Today when I took down my birds' water bottles there was a slimy bacterial biofilm inside on the rubber stoppers. It's been warmer than usual. I have no idea what kind of germ was brewing in there.

 

I am thinking with this hot weather maybe I need to boil the water first. I heard that boiled water can give a tummy ache because of it's lack of oxygen. I guess I could let it cool down and get a big glass container for the fridge and give it a good shake.

 

How do you all make sure your birds water quality is up to par?

 

Hopefully this will not have a detrimental effect on my birds, fingers crossed. (Everything has been cleaned and rinsed with boiling hot water now)

Edited July 5, 201311 yr by Phoebes

Hi Phoebes,

 

A slime happens when the water isn't changed regularly. Is this the slime your talking about?

Water starts losing nutrients, so for that reason it is a good idea to change it everyday also.

Yes, usually every 48 hours was enough with the bottle. It is very cold here all winter. However with the hot weather I won't leave the bottle more than a day now. I change the bath every day. Also I used to use baby water which is distilled then they add minerals for taste. I used ordinary bottled water this time. The baby water never made the bottle slimy.

 

The bottles have been in exactly 24 hours and I detect the start of a biofilm. I am just washing them out now. I think I will have to go back to a more sterile water for now.

 

I realized by doing some research that the rubber stopper is probably the problem.http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/14626903 http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/15040259 " no significant biofilm growth was observed on pipe surfaces, but in a number of cases, visible biofilms were detected on rubber-coated valves"

 

It seems that scientific evidence has shown that bacteria like rubber.

Edited July 6, 201311 yr by Phoebes

Also if your bottles are in sunlight they will encourage a green film in them. I use sipper bottles similar to your picture but have never had a problem with them, I use a bottle brush once a week and rinse them in a bleach solution (rubber stoppers as well) use fresh water to rinse, then fill them.

I add aviclens to the water.

I add aviclens to the water.

I'll have to look into this product, thanks.

Also if your bottles are in sunlight they will encourage a green film in them. I use sipper bottles similar to your picture but have never had a problem with them, I use a bottle brush once a week and rinse them in a bleach solution (rubber stoppers as well) use fresh water to rinse, then fill them.

The bottles don't get sunlight. I really think the water was the problem now. I have read that filtered water is preferable to source water. I didn't know if bleach was safe on rubber stoppers. I boiled water for the last rinse each time. The film is just transparent and feels slippery on the rubber stopper.

Have been doing some experimenting with a bottle on an empty cage. With a better water quality there is no biofilm after 48 hours. Problem solved thanks everyone.

Also I did look up the aviclens and I am looking for a place in Canada to order it. I have to be careful when buying elsewhere for unexpected border charges. I think this product will do well in a outdoor fountain I was thinking of adding to my room. I didn't have any idea this existed so thanks very much.

Edited July 8, 201311 yr by Phoebes

It's been quite some time now and the biofilm never came back. I have added one important step to my bottle cleaning. I pour boiled water over the stoppers after having cleaned them. I knew that the water quality here was less than perfect, we drink bottled water. (as do the birds)

 

I suspect the old plumbing is responsible as mold will form quickly in the toilet if not maintained daily. There is none in the house but I have to add cleaners often to the washing machine.

Sounds like you fixed the problem Phoebes. Hope your birds are doing well.