how much should guinea pigs drink?

[carolinej]

i have only had my guinea pigs for a week so i am still getting used to their ways!- but they don't seem to be drinking very much at all. is this normal? how much should they drink? thanks

 

[gogoguineas]

all piggies are different and this may change again as they get older. I have two, i put a full bottle in when i leave for work at 8am, come home at 5pm and there's probably a quarter left. I fill it again mid evening and they probably only drink half over night. Just to give you an idea.

Do they have a bottle or a bowl? if its a bottle it might be worth observing them to check they are using it correctly. As they glug at it little bubbles should appear at the top and then you may spot them pausing to swallow. if there aren;t any air bubbles coming up, double check the spout isn't blocked and then that the piggies have the hang of it.

If you have a bowl, they simply may not like it lol. One of mine didnt like getting his mouth wet lol so much preferred a bottle. Hope that helps!

 

[first_time_piggie_mum]

Rod never drank much at all, probably 25ml a day and that was it! He was getting lots of veg though so thats probably why he didnt drink much,

 

[carolinej]

mmmmmm.......they are not drinking anywhere near that! they have a bottle because thats what they had where they were before i had them. plus i have put a bowl in their run too. they do have a decent amount of veggies though so maybe that does have something to do with it?

 

[first_time_piggie_mum]

Have you seen or heard them trying to drink from the bottle at all?

 

[*SRH*]

When I first got mine, I thought the same thing! Mine drink much more than they did when they were younger. As long they are not completly ignoring their water then don't worry.

Maybe it would be worth makeing sure they know how to use their water bottle they may not be able to reach it or drink from it.