Sorry if the opening sounds something like a sales pitch...
 
I've got three fuzzies that share two half gallon water bottles
(http://www.ferretstore.com/80956.html).
They've been using these bottles without incident for years.  Underneath
of these I have a drip cup (http://www.ferretstore.com/lixcorsidqui.html)
because the bottles leak a bit when they're filled up and whenever the
cage vibrates (like when I'm walking past it, etc).  The water bottles
are cleaned and refilled every 3-4 days.
 
I've noticed that all of the ferrets, especially my oldest one, will drink
the dripped water out of the cup BEFORE they drink from the bottle even if
this means they need to push their head into that metal drip ball.  As a
result I get ferrets with wet heads.  Further investigation has shown
that, given the choice, the ferrets will drink more often *AND* more
deeply from a bowl or cup than from the bottles no matter how fresh the
water is.  They absolutely ADORE the little "meditation fountain" I have
on my end table.
 
Since plenty of water is great for all creatures I would like to give
them what they want -- an open bowl of water -- but of course there's a
problem.  Bowls which are not physically attached to the cage will ALWAYS
be tipped over no matter how heavy or stable they seem.  Those automatic
water dispensers (for example, http://www.ferretstore.com/autwatdis.html)
have their own issues; aside from the tip-over problem, the ferrets always
want to explore inside the feed part (so they wind up repeatedly dunking
themselves and attempting to push the bottle up, so the water overflows
the bowl).
 
Bowls which ARE attached to the cage are possible
(http://www.ferretstore.com/firprizpetlo2.html is a great one; I use it
for food) but there's a problem with ALL bowls: the ferrets insist on
soaking their food in it!  I often find myself pulling the water bowl 2-3
times a day to clean out ferret kibble that was dropped inside, even if
the water bowl is on a higher level in the cage than the food bowl (which
means they grabbed food, walked up the ramp, and dropped it into the
bowl).
 
ANY IDEAS?!?
[Posted in FML issue 3607]