Knocking down water bottle!

Princess_Harriet

Princess_Harriet

Junior Guinea Pig
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Recently my guinea pig Sylvia has taken to drinking all the time and drinking very aggressively. Unfortunately since she shakes the water bottle so much whenever she drinks the water bottle gets knocked off the cage. It's driving me crazy bc I keep having to rehang it and like 2 minutes later it's fallen again! Any advice? I don't really wanna get a different type of water bottle because this one is so convenient to refill but if I have to I will. Thanks!
 
I have an aggressive drinker and use the Choco Nose No-Drip Small Animal Water Bottle and it works well. There's different size nozzles so I just get the size meant for guinea pigs. Hope this helps!
 
Hadley does that too. She is also picky about water bottles (i.e. doesn't drink out of different ones.) I use a hair bungee to tie it to the bars more securely (one of the stretchy ones with metal hooks at each end. I just wrap it around a couple times and then clip the ends together.)
 
piggielover31 said:
Recently my guinea pig Sylvia has taken to drinking all the time and drinking very aggressively. Unfortunately since she shakes the water bottle so much whenever she drinks the water bottle gets knocked off the cage. It's driving me crazy bc I keep having to rehang it and like 2 minutes later it's fallen again! Any advice? I don't really wanna get a different type of water bottle because this one is so convenient to refill but if I have to I will. Thanks!
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Hi!

Please have Sylvia vet checked. Big changes in drinking amounts and habits that cannot be explained by a sudden change in temperatures/weather and that settle down again shortly should be seen by a vet as there can be medical underlying problem. Please switch from the life-long once weekly weigh-in to weighing at the same time to see whether the increased aggressive drinking is accompanied by a weight loss. Normal cheap kitchen scales from a supermarket or online marketplace are perfectly adequate.

Secure the bottle additionally with string etc.

Here is more information on the various aspects around drinking and the important of weight monitoring:
All About Drinking And Bottles (includes health aspects connected with drinking changes)

Weight - Monitoring and Management
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

All the best!
 
Will there be any other symptoms besides drinking a lot? I'm kinda on a low budget so don't want to take her to the vet unnecessarily. She seems very healthy. She eats, goes to the bathroom, and moves around ok. I will take her if necessary though.
 
piggielover31 said:
Will there be any other symptoms besides drinking a lot? I'm kinda on a low budget so don't want to take her to the vet unnecessarily. She seems very healthy. She eats, goes to the bathroom, and moves around ok. I will take her if necessary though.
Click to expand...

I would check her weight regularly; if the weight is going down, then there is very likely a medical problem (most like a kidney or diabetes issue). Hence why I have linked in the green links in my previous post. Please take the time to read them so you can make your own informed assessment and decisions. ;)
 
Ok so I'm switching to weighing daily. Her weight seems to be the same but if it goes down 2 oz. or more I'll call the vet. Thank you so much!
 
Last Saturday Sylvia weighed 2 lbs. Now she weighs 1 lb. 12 oz. I'm gonna call the vet. She seems to be acting completely fine. She's eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom ok but I'm quite worried. Is there anything I should do for her before I can take her to the vet? She is very energetic and doesn't seem to be in pain. Thank you!
 
That’s a really large drop in a week. Have you Ben weighing her daily or weekly? You need to switch to daily while you think there’s something going on. Hope you can get her seen soon. Meanwhile I would step in with a little syringe feed maybe every 2 hours during the day. And weigh daily at the same time to monitor whether she’s maintaining, losing or gaining. If losing you’ll have to increase how much you feed her. You can use soaked pellets for now.
Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide
 
What is her weight today? By the way it’s easier when you post in grams or kg, if possible.
 
Sorry I'm not sure what it is in grams. She's gained weight and her drinking is back to normal. I'm taking her to the vet on Tuesday just to be sure.
 
How much did she weigh this morning compared to the day before?

Your scales should be able to weigh in grams...I think...🤷🏾‍♀🤔 I’m not sure as the US uses imperial system for measuring.
 
So she’s now 1lb 15oz? That’s quite a big gain in the space of a day. How much have you been getting her to take at each feed? And did you weigh at the same time today as yesterday?

Yes do still get her seen.
 
Two days ago (after I posted) I checked her weight and she had gained an oz. and yesterday late afternoon I checked her weight again (though I had already checked in the morning at the same time I usually do) and noticed that she had had gained more weight. I checked it in the afternoon as well because I noticed she was eating lots of hay, pellets, and veggies on her own as well as the syringe feeding. Thank you!
 
So I got her checked out and she's 100% ok! Her weight has gone back up to 2 lbs. and her drinking is back to normal. Thank you for the advice!
 
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