Do-it-yourself rabbit drinkers: nipple, vacuum and made from a plastic bottle

Experienced rabbit breeders know how important a good drinker is for the normal life of the animal. Adults drink about a liter of water per day, so convenient water containers must be located in the places where they are kept. To date, the drinker can be easily purchased at the store, their choice is wide. However, you can not spend your money on the purchase of these devices, but make a drinking bowl for rabbits with your own hands.

The main types of drinkers and requirements for them

Rabbits have very sensitive stomachs, so they always must have fresh water. The use of blooming water can adversely affect the health of animals. In this regard, high demands are placed on drinking bowls for eared pets:

1. The volume of the water tank should be such that the animal is provided with water for a long time.
2. So that the drinker does not stagger and does not fall, it should be firmly fixed.
3. Drinking water should always be clean.
4. The container must be chosen reliable so that the rabbits cannot gnaw it.
5. It must be protected from dust and ingress of various debris into it.
6. The drinking bowl should be made so that it is easy to fill with water.
7. Wash the water tank as often as possible, especially in summer.

And, most importantly, a rabbit drinker should be convenient and not too difficult to use. Containers in the form of bowls for these mobile animals will not work. They easily overturn them, turn them over, and sometimes even use them as a toilet. Therefore, the drinker must be massive and carefully fixed in a place accessible to the animals.

Types of drinkers for rabbits

Making a device for rabbits to drink water from is not difficult. It will only be necessary to decide on the type of structure.

Automatic drinkers.

These are mainly complex automatic structures that are used on large farms.

• Water is poured into volumetric stainless steel tanks, which enters a distribution tank equipped with a flush system and floats.
• This container is connected to tubular pipelines leading to each cell.
• Cups are attached to the end of the pipe, from which the rabbits drink.
• The water level in the cups is constantly replenished from the main tank, in which, in the absence of water in the glass, the float system is triggered and the valve opens. Therefore, animals are constantly provided with water.

It is quite difficult to make such a drinker on your own. If you want to install an automatic container on your farm, it is best to purchase it in a store.

Semi-automatic drinkers.

They are also filled with water from an additional container, which can serve as an ordinary plastic bottle.

• Cups for drinking are fixed to the cage, and clamps are made for bottles.
• With the help of the lower clamp in the tank, water will be regulated.
• Such a structure is attached at a height of about three meters.

To prevent animal feces from getting into the container, the protrusion in the cage should be three centimeters.

Nipple drinkers.

Many rabbit breeders prefer such designs due to the fact that the water in them is constantly fresh and clean.

• A special ball is built into the drinkers – a nipple. When the animals begin to hit it with their tongue, water is released.
• If rabbits can spill water from glasses, then this is excluded when using nipple structures.
• The disadvantage of such devices is that their volume is not very large, so you constantly need to add water. And besides that, in winter they freeze quickly.

Handicraft drinkers.

These are any containers, from an aluminum bowl to a plastic tray. Their use is not very convenient, but if it is not possible to buy or make a reliable design, then you can use such devices. The main thing is that they should be well fixed so that the animals cannot overturn or turn over the container.

Self-made drinking bowls

Plastic bottle drinker

This is the cheapest and most proven way to supply rabbits with water.

• A one liter plastic bottle is thoroughly washed.
• A round hole is made in the middle, the diameter of which should be slightly larger than the pet’s head.
• The container in a horizontal position is fixed with a wire. The hole should point upwards at a forty-five degree angle from the floor surface.

Of course, this design is not very convenient, since you will have to add water to it quite often. But this method is the fastest and most economical.

Vacuum drinker

It will not be difficult to make a vacuum design. It will take for this all the same plastic bottle, a volume of one and a half liters and a deep bowl.

• The bowl is placed on the floor near the wall of the cage and fastened so that the rabbits cannot turn it over.
• The bottle filled with water and closed with a lid is turned over and attached to the wall of the cage so that its neck does not reach the bottom of the bowl.
• If you unscrew the lid a little, then the water will begin to pour into the bowl. After the drinker is two-thirds full, the water from the bottle will stop flowing. But as it decreases, the cup will fill with water again.

Do-it-yourself nipple drinker for rabbits

Such designs are sold in the store, but they have a small volume, so you have to constantly add water to them. This is not very convenient, but you can solve the problem by making a nipple drinker yourself.

For the manufacture will need:

• nozzles for nipple structures (preferably ball ones) and a thin hose for them;
• plastic bottles with a capacity of one and a half liters;
• silicone sealant;
• insulating tape.

After everything is prepared, you can get to work.

• Using an iron skewer for barbecue, heated over a fire, you need to make a round hole in the cap of a plastic bottle.
• Until its edges have cooled down, it is necessary to insert a piece of hose into the hole, the length of which should be twelve to fifteen centimeters. Inside the bottle, it must be pushed one or two centimeters.
• If the hole in the lid turns out to be wider than the diameter of the hose, then from the inside of the lid it will need to be wrapped with electrical tape.
• To avoid leaks, the junction of the cap with the hose should be coated with sealant.
• To the end of the hose, which will be inside the bottle, a nipple spout is inserted. In order for it to hold on tighter, it must first be smeared with glue.
• The lid is screwed on and the bottle is turned upside down.
• The bottom of the container is cut off so that a kind of lid is obtained. It will be possible to lift it, add water to the bottle and close it again.

Nipple drinker for rabbits is ready. Remains only attach it to the door or to the mesh side of the cage.

Such a drinker has its drawbacks:

1. In winter, the water in them can freeze.
2. You have to constantly make sure it stays sealed. Otherwise, everything may leak out, and the rabbits will remain unkempt.
3. You should constantly check whether the spout of the drinker is clogged.
4. Rabbits constantly gnaw through hoses. If there is a lover to gnaw in the cage, then it is useless to install such a structure.

Those who are not afraid of these difficulties can start making a nipple drinker for rabbits.

Improvised means for drinking bowls can be different, you just need to dream up a little. And with the right approach to arranging them with your own hands, rabbits will always be provided with clean and fresh water.