Algae (?) in water

Autonerd

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi helpful guinea pig people!

I've noticed some green in the piggie's clear plastic water bottle. Just a little at first, but at the last change the water was tinged green. I'm assuming this isn't necessarily good for the piggies. What's the solution? Is there a good way to clean the bottle or should we switch to glass or something else?

Thanks!
Aaron
 
You should clean their water bottle every day to every other day. I clean mine with dried rice and a combination of vinegar and water.
Make sure you are cleaning them to avoid the growth of bacteria. :tu:
 
You should clean their water bottle every day to every other day. I clean mine with dried rice and a combination of vinegar and water.
Make sure you are cleaning them to avoid the growth of bacteria. :tu:
I second the rice- put dried rice in and shake it around. Barring that, you can also buy small scrub brushes that will get into the nooks and crannies of the water bottle.
 
I just do a proper clean of the bottle once a week using bottle brushes and the small brushes that come with reusable straws. I do a full clean when I do my cage clean but I change out the water daily. But my piggies are indoor piggies so there is less UVA to trigger algae growth and I use glass bottles.
 
I also use rice. Pop a little in the bottle, add some warm water, seal the top of the bottle, thoroughly shake then rinse.
 
Thx all! Are glass bottles less prone to algae growth?

Nope! My fish tank is glass and it grows algae just great too. It's the sun shining on it is what will cause it to grow. But I do think the glass bottle is easier to clean than the plastic bottle. I use a Dollar Tree baby bottle brush to scrub mine out.
 
I use a tip I'm sure I must have seen on here - half a sheet of kitchen paper in the bottle, half fill with water and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Works a treat, and I find the kitchen paper easier to get out than rice.
 
All About Drinking And Bottles

There's some info on bottles and cleaning in this guide. I scrub my bottles out with a brush, I also have a small brush that fits the spouts. I use the baby bottle steraliser tablets for mine once every 3 or 4 weeks.
 
I didnt know about the rice and vinegar trick to clean bottles, I should have came on here before I bought a bottle of sterilisation fluid (typically used for baby bottles) yesterday although it worked a treat! Never seen my boy's bottle sparkle so much before 🥰.
 
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