Abstract: A system intermittently feeding liquid to animal cages has a duct feeding liquid to liquid dispensers for the animals. Each dispenser includes: a lower portion with a liquid dispensing pipette for supplying liquid to the animals, an upper portion having a liquid flow rate adjuster in fluid flow relationship with liquid in the duct, and a buffer between the pipette and flow rate adjuster. The duct includes a valve responsive to a signal so that, during normal operation, with animals in the cages, the valve intermittently feeds liquid in the duct to the dispensers. The volume of liquid fed via the duct to the dispensers during each intermittent liquid feed depends on: time interval between adjacent feeds, flow rates of the flow rate adjusters, volumes of the buffers, and the buffers never being filled with the liquid so an airspace is always in the buffers.