Would you say water bottles are essential?

[jazzpiggie]

Hey piggie friends, me again

When I adopted my baby boars, I was informed that they had been drinking from a water bottle, but I am starting to wonder if thats true. They have two water bottles in their enclosure that I have not seen them use once in the near 3 weeks we've had them. And then I know they're not using them because the bottles are still full at the end of each day

When I noticed they weren't using the water bottles, I put two water bowls in their enclosure just in case. I have seen them run up to the water bowls and drink from them.

I also know that its possible they are getting enough water from their food as well. However I'm just wondering if its okay that they're using the water bowls or if its 'better' for them to learn how to use the water bottles? I worry that they sometimes run over the water bowls and sometimes I find poop / food in there :/

 

[Piggies&buns]

Whether you use bowls or bottles is up to you and them. Just remember that bowls need cleaning out much more often, they are going to poop in it.

Do bear in mind though that the amount a piggy drinks is individual - some drink a tiny amount, some drink lots. If you are expecting a bottle to be emptied at the end of the day then for a lot of piggies that is never going to happen. The need to drink comes before the need to eat so if they are eating then they are drinking. none of my animals past or present have ever finished a bottle in a day.

My piggies use bottles as they won’t use bowls, but my rabbits use bowls as they won’t use bottles!

All About Drinking And Bottles

 

[AidaB]

We generally use bottles, but when Billy was diagnosed with a bladder stone we gave him a small shallow non tip water bowl. He did love to make hay soup- and we found we had to frequently give him fresh water.
We have a variety of drinkers at the moment a pair who generally drink half a bottle in 24hrs & 2 singles who tend to not drink a lot, one of whom likes to create puddles for fun occasionally!

 

[A Guinea Pig]

We generally use bottles, but when Billy was diagnosed with a bladder stone we gave him a small shallow non tip water bowl. He did love to make hay soup- and we found we had to frequently give him fresh water.
We have a variety of drinkers at the moment a pair who generally drink half a bottle in 24hrs & 2 singles who tend to not drink a lot, one of whom likes to create puddles for fun occasionally!

Hay soup sounds delicious! Billy seems like a marvelous chef! Where can I get the recipe?

 

[A Guinea Pig]

I use both bowls and water bottles. When I first got my babies they did all prefer to drink from a bowl. They slowly transitioned to liking water bottles more as they got older though. As long as they have water they are both great options.

 

[Lorcan]

I only use a bowl. I used to use bottles but Cam kept trying to pull it out of its holder, so I switched for safety reasons. I had to move them into a tent enclosure in September last year because of the late heatwave and it has nowhere to hang a bottle, so it was a test run for the bowl and it worked.

It's not a large bowl and Cam's used it to make hay soup, poop soup, lettuce soup...he loves dumping stuff in the bowl lol, but I won't switch back. It works out better for all 3 of us.

 

[fluffysal]

 

[A Guinea Pig]

View attachment 246104

Mmmmm! Nothing like a warm bowl of hay/poop/hair/lettuce soup! I can just imagine myself coming home on a cold day and pouring myself a bowl of the dinner the piggies made. We just have to teach them to sweep now and I'm set for life!

 

[Storm1974]

Ours don't drink at all (Or very, very rarely and tiny amounts) from their water bottles, and it's been the same with all three of my pigs, since we started owning piggies back in early August last year. I don't change the bottles every day either because I buy bottled water for them and it works out quite expensive to be throwing it out every day....But as they don't drink it, it works out expensive anyway!

I do give them a lot of watery foods like cucumber, peppers etc., and also add water to a bowl and put their corriander in it, to help flush out their bladders, so that's probably why they don't need to drink out of their bottles.