Water?!

[nissa]

Okay, I was just sifting through old posts and realized that you're not supposed to give your guinea pigs mineral water! I mean, I felt like I did my research and couldn't believe that I missed this! I am so freaked out!

The thing is, I live in a country where tap water is unsafe to drink, so I really don't want to give them tap water! There are a lot of people who boil tap water and drink it with no ill effects, however (I'm pretty sure about this).

So... what should I do? Would boiled tap water would be okay?

[DocDolittle]

Boiled tap water should be okay, as it would complete kill the bacteria. However, is it unsafe because it has chemicals, like chlorine? Is there any possibility you could by a water purifier?

[nissa]

Thanks for the reply! I'm at wit's end!

I don't know if it's chlorinated. I think they're more concerned with bacteria as we're not supposed to drink unboiled tap water. I will go check with the water company. Is it bad if it has chlorine? Don't all tap waters have chlorine in it?

I suppose I could get a water purifier, but since that costs money, I might have to save up, so it would still be a while.

Do you think it's bad that I've been giving them mineral water? I've had the two for almost a year now!

[DocDolittle]

I've never really heard anything about mineral water, so I'm not sure. I suppose if humans can drink the tap water boiled it should be okay for the pigs. Too much chlorine in large amounts is very detrimental to one's health, though.

[cavy-cool-crazy]

I don't think it's too much of a problem that they have been having mineral water - it just means that they have been having unnecessary extra minerals in their diet which they could have done without, but it shouldn't cause any health problems.

Go with the boiled tap water for now, and when you can afford it a water purifier would be great.

[nissa]

Phew! Thanks, guys. I'll go check with the water company tomorrow and will boil some up tonight.

[DocDolittle]

Alright, that should be a good solution. Just make sure the water's cool enough when you feed them.

[nissa]

Oh, definitely!

[C&K]

First, calm down, I am sure that Nismo is fine, he has not drank that much of it.

I studied water for two years at college to become a water / wastwater technician. In the end I am staying home to raise a family, but still possess a fountain of information on water!

Bottled water is only going to be bad if it has extra minerals actually added to it. Not all bottled water is mineral water. A lot of "spring water" is actually bottled tap water. Some water treatment plants that get their water supply from "springs" bottle up some of the water that would have otherwise gone to the city or town, and sell it as "spring water", this is perfectly legal, and does not mean that anything has been added to it.

Also, another type of bottled water is distilled water. If in doubt, this would be the best type of water to get for Nismo. All distilled water is, is water that has been distilled. All distilling is, is vaporizing the water, then letting it condense back into its liquid form, and bottling it up. so really it is just re-condensed steam. This is done to remove impurities.

Boiled town water should be fine for Nismo too. Boiling does remove most bacteria, just let it come to a rolling boil for at least 5 minutes to be sure.

If you go with bottled water, unless you have it from a water cooler, I would use a fresh bottle everyday or two. Bottled water in many areas contains more bacteria and impurities then normal tap water, and once the bottle is opened, these will breed and become a problem.

Otherwise, just boil him up a fresh batch every night, and let it cool over the evening, and put it into his water bottle in the morning. This may be a really paranoid step, but if you are doing this, may want to look for one of those glass pots, as sometimes metal pots can impart metals into the water, either giving it an undesirable metallic taste over a long time.

Chorine in either bottled water or the municipal water is not a problem either. It is within safe levels, and if it is municipal water and you are boiling anyway, most of it will also vapourize and not be in the water Nismo gets anyways.

[nissa]

I'm not actually Nismo's mom (I think you got me mixed up with the real Nismo's owner) but thank you SO MUCH for the in-depth explanation about water, Cavies-and-Kids! It's really reassuring to hear from a water expert!

I'll check my mineral water in the package (I think it's "spring water, bottled at source at etc etc mountain etc, hehehe). I think they don't add anything into it except for a sterilizing process using ozone(?). It's in a dispensing machine (dispenses cold and hot water) and I don't know if this is common anywhere else, but it's supposed to be pretty sterile.

I'll be using boiled tap water now that I know it's mostly safe, until I know for sure that the spring mineral water thing is okay, if not I'll just keep giving the babies the boiled tap water until the water purifier. Or would the water purifier be unnecessary? It is extra cost that I could use to buy the piggies more fresh treat and hay after all! He-he.

Thanks for the help, Cavies-and-Kids, I do want the piggies to be healthy and happy!

[tankintheair315]

Here is waht Guinea Lynx says.

[size=2] WATER: Fresh, cold water, changed daily, (usually provided in a drip bottle to prevent contamination). Avoid distilled water. Avoid water high in minerals, especially if high in calcium. Do not put vitamins or medications in the water[/size]

So mabea (sp?) this ansers your question.

[aqh88]

Why are we still getting upset over mineral water. Mineral water usually contains LESS minerals than tapwater. I've said it several times now. To make mineral water they take tapwater and make it 99.99% pure using reverse osmosis. They then take the normal minerals that are found in all water that can sustain aquatic life and they add SMALL amounts. Mineral water has 1/100th the amount of minerals as Iowa tapwater. I should know because I have several aquariums with sensitive fish. I have tested several brands of mineral water, distilled water, Reverse Osmosis, and tap water. I know how these minerals interact and there really is no way mineral water should make your guinea pig sick. Distilled water is also safe to use. Against popular belief and following scientific study drinking pure water like distilled or RO does not remove minerals from your body. If you are eating a healthy diet that provides minerals you should not encounter a deficiency of any kind from drinking pure water.
Now spring water or water bottled from some location in the world that supposedly has clean water often contains a higher level of bacteria or bacteria that we are not used to and can upset our digestive tract. If the container of water says reverse osmosis or distilled on it and then a list of minerals usually involving sodium and calcium then it's perfectly safe. If it says bottled at: with no mention of the other 2 processes then it may contain bacteria.

Considering what's in our tapwater I would definitely give my guinea pigs mineral water over even boiled tapwater. Boiling doesn't remove several compounds that aren't the healthiest and could be found in your water.

[emithebug]

Isn't distilled water the same thing as deionized? Basically, it has all minerals, ions, metals, and chemicals removed?

From what I understand, distilled isn't very good because cells require the trace minerals and ions in order to function properly.

I've also heard that RO has some funky chemicals in it because it's softened in order to make soaps work better, not necessarily from taking the dissolved metals and minerals out. But I'm not totally sure about that - I just know it's generally considered no good for aquariums.

Mineral, tap, spring, and bottled should all be okay, as long as they've all been treated and disinfected properly.

[aqh88]

Distilled water is boiled and the steam is collected. It is not completely pure but fairly close and only contains a trace amount of minerals and other compounds. Reverse osmosis water is run through various chemical and mechanical filtration to produce 99.99% pure water that does not have any "funky chemicals" in it. It is the preferred water for using in fish tanks with very sensitive fish because it essentially contains nothing and you can add back in pure minerals much like they do for mineral water. That way you can create any type of water you want with various hardness or acidity for various types of sensitive fish and you don't have to worry about any chemicals, bacteria, parasites, or other things that might be found in tapwater.
It has been disproven several times by scientific studies that distilled and ro water causes any damage to cells or deficiencies unless your diet is already lacking in such minerals. Kind of like if you feed a guinea pig the very minimum vit c required to keep it from getting scurvy and then decide to switch to a pellet without vit c they will get sick. Whereas if you are feeding them a good diet with veggies they will not need the tiny amount found in pellets.

[C&K]

Sorry about the name mix up. I would not bother with the water purifier until you are good and ready to get it. You may find though that it is cheaper in the long run to get it, then to keep using bottled water.

I think that bottled water or boiled, it is all good. If you have a really funky mineral water, then avoid it, but it sounds like if it is from a water cooler, it is fine. If you call the water company, I am sure they have a pet recomendation.

[nissa]

Thanks for all the great info, guys. This way, I'll get my piggies the best possible care. I'll keep you posted on the water I decide to use!