Lixit Corporation is the largest small animal watering device manfacturer in the world and provides excellent waterer products for birds.  Water bottles are highly recommended because they are more sanitary and provide a clean, fresh source of water at all times.  Bacteria counts in water bowls double every 3 hours.  Unless you can change your bird's water and disinfect the bowl several times daily you should be providing water with a water bottle.  See bottom of page for information from a certified avian veterinarian regarding the need to provide your bird a water bottle. 

Lixit Glass Water Bottle Waterer with Large Tube

SIZE:  16 oz. bottle  
           5/8" tube - recommended for large birds such as:  Macaws, Cockatoos, African Greys,
           and other large birds

FEATURES:

• Glass bottle
• Provides fresh, clean drinking water
• Stainless steel ball-point tube and mounting hardware
• Non-toxic, USDA-approved rubber stopper
• All components can be sterilized
• Fits most cages and is easy to install
• Quick release bottle holder
• Lixit provides full 5-year guarantee on glass bottles and mounting hardware

Birds easily learn to drink from a water bottle.  Here is a recommendation for converting your bird to a water bottle - Place the water bottle right above his existing water dish so the bird's head just touches it as he goes to drink the water from his dish.  The bottled water will drip on his head so he'll become aware of it and eventually drink from it.  Birds are also attracted to the ball at the tip of the nozzle.  Once the bird is actually drinking from the bottle, you can remove the water bowl.  Just be sure the bird is reliably drinking water from the bottle.  Adjust the bottle so the bottom of the tube is at beak height.

Water Bottle Maintenance

• For convenience have an extra bottle to easily exchange when replacing fresh water (16 oz. replacement bottle)
• Change water daily ... at maximum change every 48 hours.  If you use vitamin-enhanced water change daily.
• Check the tube regularly to be sure it is not clogged and water is readily available from it 
• When changing water thoroughly clean and disinfect the bottle and tube 
• Disinfect the parts in a household bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) for several minutes.  Use a bottle brush to clean interior.  Rinse thoroughly before returning bottle to your bird.
• Routinely check to be sure bottles are securely fastened to cage bars, otherwise a bird might manipulate the bottle and dump it on the floor

Excerpted from article by Dr. Greg Burkett, Board Certified Avian Veterinarian:
Most bacteria come from water dishes.  The most common bacterial infection from water is Pseudomonas.  Pseudomonas is a common cause of feather damaging behaviors (editor: among other problems) . If you are not changing your water bowls every three hours, then I guarantee that your dishes contain significant amounts of bacteria.  Want proof?  Feel the bottom of the bowl the next time you wash it and discover the slime on the bottom.  This is called a biofilm and it is a bed of bacteria.  The numbers of bacteria in this biofilm double every three hours.  Every time your bird drinks from this dirty bowl he ingests bacteria.  The best prevention for this is to put your bird on a water bottle.  Change the bottle once daily and check it 2-3 times daily to be sure it is working.