A hard lesson...Please read if you use automatic watering

For anyone that uses automatic watering, please read the following.

I had one tub of rats that were withering away. All skin and bones and looking extremely sick. It is a closed colony so the odds that any disease got introduced is remote. I checked on them a few minutes ago and one was dead. After thinking for a few minutes I checked their water. It turns out that the sipper was clogged and they weren't getting any water. I put a water bottle down through the hardware cloth and they all drank a ton. I also found out that on my other rack, the entire thing was without water since the valve in the bucket was clogged. I removed every sipper valve that I have, removed the buckets and scrubbed everything. I took apart each sipper and each bucket valve and soaked them in a hot water/bleach solution and then blew each one out to make sure it was clear before putting it back together. I then tested all levels in the racks and verified that all water was working. Please, if you have rodents and use automatic watering, check the flow often and clean your sippers on a regular schedule. I have no excuse for not checking them more frequently and its sad that any rats had to die because of my mistake.

Wow Jamie, thanks for posting that..... especially considering I'm using a similar? system now. I've had water bottles do the same thing too.... Just throwing that out there. So sorry you lost a rattie. :(

That is a good lesson for anyone, thanks for sharing that with us.


I was thinking about switching to watering system, however even if filling up bottles everyday is not all that fun, I like to be able to tell who is drinking and see if there is any problem.

Kara mentioned something about soaking the sippers in vinegar to erode deposits :(

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Originally Posted by cueball

Kara mentioned something about soaking the sippers in vinegar to erode deposits :(

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I now remember hearing something about that. I will try it next time. As long as they are working its all good..

You're a gentleman for making this post and saving others :gj:

Over here, every sipper gets checked at least once a week during cleaning ... before I put the tub back in the rack, I give the sipper a little "tweak" with my finger to make sure it has good flow.

Over time, you'll find far worse problems with floods using automatic watering systems ... new sippers are pretty much flood proof, but once those little blue diaphragms have some time on them, watch out.

Checking for floods is an every day chore for me.

-adam

Sorry this happened Jamie but it's really good of you to share the experience so others can learn from it. I'm still using water bottles but I have to watch that they don't plug up the spigots on them.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Over here, every sipper gets checked at least once a week during cleaning ... before I put the tub back in the rack, I give the sipper a little "tweak" with my finger to make sure it has good flow.

-adam

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I do the same. Make it a habit everytime you clean. It really will become part of your cleaning routine.

Jamie, sorry for your loss.. thanks for posting that. It will help remind people stuff can happen

Having to clean it every week or so seems like a lot of work no?

Alas, I've also had this happen before.. now, every time I feed/clean I check each valve just like Adam said. I also check the bucket valve when I refill it (once every 10-14 days usually)

Jake.. it's really not much hassle. You just have to close the valve on the bucket, and take off the valve that is clogged, and either get it working again, or replace it (I've had two that just wouldn't unclog). If the bucket valve is clogged, it can be unscrewed and cleaned.. just takes a few minutes. Usually you don't have to do it every time you refill the bucket though.

and it would take less time than filling bottles every day.

we've changed to larger water bottles... it's really made it much better for my daughter. she was getting overwhelmed with her ratties needing their bottles refilled two or three times a day.

so every cage has either a huge water bottle or two medium water bottles on them. my daughter just touches each one to make sure a drop of water comes out when she feeds. muuuuch easier on her.

sorry to hear about your loss jamie :hug:

Sorry to hear that Jamie, it feels terrible when any animal in your care meets an untimely and unnecessary demise (as opposed to their timely and necessary demise when they get eaten) . Are you using the flexible tubing for your watering system? I use PVC tubing for my auto watering system and I've never had a clog (see examples here... http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=38830 ) I check it regularily but the flow has always been great. It's harder to do then the flexible tubing, but I think well worth the extra time...

Mark

I, too, still use water bottles, but I'm appreciative of this post. Thank you for sharing this with us, even though you had to lose a rat. :( That's terrible, but at least it was only one. I'm glad to hear you fixed the problem.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Sorry to hear that Jamie, it feels terrible when any animal in your care meets an untimely and unnecessary demise (as opposed to their timely and necessary demise when they get eaten) . Are you using the flexible tubing for your watering system? I use PVC tubing for my auto watering system and I've never had a clog (see examples here... http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=38830 ) I check it regularily but the flow has always been great. It's harder to do then the flexible tubing, but I think well worth the extra time...

Mark

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I use the flexible black tubing. However, neither of the problems occurred in the tubing. One was in the variflow valve and the other in the bucket valve.

I put about a 1/2 a capful of bleach in the 5 gal. bucket and this seems to help quite a bit with keeping the lines and sippers clean. I have only had my breeding rack going for about 2 years but all the valves are still always pretty clean when I check on them. I am actually kind of surprised because I use well water and it is very hard water. I was really expecting a lot of problems with calcium build up but so far I have been lucky.

Ah; I am really sorry about what happened to ya. I had one female who died from dehydration; her water bottle was similarly clogged, and it was a few days before I noticed it.. I feel your sorrow.

I just got caught out there with 2 clogged water sippers. One of my breeder males-DEAD. One tub with 2 nursing females and about 20 pups...Extremely dehydrated.

Luckily I found it before the females died. I gave them 2 water bottles through the top of the yub and they literally drank till both were empty.

I took apart the vari-flow sipper and found that the blue diaphram was clogged. there are 3 tiny holes in the diaphragm that let water through when the rat pushes the bar...those were clogged. Once I cleared them out, the sipper worked fine again...I found that this was the only water resovior that had vanilla extract in it...mayb this has something to do with the clogs?? Any way, I've learned my lesson...and won't use vanilla anymore either....

Sorry to hear man. Automatic watering makes things so much easier but we aren't checking it constantly like with water bottles. Glad you saved the others!

With the auto food and auto water it is easy to get complacent and forget daily service....Not any more, now I know

Im not sure if this is appropriate or a repost but I am kind of iffy when it comes to watering units.

Water disaster

look at the very bottom of the page

Bleh, that link just makes you sick....=P

Jamie, I'm sorry you lost a rat and I agree, it's a great reminder to make sure you aren't getting complacent and check on all your critters...

*gets up to check on her miceseses*