I feel so terrible...

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MommaPiggy

MommaPiggy

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I am such an idiot.

I checked the piggies water bottles yesterday, refilled them with fresh water and the bottles looked fine.
I go in today to clean out their cage and the bottles looked a little yellow. So I take a closer look and there's not only bits of nasty stuff floating in the water but the bottom of the bottles had mould growing on them! 8...

The bigger one looked awful but the smaller one only looked a bit manky.

I actually cried when I saw it. How could I not have noticed! There is no way that mould grew over night, it must have been growing in there for a few days and maybe hadn't turned green so I hadn't noticed.

I'm really ashamed of myself. My boys were drinking that!
I feel so guilty and horrible :(

My poor babies.

They're being sterilised now. Even though the mould just brushed out, I really don't want to risk anything. It's bad enough they were drinking that nasty water for goodness knows how many hours!
 
Aw hun, don't beat yourself up! Your boys will love their sparkly clean bottles and I'm sure they didn't mind a spot of mucky water really ;)

You noticed after a day or so, I'm sure they'll be non the worse for wear for it

xx
 
Helloo, please don't beat yourself up over it - at least it was something you dealt with as soon as you realsied - i collectedour femalepiggies a couple of days ago and although they were in great shape the water bottles that came with them were filthy and thick with mould, the water colour was like pee when filled up - goodness knows how many weeks/months that took to build up and the worst part is it only takes a few minutes to clen them properly! xx
 
Thank you :(

They're all clean now. Sparkling, even.

I just need to keep an eye out and make sure it doesn't happen again.
 
There is a chance it may not be mould. Two of my girls when they are drinking somehow must suck and blow? into the spout, and despite changing their water frequently, there are always bits floating in it. No idea how they do it really but, maybe bits of food? go up the tube. Changed last night, then again a couple of hours ago, and it was full of floaters again. Milton works well though. xx
 
I'm sure that mould grows much quicker in the warmer weather. My Montgomerys bottle is always minging. He must spit bits of food into it. Apparently some piggies are bottle spitters. Ive now got the glass bottles and I'm hoping they are easier to keep clean..
 
Dont worry too much, in this weather it really can build up in the case of 24 hours. I took a bottle off one of the boarding hutches the other day as the nozzle had broke and forgot to bring it in. When I went out to put all the animals away at bedtime I spotted it and there was definite green algae growth there just in the space of a few hours from the heat.
 
nutmeg said:
There is a chance it may not be mould. Two of my girls when they are drinking somehow must suck and blow? into the spout, and despite changing their water frequently, there are always bits floating in it. No idea how they do it really but, maybe bits of food? go up the tube. Changed last night, then again a couple of hours ago, and it was full of floaters again. Milton works well though. xx
Click to expand...

Dindy does the same thing. I noticed it tends to be when she has a session at the pellets.
 
I'm sure it's due to the heat and/or sun. We have several dishes of water in the garden for the birds and cats and although I scrub them, a green film can develop very very quickly in this weather.
 
Thanks so much you guys. I'm glad to know it's something that's to other people as well.
I felt so guilty. I was kind of expecting a good roasting over this :) you're all so lovely.

I'm very paranoid now. I've checked their bottles a billion times today!

I never thought that they could maybe blow stuff into the bottles. I guess they must be able to.
I wonder if that's what the floating stuff was. :{
 
Could it have been algae? It can be green or red or yellow. And I think algae is actually good for you? people take it as supplements, so I never mind if there's a tiny bit of algae in water bowls/bottles and just clean it when I notice it.

Don't worry though, even if it was mould it wouldn't harm them if it was just a little. They can drink much dirtier water than we can and be fine, afterall they eat food off the ground, like grass, and they lick their own bums and all.
 
Don't worry yourself, these things happen and like the others have said, it can happen quickly. I agree that it was probably algae as opposed to mold. My bottles get the same. Most bottles are filthy within a day as they spit the food up the spout and into the bottle (the logistics of how, I don't know!). That's what the floaty bits are. :))

With my bottles, the water is refreshed and all loose dirt rinsed out daily, but I scrub the bottles and spouts every 3 days, when I do a full cage clean.
 
It is amazing how quickly stuff can grow in their bottles in warm, humid weather, especially with the sun on the bottles! The bottle on the top floor of my cage gets more light (not even too much direct sunshine) and yet it is noticeable what kind of difference that makes!
 
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