Not Drinking

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Barrett Bonden

Barrett Bonden

Junior Guinea Pig
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I got my two guinea pigs, Eddie and Boris, on Sunday, but I'm very concerned that they don't appear to be drinking any water. I have two bottles which I change twice a day and have checked that they both work okay. But my boys just don't seem to be interested. They are both very shy at the moment but I have discovered that they love fresh grass, they will even climb on to my hand to eat it. So I held the grass next to the neck to the water bottle to see if this would encourage them. Boris did have a go at it but seemed to lose interest very quickly. But Eddie didn't bother. I'm obviously concerned about this. I did read on a post on this site that some Guinea Pigs get their water from their food and don't drink. Is this correct?

Any help you can give me on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 
Mine don't drink a huge amount but I leave a fair bit of water on veggies when I rinse them to try and sneak water in without them noticing! How old are your boys?
 
I believe they are about 6 months old, but stupid as it sounds, I never thought to ask. Their size tells me they are young though. And thanks for the tip about water on the veggies. I will certainly try that.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. When I first got piggies they did not drink. I gave them a bowl of water and put a piece of lettuce in to encourage them to use the bowl. You may like to try that idea.
 
Welcome to the forum, our first two girls rarely drank and we would soak their veggies. Our girls now are always drinking just depends on the piggies. As long as they know where the bottle is, they will drink if thirsty and once one sees the other do it they will investigate. Keep your veggies wet and that will get them the moisture. I am sure they will start drinking soon.

Be great to see some photos of Eddie and Boris!
 
Lots of piggies don't drink because they're getting plenty of water intake with their veggies. You'll find as it get's warmer (hopefully) over the summer they will start to drink more.
 
I have one pig that barely drinks and another who appears to drink every hour. As long as they are getting veggies there shouldn't be anything to worry about just now. Just make sure they aren't making a dry heaving sound since that would suggest dehydration :)
 
I have 5 boys and none of them drink , so |I just make sure their veggies are wet-----In fact when I noticed Guiness drinking I knew he was ill as he rarely drank in all his 5 years, unfortunately his drinking were his last stages of illness :(
 
Thank you all for the replies, it's very reassuring to know that is quite common. I will certainly make sure there is some water on their veggies. Hopefully get some pics up soon too. Again, many thanks. :)
 
My Piglet seems to hardly ever drink...I feel like if I left it alone the bottle could last most of the week (don't worry, I change it! Lol). Whereas Roger drinks like a fish! I think it depends on the pig, how much water they get through food, and since they are new, how timid they are. It can take a while for pigs to settle in, so maybe they are drinking when you're not around!
 
I did notice today that for the first time the level of water in the bottle had gone down slightly. So fingers crossed, they do seem to be drinking at last. And it was a warm day so hopefully they will continue to drink.
 
Barrett Bondon said:
I did notice today that for the first time the level of water in the bottle had gone down slightly. So fingers crossed, they do seem to be drinking at last. And it was a warm day so hopefully they will continue to drink.
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That is great!
 
Give them time to settle. Cucumber is a great favourite, get lots of moisture from that !. All piggies are different Murray hardly touched water when Andy (popcorn bridge resident) was here, but now he has a new friend he drinks lots. Just shows how things can change. Sure your boys will be fine x
 
Not sure how to use everything yet. For example quotes and links on here.
But I have just added photo's of Eddie and Boris (as requested :) ) in the "Your Photos and Videos" section.
 
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