a weekend trip, coming home late from work or a meeting with friends that takes a little longer than planned. Having pets fills the heart with joy and makes every homecoming special. But schedules may vary and delay your arrival time at home. If you don’t want your pet to have to wait forever for its food, an automatic feeder is just the right solution for you.
With our big automatic feeder test 2022, we want to help you with your buying decision to find the best automatic feeder for you and your pet or pets. We’ve compared several feeders and listed different advantages, disadvantages and possible features for you to consider. So you are sure to find the right feeder for you.
The most important in short
- feeders are available for many different types of animals. Electric versions can be found especially for dogs& cats or fish. For small animals or birds there are variations in different materials.
- Features such as the audio signal, automatic portioning and control via an app can make your life even easier.
- Feeders can be very useful when you are away from home for a while. However, these can not be a substitute for the attention that your pet needs from you.
Automatic feeder test: editors’ favorites
The best automatic feeder for cats and dogs (dry food)
With sailnovo’s automatic feeder you can record a 10 second voice memo telling your pet when food is ready. Furthermore, the 6L automatic feeder is suitable for cats and dogs and you can feed your animals up to 4 times per day automatically.
The automatic feeder is easy to clean and has an anti-clogging function with the help of an infrared monitor. If you are looking for a reliable dry feeder for your four-legged friends, the automatic feeder from sailnovo is exactly what you need.
The best feeder for cats and dogs (suitable for wet food)
The automatic food dispenser from trixie consists of two chambers that can be opened automatically at different times. One chamber can hold up to 300ml of food. Due to the two different compartments of the feeder, this feeder is especially suitable for wet food.
The feeder is battery operated and with the 48 hour timer it is an absolute hit if you are going to be away for a while. In the bottom is a cooling pad so that the food is still enjoyable even after several hours. If fresh food for your cat or dog is important to you, but you often have to work longer hours, the automatic food dispenser from trixie is a good investment.
The best feeder for fish
The battery-powered automatic everyday fish feeder from eheim can hold up to 100 ml of food. With one simple operation you can set the timer for feeding. the automatic feeder also works perfectly with flake food and is very easy to attach to the aquarium with the integrated holder.
The actively ventilated food chamber ensures that the food stays fresh. With the automatic everyday fish feeder from ehem your fish will want for nothing even in the urlab.
The best feeder for birds
The abree bird feeder is suitable for birds up to medium size. A collection box underneath the feeder ensures that dropped food is collected and therefore requires less cleaning. The feeder is also dishwasher safe, making it easy to clean.
The automatic feeder is simple and yet very useful. After a short period of getting used to it, your feathered friends will also be happy about it.
Also interesting
Guide: questions you should ask yourself before buying a feeder
For which animals are there feeders?
If you own one of these animals, you have come to the right place.
For whom is an automatic feeder suitable?
If your pet should always be fed at the same time, if you come home from work later than planned, if you have planned a short vacation or if you simply want to leave this work to an automatic feeder for other reasons, then the automatic feeder is certainly a sensible investment.
How much does an automatic feeder cost?
Feeders for birds or small animals are usually not electronic and therefore the cheapest of this class. With the vending machines for dogs& but for cats or fish it looks quite different. automatic food dispensers for dogs and cats are without exception electronic and depending on the filling volume, integrated chip feeding (which we will discuss in more detail later in our article) and other special features, the price can be several hundred euros.
| dog and cat | 30 – 500 € |
| small animals | 2 – 20 € |
| fish | 15 – 150 € |
| birds | 5 – 20 € |
Where can I buy an automatic feeder?
According to our research, these online suppliers sell the most automatic feeders via the net:
- Amazon.De
- Fressnapf.De
What kind of food is suitable for an automatic feeder??
| dog and cat | dry food, wet food |
| small animals | dry food |
| fish | fish food like flakes or pellets |
| birds | sunflower seeds, nuts, birdseed mix |
How does a feeder with chip work?
A feeder with chip is primarily suitable for feeders for cats and dogs. This variant is advantageous for dog and cat owners who have more than one animal roaming around at home.
For cat and dog owners who have to deal with food envy or even food stealing, the integrated chip is a sensible solution.
The chip can also be a great advantage for animals on special diets, as the flap over the food only opens when the specific animal is in front of it.
What are the alternatives to an automatic feeder??
Various fish can go without feeding for a few days, but this is not recommended and we strongly discourage the omission of feeding.
for birds you can make very simple feeders yourself. In the following article you will find instructions on how to make a feeder for your feathered friends.
How to accustom my pet to the feeder?
The following tips can help you to get your dog or cat used to an automatic feeder:
- patience is an important keyword. you can not assume that your animal will eat from the feeder from the very beginning.
- audio recordings can help your pet to hear the familiar signal before feeding and thus feel comfortable faster.
- Giving treats is very helpful in the beginning to get your animal used to the feeder and to introduce it slowly to the feeder.
- It is a good idea to put the feeder in the usual feeding place.
- Do not rely on automatic feeding until the animal eats from it as a matter of course.
How to clean my feeder properly?
for dogs and cats there are often detachable bowl parts, which can be dishwasher safe depending on the model.
For the rest of the feeder, the best way is to clean it by hand with a damp cloth. Especially for models with sensor, it is important to keep it clean so that it recognizes your animal. wire brushes can also be a good tool to get into all the corners.
decision: what types of feeders are there and which one is the right one for you?
if you want to buy a feeder, there are different ones to choose from, depending on the breed of animal you are looking for.
| automatic feeder with chip | special diets of the animals possible, no food stealing possible, food is always accessible, several chips can be connected to the machine | no rationing, animal must be trained – otherwise it can come to overeating, high battery resp. Battery consumption |
| automatic feeder with timer | rationing possible, multiple animals can be fed, overeating prevented by rationing | special diets not possible, miss feeding time possible, access to food not possible at all times |
| automatic feeder for small animals | lasts for several days, access to the food is possible at any time, inexpensive, does not need a battery or a rechargeable battery | no rationing possible, overeating possible, food envy with several small animals |
| automatic feeder for fish | automatic rationing, supply for several days, easy programming | dosage not always accurate, battery or. Battery consumption, overfeeding possible |
| automatic feeder for birds | inexpensive, without battery or accumulator, access to food possible at any time | no rationing possible, possibly more to clean, habituation time can take some time |
For each of these types you will find different subspecies of the products. These are explained in the following paragraphs.
Automatic feeder for cats and dogs
There is a wide range of automatic feeders for dogs and cats. The feeders are electronic and are available in the variant with a chip, control via the timer or also with control via an app.
These variants naturally bring with them a wide variety of advantages and disadvantages.
Automatic feeder with chip
- Special diets for animals possible
- No food stealing possible
- Food is accessible at all times
- Multiple chips can be connected to the feeder
- No rationing
- Animal must be trained – otherwise it can come to overeating
- High battery or. Battery consumption
Automatic feeder with timer
- Rationing possible
- Multiple animals can be fed
- Overeating is prevented by rationing
- Special diets not possible
- Missing the feeding time possible
- Access to food not at all times
Automatic feeder for small animals
For hamsters, mice or other small animals, you can also purchase a feeder. These models are not electronic and therefore turn out smaller and cheaper than the variant for cats and/or dogs.
- Enough for several days
- Access to food possible at any time
- Cost effective
- Requires neither a battery nor a rechargeable battery
- No rationing possible
- Overeating possible
- Food envy with several small animals
Automatic feeder for fish
In the case of the fish feeder, we are again in the electronic field. The feeders are placed at the top of the aquarium and drop food into the water depending on the timer setting.
- Automatic rationing
- Supply for several days
- Simple programming
- Dosage not always accurate
- Battery or. Battery consumption
- Overfeeding possible
Automatic feeder for birds
For our feathered friends, there are feed houses, feed dispensers and feed columns. With some feeders and feed houses the food slips down when a lot of food is eaten. In others, such as feeding columns, the birds have access to the food in different places.
- Inexpensive
- Without battery or accumulator
- Access to feed at any time
- No rationing possible
- Possibly more to clean
- It may take some time to get used to
Buying criteria: you can compare and evaluate feeders based on these factors
In the following we will explain which aspects you can use to decide between the many possible feeders.
The criteria you can use to compare the different vending machines include:
These criteria are increasingly limited to electronic feeders (models for cats and dogs or fish), because you can judge them by several. Models for small animals and birds can also be judged on the basis of materials. For example, there are models made of plastic, wood or metal.
In the following paragraphs, we will explain to you what is important in each criterion.
Capacity
The capacity of the different variants varies greatly. Automatic feeders can contain food for several rations, but there are also some with smaller capacity, which have other advantages.
- Automatic feeders for cats and dogs: there are feeders for cats and dogs, which contain only 2 meals to feeders where 80 servings of dry food can be included. Larger models can hold up to 6.5 liters contain.
- Automatic feeder for fish: most of the models contain about 100-200 ml of food and can feed your fishes for several days.
- Automatic feeder for small animals and birds: since these animals are usually smaller and require less feed, the filling quantity is also rather small. On average they have a feeding quantity of 1 to several cups of food.
Timer
The timer is an important feature of automatic feeders, so your animals are supplied with food at the usual times several times a day.
Thanks to the timer, your animal can be given access to the food only at specific times. This will prevent your pet from overeating. Another advantage of the timer is that your animals are fed regularly.
food dry or wet
This purchase criterion concerns mainly feeders for cats or dogs. Models for wet food contain fewer rations than feeders for dry food.
The shelf life of wet food is shorter than that of dry food, so models that can contain wet food are usually intended for only one or two rations. Nevertheless, such models can be quite practical if you want to feed your pet wet food once a day and you are not at home at a certain time.