diff --git a/ceilometer/dispatcher/database.py b/ceilometer/dispatcher/database.py
index 9f9ae576e..85a2831c4 100644
--- a/ceilometer/dispatcher/database.py
+++ b/ceilometer/dispatcher/database.py
@@ -38,8 +38,33 @@ class DatabaseDispatcher(dispatcher.Base):
     """
     def __init__(self, conf):
         super(DatabaseDispatcher, self).__init__(conf)
-        self.meter_conn = storage.get_connection_from_config(conf, 'metering')
-        self.event_conn = storage.get_connection_from_config(conf, 'event')
+
+        self._meter_conn = self._get_db_conn('metering', True)
+        self._event_conn = self._get_db_conn('event', True)
+
+    def _get_db_conn(self, purpose, ignore_exception=False):
+        try:
+            return storage.get_connection_from_config(self.conf, purpose)
+        except Exception as err:
+            params = {"purpose": purpose, "err": err}
+            LOG.exception(_("Failed to connect to db, purpose %(purpose)s "
+                            "re-try later: %(err)s") % params)
+            if not ignore_exception:
+                raise
+
+    @property
+    def meter_conn(self):
+        if not self._meter_conn:
+            self._meter_conn = self._get_db_conn('metering')
+
+        return self._meter_conn
+
+    @property
+    def event_conn(self):
+        if not self._event_conn:
+            self._event_conn = self._get_db_conn('event')
+
+        return self._event_conn
 
     def record_metering_data(self, data):
         # We may have receive only one counter on the wire
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/__init__.py b/ceilometer/storage/__init__.py
index f22cb8683..384384f2c 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/__init__.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/__init__.py
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 from oslo.config import cfg
 from oslo.db import options as db_options
+import retrying
 import six
 import six.moves.urllib.parse as urlparse
 from stevedore import driver
@@ -74,6 +75,11 @@ class StorageBadAggregate(Exception):
     code = 400
 
 
+# Convert retry_interval secs to msecs for retry decorator
+@retrying.retry(wait_fixed=cfg.CONF.database.retry_interval * 1000,
+                stop_max_attempt_number=cfg.CONF.database.max_retries
+                if cfg.CONF.database.max_retries >= 0
+                else None)
 def get_connection_from_config(conf, purpose=None):
     if conf.database_connection:
         conf.set_override('connection', conf.database_connection,
@@ -83,6 +89,9 @@ def get_connection_from_config(conf, purpose=None):
     if purpose:
         namespace = 'ceilometer.%s.storage' % purpose
         url = getattr(conf.database, '%s_connection' % purpose) or url
+    # Set max_retries to 0, since oslo.db in certain cases may attempt to retry
+    # making the db connection retried max_retries ^ 2 times in failure case
+    conf.set_override('max_retries', 0, group='database')
     return get_connection(url, namespace)
 
 
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/mongo/utils.py b/ceilometer/storage/mongo/utils.py
index 5aa8832f9..ae94bdab5 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/mongo/utils.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/mongo/utils.py
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
 """
 
 
-import time
-
 from oslo.config import cfg
 from oslo.utils import netutils
 import pymongo
@@ -179,26 +177,12 @@ class ConnectionPool(object):
 
     @staticmethod
     def _mongo_connect(url):
-        max_retries = cfg.CONF.database.max_retries
-        retry_interval = cfg.CONF.database.retry_interval
-        attempts = 0
-        while True:
-            try:
-                client = pymongo.MongoClient(url, safe=True)
-            except pymongo.errors.ConnectionFailure as e:
-                if 0 <= max_retries <= attempts:
-                    LOG.error(_('Unable to connect to the database after '
-                                '%(retries)d retries. Giving up.') %
-                              {'retries': max_retries})
-                    raise
-                LOG.warn(_('Unable to connect to the database server: '
-                           '%(errmsg)s. Trying again in %(retry_interval)d '
-                           'seconds.') %
-                         {'errmsg': e, 'retry_interval': retry_interval})
-                attempts += 1
-                time.sleep(retry_interval)
-            else:
-                return client
+        try:
+            return pymongo.MongoClient(url, safe=True)
+        except pymongo.errors.ConnectionFailure as e:
+            LOG.warn(_('Unable to connect to the database server: '
+                       '%(errmsg)s.') % {'errmsg': e})
+            raise
 
 
 class QueryTransformer(object):
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/dispatcher/test_db.py b/ceilometer/tests/dispatcher/test_db.py
index 70956fa54..26eecb856 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/dispatcher/test_db.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/dispatcher/test_db.py
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ class TestDispatcherDB(base.BaseTestCase):
             def record_metering_data(self, data):
                 self.called = True
 
-        self.dispatcher.meter_conn = ErrorConnection()
+        self.dispatcher._meter_conn = ErrorConnection()
 
         self.dispatcher.record_metering_data(msg)
 
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_get_connection.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_get_connection.py
index b1d5172f2..c3cf8cc1a 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_get_connection.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_get_connection.py
@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@
 # under the License.
 """Tests for ceilometer/storage/
 """
+import mock
 from oslo.config import fixture as fixture_config
 from oslotest import base
+import retrying
 
 from ceilometer.alarm.storage import impl_log as impl_log_alarm
 from ceilometer.alarm.storage import impl_sqlalchemy as impl_sqlalchemy_alarm
@@ -30,7 +32,6 @@ import six
 
 
 class EngineTest(base.BaseTestCase):
-
     def test_get_connection(self):
         engine = storage.get_connection('log://localhost',
                                         'ceilometer.metering.storage')
@@ -44,6 +45,23 @@ class EngineTest(base.BaseTestCase):
             self.assertIn('no-such-engine', six.text_type(err))
 
 
+class ConnectionRetryTest(base.BaseTestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(ConnectionRetryTest, self).setUp()
+        self.CONF = self.useFixture(fixture_config.Config()).conf
+
+    def test_retries(self):
+        with mock.patch.object(retrying.time, 'sleep') as retry_sleep:
+            try:
+                self.CONF.set_override("connection", "no-such-engine://",
+                                       group="database")
+                storage.get_connection_from_config(self.CONF)
+            except RuntimeError as err:
+                self.assertIn('no-such-engine', six.text_type(err))
+                self.assertEqual(retry_sleep.call_count, 9)
+                retry_sleep.assert_called_with(10.0)
+
+
 class ConnectionConfigTest(base.BaseTestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         super(ConnectionConfigTest, self).setUp()
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py
index c40bc7c30..28c40a977 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/storage/test_pymongo_base.py
@@ -12,17 +12,13 @@
 """Tests the mongodb and db2 common functionality
 """
 
-import contextlib
 import copy
 import datetime
 
 import mock
-import pymongo
 
-from ceilometer.openstack.common.gettextutils import _
 from ceilometer.publisher import utils
 from ceilometer import sample
-from ceilometer.storage.mongo import utils as pymongo_utils
 from ceilometer.tests import db as tests_db
 from ceilometer.tests.storage import test_storage_scenarios
 
@@ -168,41 +164,3 @@ class CompatibilityTest(test_storage_scenarios.DBTestBase,
     def test_counter_unit(self):
         meters = list(self.conn.get_meters())
         self.assertEqual(1, len(meters))
-
-    def test_mongodb_connect_raises_after_custom_number_of_attempts(self):
-        retry_interval = 13
-        max_retries = 37
-        self.CONF.set_override(
-            'retry_interval', retry_interval, group='database')
-        self.CONF.set_override(
-            'max_retries', max_retries, group='database')
-        # PyMongo is being used to connect even to DB2, but it only
-        # accepts URLs with the 'mongodb' scheme. This replacement is
-        # usually done in the DB2 connection implementation, but since
-        # we don't call that, we have to do it here.
-        self.CONF.set_override(
-            'connection', self.db_manager.url.replace('db2:', 'mongodb:', 1),
-            group='database')
-
-        pool = pymongo_utils.ConnectionPool()
-        with contextlib.nested(
-                mock.patch(
-                    'pymongo.MongoClient',
-                    side_effect=pymongo.errors.ConnectionFailure('foo')),
-                mock.patch.object(pymongo_utils.LOG, 'error'),
-                mock.patch.object(pymongo_utils.LOG, 'warn'),
-                mock.patch.object(pymongo_utils.time, 'sleep')
-        ) as (MockMongo, MockLOGerror, MockLOGwarn, Mocksleep):
-            self.assertRaises(pymongo.errors.ConnectionFailure,
-                              pool.connect, self.CONF.database.connection)
-            Mocksleep.assert_has_calls([mock.call(retry_interval)
-                                        for i in range(max_retries)])
-            MockLOGwarn.assert_any_call(
-                _('Unable to connect to the database server: %(errmsg)s.'
-                  ' Trying again in %(retry_interval)d seconds.') %
-                {'errmsg': 'foo',
-                 'retry_interval': retry_interval})
-            MockLOGerror.assert_called_with(
-                _('Unable to connect to the database after '
-                  '%(retries)d retries. Giving up.') %
-                {'retries': max_retries})
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 55be66d3d..959a83b5f 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 # of appearance. Changing the order has an impact on the overall integration
 # process, which may cause wedges in the gate later.
 
+retrying>=1.2.2,!=1.3.0
 alembic>=0.6.4
 anyjson>=0.3.3
 argparse