Seed Hopper The Seed Hopper Currently in use is the dry food hopper (left) of the Lixit Pet Set (intended for cats and small dogs). I used to use the water dispenser (right) as well, but it made it too easy for the birds to soil their water.

The seed hopper is a tricky accessory to get right, and I still haven't found the perfect solution. Because of the number of birds in my aviary, I like to have a fairly large seed hopper that can hold a nice quantity of seed, and make it accessible to a number of birds at the same time. Because of the button quail, I also like to use a seed hopper than can sit on the aviary floor (Note: Many people use button quail to clean-up the seed spilt from feeders hung up higher in the aviary. I prefer my quail to have equal access to the seed hopper and not have to sustain itself on food that is dropped [although, I'm sure it would be plentiful]).

I have chosen the food dispenser from a Lixit Pet Set (designed for cats and small dogs) as a seed hopper. The seed flows freely from the hopper, so I never have to worry about the opening being clogged. It holds a good deal of seed. It is smooth plastic, so it is easy to clean and can be sanitized in the dishwasher.

The downside is that the seed pools in a bowl attached to the hopper. It is very easy for the birds to flick the seed out of the bowl with their beaks, sending new seed pouring into the bowl, but tossing the existing seed out onto the floor. Thus, a lot of waste is generated. I have seen outdoor bird feeders that use a trough sectioned off into rectangular partitions that supposedly prevent the birds from sweeping out the seed with their beaks. However, I have yet to find one that is plastic, inexpensive, and easy to load into a dishwasher to be sanitized. There are also hoppers designed to collect the spilt seed, but I haven't seen any that are both large enough to supply all my birds and designed to rest on the floor. I will keep looking for a better solution.

Note that I always buy accessories like seed hoppers and water dispensers in pairs (or more) so that one is in the aviary while the other is being cleaned.

Water Dispenser My new water dispenser. Hopefully, this one will help keep the water clean.

In the past, I have used the water dispenser that came with the Lixit Pet Set described in the Seed Hopper topic. However, this provided more water than my birds could drink in an eternity and was large enough to allow the birds to poop and even bathe in it.

I am currently using a water dispenser purchased from Hornbeck's (now owned by Drs Foster and Smith) that protects the pooled water from droppings and is way to small to bathe in. Note that when Hornbecks was acquired by Drs. Foster & Smith, they discontinued sale of this product. I asked them whether they carried this product and if not, if they knew where I could purchase more. They only said that they did retain this product and tried to sell my on their existing products. This is too bad, because this water dispenser works really well - the water is always clean and the birds have an easy time drinking from it.

Ceramic Dishes Small ceramic dishes like the one shown here are used for oyster shell and the pelleted diet.

Small ceramic dishes (meant for cats) purchased at Petco are used to feed oyster shell and Lafeber's finch diet. They are easy to clean and don't take up a lot of space. They hold enough oyster shell for several days, so I don't have to change it daily unless it becomes excessively soiled. Usually a quick wipe of the rim with a damp cloth is all that is required until the supply needs to be replenished.

Bird Bath This bird bath, purchased from Petco, is used to offer my birds a bath, once a day.

I intended to hang the bird bath (also purchased from Petco) from the aviary hood, but in the end, found it easier to place it on the floor. I chose a spot that was not directly beneath any perches and I only leave the bath water in the aviary for a short period of time each day (since the birds will drink from their bath water, even if it is full of bird poop).