where should I put the water?

[tish982]

I'am getting 2 rosy bourkes on saturday. I've heard that you feed them from a dish on the ground, but does the water go in a shallow bowl on the ground or should I hang a dish up higher on the cage?

 

[MonicaMc]

When I had bourke parakeets, they had food and water like all my other birds... they went where I felt most comfortable placing the dishes. Not on the ground, not up high. Just somewhere in the middle where their perches were.

 

[EllenD]

I totally agree with Monica, my mother bred different species of Bourkes for years, and they are just like any other breed of parrot, you use the same type of bowls hung in the cage the same way, not on the floor of the cage. Putting their dishes on the floor of the cage is unsanitary and is going to result in you having to be constantly changing their food and water multiple times a day...I'm not sure where you heard this, but I would not follow that direction at all, just buy 2 of the regular stainless-steel bowls for parrots and hang them in their cage normally, at about mid-height in their cage...

 

[MonicaMc]

Bourkes are ground foragers... they often spend a lot of time down low. I had one in particular that would run around the bottom of the cage, like some cockatiels do.

This is probably why it was recommended to put the food down low... which I don't find necessary.

 

[Terry57]

We also have Bourke's, and they are in a huge flight. We have a pie plate that sits on a raised stool in the bottom of the cage, and is not under any perches at all so it remains clean. We also have regular dishes with food and water hung normally. My Bourke's eat from both.

 

[buurd]

My RBs drink from a normal water cup in an opening in the cage. Just make sure they have a perch there to sit on while they get the water, and its out of the way of any perches above. They dont need their water on the ground.
I would be worried of them putting their feet into the drinking water (or pooping in it). Also, mine come down pretty hard on their perches. so I would bet they can flip a shallow water pan. Yu might not see them get on the perch and drink all that much. i was told that they dont drink as much water as the other grasskeets and budgies, because they are from an arid environment. Give them greens every day, and you can sprinkle a little water on those if want to. they love the greens, and it hydrates them, too. Check the water level every day, and change it to fresh. Tiny feather parts you can hardly see end up in there and hulls, pee, etc...


They do need a soild cage floor in the flight cage, though. Just cage bars isnt good for their feet.

Please show us some pics of your set up when you can nnIm just starting mine. Ill post when they're not going to get spooked by me doing it.