water bottles

  • Thread starter Thread starter mimsy
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mimsy

when i bought our guinea pigs the other day i dont remember seeing a water bottle on the cage so i presume they had a bowl to drink from.ive put a bottle on their cage and a bowl of water in their too.should i take the bowl out and hope they find the bottle or just leave both til i know they have found it?
 
They will find the water bottle if they really need it - oh and make a noise when your putting it on then they will hear and see where you put it too O0
 
I would definitely advise to take the bowl of water out as they will get wet when trying to drink from it and also if they spill it over they will get very wet bedding and cage. They will find the bottle when they need it. Don't worry if they don't drink much - many piggies have very little thirst and get water from fruit and veggies - especially things like cucumber, tomatoes, melon.
 
ok i have put their food and veg bowl either side so hopefully they will find it! O0
 
i marked the bottle and still they have not drunk any.when should i worry? :-\
 
If they're getting plenty of fresh fruit and veg then they may not need any actual water (although it should always be available to them). Lots of piggies drink a lot less in the Winter than the Summer as they are not so hot. And then again some piggies just hardly drink any water and some drink lots. If they're eating, pooping, weeing, moving and doing everything else normally then I really wouldn't worry too much about it. O0
 
my 2 piggies Coco & Smudge don't seem to know how to drink from the water bottles. I've never seen them drink from them.I was getting worried as we've had a bit of a heatwave so I put the bottle near their mouths & they just turned away from it. They seem to wee a lot so I presume that they are getting enough fluid from their greens which I tend to put into their bowls slightly damp.
has anyone got any other ideas. Also has anyone got Ideas of how to attach the bottles to the cages as those wire strips you get with them are a waste of time.I'm currently using elastic bands wrapped around washing pegs to keep them secure.
 
None of my three piggies ever drink water, although they always have the bottle - and I know the water comes through, so it's not like they try and can't get it. I do give them lots of veg, including always cucumber which they love, and my vet (who knows and loves piggies) assures me they will drink from the bottle if they need to, but that they will be getting enough water/moisture from the veg.
Sue
 
Fugly hardly drinks either, he does use the bottle though.

I have a very good bottle cant remember the name but its plastic with a flat back it has a bracket which screws onto the cage bars and then the bottle sits outside the cage in the bracket very easy to remove and reattach rather than fiddling with the plastic strip thing.
 
If I was you, buy them a salt lick and put it right next to their water bottle. The lick will make them thirsty so they will want to drink. At least it will put your mind at rest O0
 
when I first got my pig she didn't drink for a few days cause she was scared, thats prob whats happening, give it time they will find it when there comfortable
 
They do have a salt lick but I've not seen them use that either. maybe they just wait until I'm not around. I'll have a look for the bottles with the bracket, Hopefully they are much more secure.
 
Salt licks are not recommended for piggies, so I my advise would be to take it out.
Some piggies hardly drink at all and especially if they get loads of veggies they will get most of their water from them.
A piggy who doesn't drink is not a problem but what you want to look out for is a change (i.e. a piggy that suddenly stops or starts drinking).
When they get thirsty they will find the bottle, don't worry.
 
They are just not needed as the piggies should get all of the minerals they need from their diet.
Some people also think that they may contribute to bladder stones. However in most cases the pigs don't even touch them so it's a waste of money.
 
Don't worry about the piggies not drinking.....if they get enough fluid from the fruit and veg you offer it's fine. They work out the waterbottles when they are thirsty.

They do not need those mineral and salt lick....waste of money!
 
Mine didn't drink any water for about 4 days after I brought them first home - even now there's days when they appear to never touch the water but then if they're getting enough water from their fruit/veg they might not need it.
 
At first my pigs really didn't drink hardly any, but as they get older they tend to drink more and more and more and more...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top