The Care & Feeding of Your 16 oz. or 32 oz.Water Bottle

1. To install your new water bottle holder, loosen and remove the stainless steel band clamp. Back the band all the way out of the worm screw portion of the clamp so it can be threaded through the cage bars, but do not straighten the band. The curl in it will keep it from sticking out after the holder is attached to the cage.
2. Next determine the location for the holder. Placing it close to a perch and at an elevation that will allow the bird to drink from the bottle comfortably, is usually a good idea. You will need at least one vertical bar to attach the holder and have the nozzle off center. Using two vertical bars with the nozzle sticking into the cage between them is usually better, but not always possible.
3. Thread the clamp band around the cage bar/s and the holder so that the band circles the holder and falls into the two stabilizer slots in the sides of the holder. Position the holder so that the nozzle hole is pointing at the cage and clear of obstructions. Resting the bottom of the holder on a cross bar keeps it from sliding down over time and also requires less clamp pressure to maintain the holders position. If desired, the holder may be cut off to achieve this, but I do not recommend trimming it off shorter than the bottom of the nozzle hole. Tighten the band clamp securely, but please be careful, as these clamps are very strong and can break welds or bars on some cages.
4. Fill the bottle with water and screw on the nozzle assembly being sure that the rubber seal is being compressed slightly. A small amount of resistance when rotating the nozzle will tell you that the seal is tight. Upset the bottle and slide it into the holder being sure that the nozzle protrudes through the hole into the cage. It is a good idea to inspect each bottle for a dripping problem before leaving the area. The cause of a continuous drip is usually easy to determine if you study where the bubbles are coming from that are replacing the water that is leaking out. If they are coming out of the nozzle, then the first of the two stainless steel balls in the nozzle is not sealing. Check for debris in the nozzle or a deformed or cracked tube. If the bubbles are coming from around the rubber seal, then the cap is not tight enough or the seal has been damaged. Bubbles from any other area will most likely be a cracked bottle.
5. We do not recommend refilling the water bottle with out first thoroughly cleaning it and the nozzle, as in a dishwasher or such. We put the nozzle assemblies in the silverware container and thread the bottles onto the pins in the bottom tray. Failure to use an adequate cleaning procedure will result in a buildup of some really bad glop (a scientific term) in both the bottle and nozzle. We recommend changing bottles when the water level is down to 20-25% or the water starts to get cloudy (something got past the two stainless steel balls and is growing in it). Also, when the outside of the bottle starts showing dust (doesn't take long around birds, but its been long enough). The water is pretty well sealed in the bottle when the bird is not drinking and we very seldom find one getting cloudy.
6. Checking the bottles for proper operation every day is recommended. It is easy to do, just reach your finger in and move the balls or shake the bottle enough to dislodge them and watch for a few bubbles to come up in the bottle. Always be on the lookout for a bottle in which the water level has not changed in a few days. Some birds do not drink much, but it may also be a sign of a problem with the bottle or the bird. You may find that some birds will shove food or bedding into the nozzles and plug them up. The bottles for these birds should definitely be checked daily for proper operation. I am still working on offering an optional bottle lock for those few knuckle head birds that think it is fun to push the spout back through the hole in the holder which shoves the nozzle up into the bottle or pushes the bottle up the holder. The nozzle can be kept in place with a small band clamp around the tube by the cap. The bottle can be held in place with a wire bale that sticks through one side of the holder, then goes over the large end of the bottle and back down through the other side of the holder so that it pivots down when you want to replace the bottle. This will not work well if birds are on the outside of the cage as they will have a ball with the wire. A second band clamp snug around the upper part of the holder will stop the fun, but is not real convenient when changing bottles.
7. I have saved this for last because I know you have been wondering, "What the heck are those stupid black lines on the inside of the holder for?" and I wanted to keep you in suspense as long as I could. Maybe this will help. When the water level in the bottle drops below the top of the white holder, it can be difficult to see just how much water is left. Because of the lines, you can very easily determine the water level, as the water will amplify the width of the lines up to its top surface, but the glass by itself will not. Try it out, would I lie?

We hope your bottle assembly gives you and your bird many years of service. But if replacement parts are needed, they are available from us. Please keep in mind that most of this assembly was customized or custom made by The Bird Barn, and standard tubes are not as safe to use and standard caps will not seal on the screw top bottle.

Thanks for your patronage,

Mike and Sue at The Bird Barn in Portland, Oregon

(503) 288-1928----www.thebirdbarn.biz mdesart@pacifier.com

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