Water: Advice for Teaching a Guinea Pig to Drink???

[yaukira]

I just got a 6 week old guinea pig yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, he seems to not be familiar with a water bottle, and has yet to drink. The water level is the exact same as it was 24 hours ago, and I am worried that he might get dehydrated. He also does not like grapes, oranges, or tomatoes. We do not have any melon either. Any tips on teaching him how to drink? I have already tried gently pushing the tip to his mouth, but he just shies away. If I let water drip onto my fingers, he licks it off, but does not associate the tube with water.

[sammy_kaye]

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...t=water+bottle

Check out this thread, it has what I did while my piggies wern't drinking out of a bottle,

[auburnmare5]

You shouldn't be feeding so many fruits. Only feed fruits about once or twice per week at most.
Guinea pigs should get about 1 cup of leafy greens and other veggies per day.
You should start off with some Romaine lettuce. Don't feed Iceburg because it has next to no nutritional value. Also, feed some bell pepper. Nothing spicy however. Maybe a baby carrot. Those should only be fed one baby carrot per pig, per day.

**Also, look at the stick thread nutritional charts that Ly&Pigs made. They are so helpful. Use the sticky threads in all of the forum sections. They are so helpful. **

Cover the veggies in water, and if the pig eats them, they could be getting most of the water they actually need.
But since you got the animal two days ago, the pig could be still adjusting.
Are you offering hay 24/7? What about a high quality pellet? The best brands to feed are Mazurri5664, Oxbow, KM's, and Sweet Meadow.
Good Luck With Your New Piggy!

[yaukira]

Thanks for the recommendations. I usually do not feed my guinea pigs very much fruit, but I was attempting to find something that had high water content in the mean time.

I give an unlimited amount of timothy hay, and once a day I give some alfafa. My pellets are not the highest quality, but they are decent. I make sure to give lots of veggies.

[auburnmare5]

What brands are they? The brands I listed are the only ones that are good for them. If the pellets contain an ingredient known as ethoxyquin, get good pellets ASAP! Ethoxyquin is a potentially cancer causing ingredient. They brnads Oxbow, KM's, Mazurri5664, and Sweet Meadow are a bit more expensive, but the bit of extra money now, could save you from a possibly serious health issue that will land you with a bunch of pricey vet bills.
Also, the hay from KM's, Oxbow, and Sweet Meadow are excellent. Nice and green, good smelling. I have not heard anythign about Mazurri hay though. Always be sure to check the bags for mold spores and smell, etc... before buying it.

[AngieW]

Have you tried a water bowl? The guinea pigs we got from the rescue were raised with water bowls and do great with them. I doubt they'd know what to do with a bottle. I would never have thought of using a water bowl with guinea pigs, but I've found it a lot easier to keep clean and fresh than bottles.

[auburnmare5]

If you do the bowl thing, you should put the bottle above the bowl. The they will associate water with the bottle, and it may teach them what to do.

[Ly&Pigs]

Mazuri doesn't sell hay. Only pellets.

[Tserisa]

One way to check for dehydration is to gently pinch the skin of the guinea pig's back. If the skin snaps back quickly, then the pig is likely not dehydrated. If it goes back slowly or doesn't at all, then the pig is probably dehydrated. If the pig is dehydrated, I suggest getting it to a vet right away (plain pedialyte is sometimes used as supportive therapy, consult a vet). Dehydration is very dangerous for little animals like guinea pigs.

Vegetables have a high water content as do fruits. I would suggest romaine lettuce and bell peppers, as they are good staple vegetables according to Ly's chart, and also have high water content.

[ali's_pigs123]

Another way for a pig to get extra water is to get the veggies wet before you give them. If the pig is eating veggies, they could be getting all the water they really need.