Avoidance to Certain Colours on Certain Objects?

[buzzlebee333]

I have 3 guinea pigs, a boy and two girls, and I've had them basically their entire lives. I didn't notice this until recently but it's making me go crazy!

Obviously, with 3 little piggies, I have 2 waterbottles (blue and pink) for them. The problem is... they insist on only drinking out of the blue one! Now, there's no harm in them only drinking out of one, since thankfully they don't fight over it, but I'm just curious!

I've switched nozzles, switched it back and everytime they preferred the blue bottle - with or without the pink nozzle! I've switched places, moved the pink bottle closer to where they like to sleep, allowed them to finish the blue bottle (pink one still very very full) and they just refuse to drink until the blue one is filled! Every time they do go to the pink one, regardless of what colour nozzle, they take one sip and go to the blue one!

There's no problem with other pink things (nozzle, plates/bowls, blankets, etc.)... just the bottle!

Is anyone else's piggies like this? Does anyone know anything about it?

 

[Roselina]

Hello and how strange that is … I can’t really offer any advice except maybe get another blue one and see if it is that !
I always change my bottles every 6 months anyhow and luckily my piggies use both !

 

[buzzlebee333]

Hello and how strange that is … I can’t really offer any advice except maybe get another blue one and see if it is that !
I always change my bottles every 6 months anyhow and luckily my piggies use both !

I don't mind as long as they are drinking water, which they are thankfully but its funny of them to do!

 

[AidaB]

Funny little furry potatoes!

We had a couple of foster piggies staying with us who didn’t appear to drink for the first week or so, I tried everything- bowls/bottles- even brought a glass bottle. All were ignored until I moved the glass bottle to the most exposed spot in their home- then there was a queue!

 

[Wiebke]

I think it is less the colour but the scent that plays a role - whichever bottle is chosen by the leader, this then an insecure follower will use as well as it carries the leader's scent and is therefore safe to use.

I however had the case of one of my piggies used to ligher and more neutral fleeces refusing to set a paw down on a dark red patterned one for a whole week, despite the rest of the group squishing past her through the entrance or even jumping over her in order to get to their breakfast and dinner at the other end of the room. I had to carry Cariad across. If I set her down on the fleece she would stay there frozen, poor girl...
Cariad was a real Darling (which is what her Welsh name means) but she wasn't the brightest star in the sky, bless her! Eventually, she got it but she never liked that dark fleece.

 

[fluffysal]

Piggies are such weirdos

 

[RosieLily]

Hahah I love this. Rosie had her own water bottle when she was little. She was OBSESSED with it, hers was pink!

 

[flowerfairy]

Interesting that the herd leading sets the precedence. My herd of 7 only drank out of one of the two glass bottles provided and were not especially interested in the two ceramic bowls, well they were ok with them to poo in!

 

[buzzlebee333]

The day after I posted this... after using the same blue bottle ever since they were born... they all suddenly started solely using the pink bottle.

Rest In Piece blue bottle!

 

[buzzlebee333]

Interesting that the herd leading sets the precedence. My herd of 7 only drank out of one of the two glass bottles provided and were not especially interested in the two ceramic bowls, well they were ok with them to poo in!

bowls are the best places to poo in according to them! I leave the food bowl for 2 minutes too long and suddenly my girl has hopped in and pooped in it a billion times

 

[Wiebke]

The day after I posted this... after using the same blue bottle ever since they were born... they all suddenly started solely using the pink bottle.

Rest In Piece blue bottle!

Welcome to life with piggies - once one discovers something new, they have to all try it...

 

[flowerfairy]

Since I put their water bowl in the corner of the cage (so they can't run through it) there have been no poos. I repeat, no poos!

 

[fluffysal]

YET.......no poos YET!

 

[Boarworld]

When I had my two boys they would only drink from one water bottle! I followed the rules of giving them one each of everything but nope - they’d always go for one.

Whenever I put bowls of extra cool water in the grass run on hot days they’d completely ignore the drinking opportunity, and either use it to poo in or nudge it over with their noses and splosh about in it! I figure either way it’d be helping keep them cool. Funny little beings!

 

[Freela]

I've had pigs definitely favor one bottle over another, although color probably wasn't a factor because they were both just black and silver. They were different brands so they may have just preferred one spout. I actually had one pig who was so picky about water bottle spouts that, when the one she was used to broke, she actually got dehydrated because she didn't want to drink out of the new bottle for days, leading to me tracking down an identical bottle and paying for expedited shipping to get her to drink something already because I was worried about her!