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.