Not enough water

Thor & Loki

Thor & Loki

New Born Pup
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Jan 15, 2021
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Ireland
Hi all,

I have two guineas, Thor and Loki. They are only 3 months old. One drinks a lot and eats a lot. The other just eats a lot. He actually doesn't take a lot of water in at all. I give him enough water based veg so that it can kind of balance out a bit. But any tips on how I can get him to drink more? I am a first time guinea pig owner, so any tips are welcome!

Also, is it true you cannot give your guinea pig a bath until they are 6 months old? Loki is whitish..and his tummy is going yellow from his pee and the hay 🤦‍♀️
 
They will drink when they need to, but the amount each piggy drinks varies wildly. As long as both piggies are peeing well, then don’t be concerned. They don’t dehydrate themselves.

A white guinea pig is going to be stained yellow to some degrees, it’s just how it is with white piggies. Keep the hair around the bum clipped short and ensure bedding is always kept fresh.
You should not routinely bathe piggies anyway as it isn’t good for their skin.

Bathing (including cleaning grease glands)
 
They are definitely peeing a lot! I am using bedding at the moment, but is it very necessary? I've been told they can get mites from it. I clean their cage every day..but if I have fleeces..and hay..is the bedding important?
 
The type of bedding you use is entirely up to you and your lifestyle. Disposable beddings work for some, fleece works for others. If you have fleece you don’t need a disposable bedding. You do still need an absorbent layer underneath fleece though.

If your piggies are boars, you do not want to be cleaning their cage fully every single day as it’ll cause them to scent mark more which will smell more but can also cause a few territorial issues if their environment keeps changing. With fleece, it’ll need changing fully every 3-5 days and using pee pads in high traffic areas can help

They can get hay mites from hay. Ensuring you have a good quality supply will help but it’s by no means a guarantee. Manage mites eggs tend to live in piggies all the time but are kept under control by their immune systems. Dealing with the potential parasite outbreaks is unfortunately going to come up for some owners.

Bedding For Guinea Pigs - Overview
A Detailed Guide For Fleece Bedding
 
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My Mistletoe drinks LOADS of water compared to the others. No known health issues, she is happy and healthy.

She is the main whistler in the herd (I call her whistletoe) so maybe she needs the extra liquid for her throat hee hee.P_20180813_122138.webpP_20210104_093501.webp
 
It could be that one is only drinking when you're not in the room. I have only seen my Spud drink once and he didn't know I was there but I've caught him running away from the water bottles as I've entered the room a few times and I can hear him drinking from the other room (he's a much quieter drinker than his brother so I always know exactly who it is)
 
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