odd question

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gracie

gracie

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i used to give my pigs water from a bowl, but since getting my third girl i switched to a water bottle to give them a bit more space (plus i stopped using fleece/towels, and got fed up with bits of hay making a mess in the bowl)
i attach the water bottle to the lowest rung of the cage, and it's fine for my three older pigs. they go the hang of using it straight away, and they all get enough water.
however my youngest, muffin, who is about three/four months old, has a small coughing fit almost every time she uses it. i want to say it's like she's choking. at first she really slurped at it and i thought that was why she was doing it, she'd just taken it too fast. but now she's slowed down and drinks from it really tentatively, and she'll still have two or three of these little "chokes" afterwards.
she's always fine after and eats/drinks/passes food out find. she's the very picture of a healthy pig, she just chokes on her water!
i was wondering if the water bottle is too high for her, but she only has to stretch a little to reach it and i've had it at this height for babies before who have been fine. i'm really stumped O_o does anyone have any advice? thanks.
 
I would say its ok, If you worried lower it a little but when I got lila she had never used a water bottle and it was a little high for her. she did the same thing but after a few weeks she was ok.
 
Have you got two bottles on the cage? If so you could try putting one at the normal height and one low enough so she's not reaching up to get it. It sounds like she's letting the water run to the back of her throat and she's not swallowing it quick enough, which could be either she's stretching too high up, or the bottle releases water too quick for her.

You can get bottles with slightly heavier balls in the spout, or just a smaller (100-250ml) bottle may suit her until she's bigger.
 
Just wanted to say,i'm not sure of the solution,but it's a really good question to ask! Hope you and your piggies are ok x
 
CCC4 said:
Have you got two bottles on the cage? If so you could try putting one at the normal height and one low enough so she's not reaching up to get it. It sounds like she's letting the water run to the back of her throat and she's not swallowing it quick enough, which could be either she's stretching too high up, or the bottle releases water too quick for her.

You can get bottles with slightly heavier balls in the spout, or just a smaller (100-250ml) bottle may suit her until she's bigger.
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the thing is the bottle won't go any lower. it's resting on the plastic base of the cage, if that makes sense. there's no lower bars for it to go on.
i have tried a smaller bottle but as there's four of them it doesn't last them very long and i'm worried that they'll run out of water while i'm at work or out.
she's growing into a proper chunker and is only slightly smaller than ruby, who is fine with it. in fact i can see her drinking now and she's fine. could it be one of these things she might be learning not to do (like gulp her water/swallowing it too slowly)?
 
My boys seem to like putting the water bottle spout as far into the back of their mouth's as possible. I'm surprised they haven't drowned themselves yet, to be honest.

If she doesn't do it constantly then I'd guess that she's gulping or getting use to the water bottle you're using.

Like CCC4 said, there are lots of different types of water bottles with different kinds of spouts. If the bottle seems to be the problem for her, you may have to look into a smaller/narrower/larger spout-type or bottle size for the time being.

I have four different types of bottles (not intentionally! I just bought them from different online stores) and some seem to be more popular than others with each of my pigs.
 
If you are afraid the bottle is too high, could you put a little block of some firm material underneath for her to stand on?
 
Maybe you could fix a 2nd bottle to the inside of the cage lower than the plastic cage side lip with velcro tape instead of using the wire bracket thingy that normally comes with the bottle? I use velcro tape because it grips the bottle more firmly. You can buy it from stationers and DIY stores.
Also, like Vicki said, you could have a 2nd bottle with a platform under it, made from wood or a brick or a stack of rough tiles maybe?
 
I think some piggies just have different ways of drinking from their bottles, one of mine also likes to put the spout right into the back of his mouth and then he kind of "sucks" it like the spout is a straw! :{
 
It does sound like a height problem... I'd try to find one with a really long spout (I'm not mad on Critter Canteens, but they do have very long spouts).
 
pelicano said:
It does sound like a height problem... I'd try to find one with a really long spout (I'm not mad on Critter Canteens, but they do have very long spouts).
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I use the Savic Biba bottles, Sarah, since they have the very long spouts. They're the only ones that have worked for my lot for the past five years! I too have some who put the spout to the back of their mouths...some also drink upside down. The long spouts make a big difference.
 
You could try hanging a bottle from the top of the cage so it's lower for her, or getting a bottle with a longer spout to have as well so that the end of the spout is lower, or getting another bottle with a smaller spout. You could put a block of untreated wood or something similar below another bottle, so that she can stand on it to drink and it won't be so high up. Or you could put a dish of water in the cage as well, even if it is a bit of a nuisance! Good luck, will be interested to see how this sorts itself out :)
 
you could also try putting a flat stone/upturned bowl for her to stand on
 
My Cedric almost looks as though he's going to swallow the whole water bottle when he drinks - the whole spout disappears down his throat !
He always coughs and splutters in a quite alarming manner when drinking but he's always done this and is now 8 years old - dont think I'd worry too much :)

Teresa x
 
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