Why aren't my Piggies drinking?

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marshie82

marshie82

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Hi everyone,

I'm new to guinea pigs and I have 2 boars, 3 and 4 months old. I've noticed that they aren't drinking very much. I have NEVER seen my youngest pig Alfie drink at all! They do have a lot of nice watery veggies and fruit in their diet, but I read today that guineas that don't drunk much water are prone to health problems. If anyones got any advice to help me out I would be VERY grateful,

Many thanxs, Michelle
 
Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the world of piggies!:))

I've got two pairs of boars - Garry and Minty, Benjamin and Dave. Only Minty and Dave drink from the water bottle (unless the other two are secret closet water drinkers - I've never seen them!). As long as they are eating their veggies, they should be OK. Mine are forever eating cucumber which they love - all have glossy coats, clear eyes, are a good weight and all that malarky, so I don't think you have anything to worry about!:)
 
i know that in the day mine dont really drink lo ts, but they mainly drink at night when we are all fast asleep! i used to have their cage in my bedroom so thats how i knew this!

maybe this is what they are doing too!

i dont think you have anything to worry bout!
 
Hello and welcome. I don't see my girls drink very often but the water in their water bottle always goes down :) Don't worry if it seems that they're not drinking because they'll be getting water intake from their veggies
 
Hello there :)

I wouldn't worry too much about it, I have one boar who is now about a year old and I have NEVER seen him drink! Unless he's doing it when I'm not looking lol. They get a lot of water from their veggies so you should be absolutly fine, just keep a close eye on them :)
 
Mine will go through stages - some days they never seem to touch any water and then other days they might drink nearly the whole bottle. They will get water from their veg so I wouldn't worry.
 
Yes like everyone else has said theres nothing to worry about. I have had my piggies for nearlly a year now and never seen them drink. I guess they must just get enough from cucumber and other veggies like that.
 
Types of food

I am not entirely sure but I am guessing that the more water the food has in it the less they will drink of pure water.
 
Like everyone else has said, I'm sure they're getting enough water from their veg. Mine don't drink, and the water level in the bottles doesn't go down, but cucumber is their favourite veg, and I wash anything else without drying it, so there's plenty of moisture. Plus they're healthy - when I first had them I confess I did rush off to the vet and ask about it, but he re-assured me.

Sue
 
Hi Marshie82
You will find that some piggies drink alot and some hardly drink anything.
If you are giving them lots of nice juicy fruit and veg then they might not need to supplement their diet with much water, but always have fresh water available just in case.
 
For piggies who dont drink alot they dont half wee like there is no tomorrow!:))

I only see one of mine drink... They also get cucumber, occasional tomato, celery everyday all of which are washed and not dried so must be getting enough water in...
 
Hi! I wouldnt worry too much, Alice did'nt drink in front of us until she'd been here about a year! I had the same worries as you, i think they just wait until we are not around! She's still not a big drinker but as you say veggies and watery fruits top them up, they'll drink if they need it. ;)
 
Goldie is right: my first couple of piggies drank a lot, they emptied one water bottle in a day, so I bought a second, bigger one, because I was afraid they did not get enough. The couple I now have does not drink as much, but I noticed they drink more on a hot day, and one of them drinks more than the other. So it seems to be very different, and as long as they are healthy, there is nothing to worry about.
However, I can understand your worries; when I got those piggies who hardly drink, and I was used to piggies drinking a lot, I immediately thought there must be something wrong!
 
Thank you all for the great advice, been reading so much about guinea pigs since I bought them, think maybe I scared myself abit!rolleyes

Relief to know all is good though x
 
they drink in small quanties normally ive never seen minee drink either
 
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