Problems with water bottles

All the water bottles leak (I use 4 of them and have bought others). I have to keep bowls to catch the drip when the piggies drink below the bottle so the carefresh doesn't get wet in the cages. I'm beginning to think it's me and not the bottles. I clean the bottles every time I change water (every other day) complete (brushes and all) and I have even used q-tips to make sure there's no grime building down the tube from the top. Could it be that the bottle is too vertical? Should it be more at an angle? Should it be more vertical? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Do you fill the water bottles completely full? I know this plays a part in leakage...

Miriam

Something you might want to try is to put something like a stone, or brick under the water bottle as this would do two things. 1. Help absorb the water that leaks. 2. Could help keep the nails shorter. This was on the website.

Jennifer

I agree with Jennifer. I fill the water bottles completely and I use bricks under the water bottles. The bricks work great with soaking up the droplets and also I dont have to clip my guinea pig's nails that much. You should consider trying this method. It seems to work. Good luck!
Brynn

Well, I have a different problem with water bottles - my cavy just doesn't want to drink. It is 6 years old and does not have the habbit. Yet, it is healthy and doesn't seem to miss the water. I can't make it drink it in any way.

Is there a way to teach it to drink or should I just leave it get water from vegetables ?

I think if it's six years old, and has been living this way all along, it might as well continue. Just make sure it has plenty of vegies.

We don't use water bottles for this very reason- most of them leak. We've bought the expensive kinds before where you can open the top and pour watter into the bottle, but this bottle also leaks. Instead we just use bowls for food and water. Yes, the water bowls get dirty awfully quick from the cedar shavings, and cavy "poo," but this seems to work better than bottles. The bowls don't leak! We clean the food dishes once per day, and the water bowls 1-2 times a day. It's a big job, but this is all part of taking care of 17 cavies!
Christopher

[CavySpirit]

Christopher, are you aware that cedar shavings are considered the worst choice as a bedding? Potential health problems. Why are you using them? Kiln-dried pine should be used instead, and preferably a brand that doesn't smell like pine.

Teresa,
Whoops- I didn't mean to say cedar shavings!!
I use PINE shavings I've never used cedar shavings
and don't plan to either. Thanks for pointing out this to
me. The next cage clean-out, I'm using Kaytee Aspen
bedding- which I've heard good feedback on.
Take care :-)

[CavySpirit]

Whoops! No problem!

I can't find KayTee Aspen in big enough bags!

[SuperCavyLover]

Well,
I can't either! PETsMART sells Kaytee Aspen bedding, but in small bags. It would take 2-4 for all of my cages. I'm also going to buy one 50 liter of Carefresh bedding to sprinkle over the bedding....... I can't seem to find any kiln-dried pine shavings bedding. Do you reccomend Kaytee Chlorophyll Pine Bedding? Here's the link to this at PETsMART-
www.petsmart.com/products...2165.shtml
I was in PETsMART just the other day buying a half bale of timothy hay, and this woman came to me and said that Timothy hay didn't make a good bedding, Aspen did. She didn't know I was buying the hay for the piggies to eat, and I just smiled and said thank you!