I just adopted 2 guinea pigs but they aren't drinking any water.

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Megamon

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So a couple days ago I adopted 2 guinea pigs which are just a few months old. I have hay, pellets and water in their cage 24/7 but I always have to put the food in front of their hiding spot for them to get it and quickly run to hide again. As for water, they never touch it, even if I put the bottle in front of their hiding spot as well. I don't know what to do besides giving them watery vegetables like cucumber when I'm feeding them. Is this normal? They never get out of their hiding spot either, only when I'm not near them. What should I do?
 
Megamon said:
So a couple days ago I adopted 2 guinea pigs which are just a few months old. I have hay, pellets and water in their cage 24/7 but I always have to put the food in front of their hiding spot for them to get it and quickly run to hide again. As for water, they never touch it, even if I put the bottle in front of their hiding spot as well. I don't know what to do besides giving them watery vegetables like cucumber when I'm feeding them. Is this normal? They never get out of their hiding spot either, only when I'm not near them. What should I do?
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They will probably drink when your not looking, try marking the water line with a marker pen or a piece of masking tape. You are doing the right thing, veg will keep up hydration, especially cucumber.

Be careful not to give cucumber too much, it can cause tummy upsets if they are not used to it. Run any veg under the cold tap, this will help too. Ive heard no end of young guinea pigs not drinking water at first they will soon.
 
Some piggies naturally don't drink much anyway. As you are providing watery veg I wouldn't worry too much. They may be coming out to drink when you're not around. Remember only a drip at a time comes out of the water bottle so it'll hardly show on the bottle whether they have drunk any or not. My Velvet drinks loads but the others don't drink a lot at all.

Thirsty Velvet.webp
 
That is true it might not show, one of my pigs it does and one it doesnt. Also i reccomend not putting all of their veg right outside of their hidey place. Put some scattered around so that they do try to come out👍
 
Megamon said:
So a couple days ago I adopted 2 guinea pigs which are just a few months old. I have hay, pellets and water in their cage 24/7 but I always have to put the food in front of their hiding spot for them to get it and quickly run to hide again. As for water, they never touch it, even if I put the bottle in front of their hiding spot as well. I don't know what to do besides giving them watery vegetables like cucumber when I'm feeding them. Is this normal? They never get out of their hiding spot either, only when I'm not near them. What should I do?
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I'd try a stone bowl of water
 
My pigs didn’t drink for around a week after I got them (at least I didn’t seen them drink). They were pretty nervous about the new space. Once they decided they liked their new area, they started drinking again.
 
Please let your piggies adjust to their new circumstances.

Have a read of these threads which will help you understand their actions. How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips

Covering the cage and providing plenty of places to hide and feel secure will help immensely.

Don't worry too much about water. Most piggies only drink a small amount each day. Some rely more on their veg for their fluid intake. Others are natural drinkers.
 
Megamon said:
So a couple days ago I adopted 2 guinea pigs which are just a few months old. I have hay, pellets and water in their cage 24/7 but I always have to put the food in front of their hiding spot for them to get it and quickly run to hide again. As for water, they never touch it, even if I put the bottle in front of their hiding spot as well. I don't know what to do besides giving them watery vegetables like cucumber when I'm feeding them. Is this normal? They never get out of their hiding spot either, only when I'm not near them. What should I do?[/QUOTE
Megamon said:
So a couple days ago I adopted 2 guinea pigs which are just a few months old. I have hay, pellets and water in their cage 24/7 but I always have to put the food in front of their hiding spot for them to get it and quickly run to hide again. As for water, they never touch it, even if I put the bottle in front of their hiding spot as well. I don't know what to do besides giving them watery vegetables like cucumber when I'm feeding them. Is this normal? They never get out of their hiding spot either, only when I'm not near them. What should I do?
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It might be the water bottle. When I got my first guinea pig I got a water bottle from the pet store but when I noticed the water level wasn’t going down I had to check it with my finger and found out that for some dumb reason it was to hard for him to get water even though the water bottle was in the guinea pig section and said for guinea pigs on the package. Put your finger on the opening and see hard hard you have to press down to get water or fill a small bowl with water and see if they drink that.
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Hi. Does anyone have an advise on the easiest way to keep GP’s homes clean? Maybe bedding, accessories etc... I’ve tried to wood shavings and I’m not using fleece as the former was very messy and very difficult to clean as I like to make sure my GP’s are in a tidy home but the mess and it takes is way too much. The fleeces are ok but I find all their hay gets stuck to it and it’s also quite difficult to keep tidy for this reason. I want them to be comfortable but I’m trying to find ways of being able to keep their home clean and fresh as stress free for me and them as possible. Any tips? Thank you all so much!
 
Megamon said:
So a couple days ago I adopted 2 guinea pigs which are just a few months old. I have hay, pellets and water in their cage 24/7 but I always have to put the food in front of their hiding spot for them to get it and quickly run to hide again. As for water, they never touch it, even if I put the bottle in front of their hiding spot as well. I don't know what to do besides giving them watery vegetables like cucumber when I'm feeding them. Is this normal? They never get out of their hiding spot either, only when I'm not near them. What should I do?
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I agree with all the replies but remember when they’re in a new surrounding it will take a while to get used to their surroundings. Give it time and feed watery veg. 😁
 
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