How much water is too much?

corvidae

corvidae

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 27, 2022
Messages
40
Reaction score
55
Points
200
Location
Canada
My 6.5 year old guinea pig Lola has recently become obsessed with drinking water from a 1 mL syringe. A week ago, she was sick for 24 hours - weak and unable to walk, and pooping very little (this has happened to her a few times before, vet could not figure out what was wrong). During that time I supported her with syringe feeding critical care and water. She was back on her feet the next day, and I kept giving her the syringe water to make sure she was hydrated after her ordeal. Well, she seems to have decided that this is a much better arrangement than drinking from her water bottle. She has stopped using the bottle (I've checked it still works), and asks for the water syringe instead. She follows me around the house begging, and has been showing much less excitement about veggies than the water syringe - she goes crazy for it, biting and pulling the syringe while I dispense the water, and will drink about 25 mL in a sitting (I only give 1 mL slowly at a time).

I am wondering - are there any potential problems that could happen from drinking too much water in a sitting (eg unbalanced electrolytes, gut problems)? Is there a maximum safe amount of water to give per sitting or per day? I've been giving her as much as she wants since I assume she would know to stop when it is too much but wanted to check.
Also, can guinea pigs beak their teeth biting on the hard plastic syringe tip? She has been really gnawing on it while drinking and it worries me.

(P.S. I checked her urine for glucose - negative)

Thank you!
 
I'm going to bump you up and hopefully someone will be able to give you an answer soon x
 
corvidae said:
My 6.5 year old guinea pig Lola has recently become obsessed with drinking water from a 1 mL syringe. A week ago, she was sick for 24 hours - weak and unable to walk, and pooping very little (this has happened to her a few times before, vet could not figure out what was wrong). During that time I supported her with syringe feeding critical care and water. She was back on her feet the next day, and I kept giving her the syringe water to make sure she was hydrated after her ordeal. Well, she seems to have decided that this is a much better arrangement than drinking from her water bottle. She has stopped using the bottle (I've checked it still works), and asks for the water syringe instead. She follows me around the house begging, and has been showing much less excitement about veggies than the water syringe - she goes crazy for it, biting and pulling the syringe while I dispense the water, and will drink about 25 mL in a sitting (I only give 1 mL slowly at a time).

I am wondering - are there any potential problems that could happen from drinking too much water in a sitting (eg unbalanced electrolytes, gut problems)? Is there a maximum safe amount of water to give per sitting or per day? I've been giving her as much as she wants since I assume she would know to stop when it is too much but wanted to check.
Also, can guinea pigs beak their teeth biting on the hard plastic syringe tip? She has been really gnawing on it while drinking and it worries me.

(P.S. I checked her urine for glucose - negative)

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Hi

25-30 ml is a very good portion of feeding support for one session, so she can cope with that much water in one go. Please always ensure that your piggy is drinking from the syringe and do not just squirt water into the mouth, which could go up into the nose or more rarely into the lungs (aspiration).

Piggies can drink from nothing at all (getting all the fluid they need from their fresh food) to drinking 300 ml in a day and still be normal. Sudden changes in drinking should be looked at once sudden major weather changes/heating or aircon coming on, bottle issues etc. have been excluded. An marked persisting increase in drinking/very watery urine can point towards kidney problems and should be vet checked. It also often comes with a weight loss so please keep checking he body weight at least once weekly.
More about drinking and drinking issues: All About Drinking And Bottles

Syringe gnawing and tugs of war are proper fun for some piggies but generally harmless; if the tip becomes too chewed, please cut it off with scissors (make sure that the plunger cannot come out) and better have replacement syringes at home. I could lift my Barri off the lap hanging from his syringe, which he was not willing to let go. Getting his syringe out of his mouth so I could refill it with more feed did turn into a bit of an art form. :D
 
Thank you for the advice! I will monitor her closely. Luckily she seems in good health after her health scare (actually her weight shot up from her average of ~920 grams to 1000 grams in the last week). She's due for a kidney function test soon to renew her metacam prescription for arthritis so I'll mention it then.

Glad to hear that gnawing on the syringe is ok, she really goes for it! I think she has learned that she has to let go every several seconds for it to be refilled, but sometimes she manages to yank it right out of my hands. I've been keeping the syringe on the floor so she can signal me when she wants water - she seems confused when no water comes out of the syringe before I get there.
 
Guinea pigs typically drink 100 ml of water every day (that's about 1/2 cup). It's normal for a guinea pig that's been hand-fed with a syringe to want more because they love the extra attention. If she's feeling better, she will use her water bottle when she's thirsty. If you're worried, you can fill a bowl with water and put it in her habitat. Use a small heavy ceramic pet bowl, so it won't tip over. You can also add a pinch of vitamin C. If she's been sick, some extra vitamin C for a couple days will help her.
 
Just also be aware that putting anything in the water can/will deter your pig from drinking so can cause more harm than good.
I had a friend who almost lost her pig to this as she wasn’t the most vigilant person and didn’t realise their piggy had stopped drinking, due to her adding additional supplements to their water supply, and the pig started to really suffer. They thankfully were fine but they got rushed to the vet and needed an IV to get their hydration levels up.

I’ve never used a vitamin c supplement but I imagine you can make up an appropriate amount and perhaps give her some in a syringe, sort of like administering medication.
 
Thanks! She still hasn't gone back to the water bottle so I've been hand watering her, probably an average of 100-150 mL per day, glad to hear that is an ok amount. She sniffs the water bowl but doesn't drink from it - I'm very confused about the sudden rejection of drinking on her own but it has been good bonding time. I'll just keep hand watering until she starts using the bottle again. Hope she does soon because it's hard to keep up with her - she likes drinking a bit, then going back to eating, and then asks for more water again - so demanding (come on Lola, the water bottle is right there)!

She had another 12 hour episode of being unable to walk but again recovered. I've been giving her one Oxbow vitamin C tab per day or every couple days (some days she refuses it). I got some human chewable vitamin C that I intended to chop into a smaller dose to feed her when she refuses the oxbow tabs, but my vet told me not to give her human vitamins so I stuck with the Oxbow tabs and bell pepper. I thought about getting liquid C to syringe her but she has arthritis and I read that too much C could aggravate arthritis.
 
Side note, I've found that she only likes her original syringe! I tried replacing it with a new one of an identical model, but she spits it out and goes back to begging until I give her the chewed up syringe. I have to go back and forth trying to wean her onto a new syringe before the old one becomes a microplastic hazard - I think she likes the rough texture of the chewed plastic
 
corvidae said:
Side note, I've found that she only likes her original syringe! I tried replacing it with a new one of an identical model, but she spits it out and goes back to begging until I give her the chewed up syringe. I have to go back and forth trying to wean her onto a new syringe before the old one becomes a microplastic hazard - I think she likes the rough texture of the chewed plastic
Click to expand...

Piggies are such quirky creatures, aren't they? It can sometimes be a real pain. I would recommend that you use two syinges in parallel so you already have one ready waiting with the right smell and texture when the old is past being usable.
 
Wiebke said:
Piggies are such quirky creatures, aren't they? It can sometimes be a real pain. I would recommend that you use two syinges in parallel so you already have one ready waiting with the right smell and texture when the old is past being usable.
Click to expand...
Good idea, I'll do that!
 
Seems to be working, she's accepting the new syringe after a few rounds of switcheroo (giving her the old syringe, but then immediately replacing it with the new syringe while she's drinking). She seemed a bit annoyed at first but now happily drinking from the new one. Such funny psychology quirks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top