Water Bottle

A single chin usually only needs an 8oz. bottle. Two chins will need a 16oz bottle. Don't use a bowl for your chins water as most chins won't drink from one and it will always have hay, shavings and poops in it. There are many types of water bottles available. Many are plastic, but you can also get glass. There are also ball bearing and valve drinking tips. You should scrub your chin's water bottle with a bottle brush and hot soapy water once a week. That includes the drinking tip and rubber washer. Here are some guide lines about water bottles.

• bottles that have a ball bearing tip work using a vacuum seal. You have to fill these bottles all the way into the neck to the top of the neck rim for them to work properly. If you don't, your bottle will continually drip. If you put really cold water in the bottle, it will also drip for a little bit while the water adjust to room temperature.
• valve tip bottles have a small metal rod that the chin will lick moving it up which provide them with water. Since these do not operate by vacuum seal, they do not need to be filled to the rim and they will not drip. However, some chins will not drink from this type of bottle tip.
• plastic is the most common bottle you will find. Plastic can also be easily chewed, so make sure you always attach the bottle to the outside of the cage. A few chins will be mischievous and manage to fit their teeth through the cage wire and nibble the bottle. If this happens and you use a ball bearing type tip, then even the smallest puncture will cause the bottle to drain out all the water since it causes it to lose the vacuum seal. So check the water level on a regular basis.
• Super Pet makes a glass water bottle, but you have to be careful when using this brand because they have been known to not work properly. You have to tap the tip several times to make sure there is good water flow. Make sure when your chin drinks there is an air bubble which floats to the top and then you know it is working.
• Lixit makes an excellent glass water bottle. We have never had any problems with this brand of glass bottle.