and take the bowl away for significant periods of time.

Unless you live in a very warm climate, it is likely changing the water twice a day will keep it acceptable. That's what I do, athough only Scooter is inclined to make soup, and he's usually dunking the dry pasta which isn't so bad...
 

BreannPearlLang

Banned
Banned
Jul 3, 2012
97
1
my conure takes dehydrated fruits and dips them in water as she eats them.. i guess i never really thought of it as a problem. i think its cute
 

Customcasket

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Aug 24, 2011
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New Jersey
Parrots
Female Dusky Conure (Kayak) Female Sun Conure (Carlisle) Female Budgie (Meister) Male Budgie (Spooky Burd)
Kayak and I have a routine when I change her water after she makes soup. When I bring back the fresh water she HAS to have a couple drinks from it before I'm allowed to put it in its holder. She gets upset if I don't let her have those couple drinks while I'm holding it. Of course not even 5 minutes after I replace her water it's got stuff floating it in. I'm sure it's totally trashed already and I changed it about 20 minutes ago.
 

Echo

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Dec 7, 2009
1,479
3
USA
Parrots
Green Cheek Conures, Crimson Conures, CAG, Pionus, Budgies, Goffin Cockatoo
Same here. Some people like dry cereals, most like them with milk. Same with our birds. And yet, you can't just have a water bottle as a source of water because like Icicis said, they can clog it and then are left with none. So they like their food dunked! I change theirs twice a day, more when I'm not working and at home.

Out of the species that I own, only my Lovebird's water dish is clean........until one of the others poops in it to punish him for it!!!! ahah (I would rather drink soupy water LOL).
 

AFP520

Banned
Banned
Jun 7, 2012
202
0
NJ
Parrots
Lucy, Sun Capped Conure
I'm lucky Lucy does not do this, but I still change her water about 4-5 times every day. If anyone has to leave their bird unattended for long periods and they have a habit of dunking, I would suggest adding a water bottle just in case. I would not want to drink stagnant water with the food in it
 

Alisana

New member
May 31, 2012
714
4
Queensland, Australia
Parrots
Yuki - Snow white budgie; Luna - Blue budgie; Pocket - Hahn's Macaw
Now if the bird was totally bored, he would carry the food to the wate bowl :p[/QUOTE]

My budgies discovered this the other day. -_- ....

I spent a good five minutes trying to figure out why the water was blue.

Thankfully though, I have about three different water bowls in their cage.

Bottle training is a good idea - I like it for the fact I can leave the water bottle in their vet/travel cage without fear of water tipping over.

If you use a rolly-ball, ensure you check it in the morning and at night because sometimes they can pull the ball out, OR reshape the 'spout' so the ball won't spin any more.

I would still suggest if you go with the bottle idea, have the water bowl anyway - many birds just 'like' dunking their food. Nothing to really stop that.
 

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