Conditions Guinea Pig not drinking water

[ibeabluedevil]

Since Friday I have noticed one of my pigs, Cotton, has not been drinking his water. I fill up/change all of my pigs water bottles everyday to ensure they have clean fresh water. He is still eating his pellets, though not as much, he eats his hay and eats all of the veggies I give him, but since Friday his water bottle appears as though he never drinks a drop out of it (I still dump the old water out and clean the bottle and refill it with fresh water).

I know that eating his veggies can give him some water that he needs, but I don't feel that it is enough for him. I double checked numerous times to make sure the water bottle wasn't malfunctioning, and it works just fine. I even checked Cotton out completely and gave him a thorough mouth exam to make sure it wasn't a dental issue and he is fine, but he just won't drink the water. I tried using a syringe to give him water and he will drink from it with no problem until he's had enough, which I feel is not enough, but he still will not drink from his water bottle and I am worried. I have been picking him up numerous times all throughout the day and making him drink from the syringe so that I will feel better knowing he is at least drinking some water and I even soak his veggies in water before I give them to him so hopefully that will help add extra water to his intake. I have no idea what is going on with him, other than him not drinking, he is perfectly fine. He is playful, active, popcorns and wheeks with excitement, still eats his hay, veggies and some pellets, and overall seems very happy and healthy. I just can't explain the water thing and it is worrying me and driving me crazy!! Should I take him to the vet

 

[miniver]

Be careful when you "make" him drink. You don't want it getting into his respiratory system.
Cavy's consumption of water can vary greatly, day to day, piggy to piggy. Sometime my girls hardly touch their bottle, other days it's completely drained. Try putting it in a bowl and see if he perfers to drink that way.

 

[ibeabluedevil]

Thank you so much for the advice! I will definately try putting it in a bowl to see if that works. I didn't know that their water intake varies, I was told that they have to drink lots of water everyday or they would become severly dehydrated.

 

[bpatters]

I'm pig-sitting a boar who never drinks from his bottle. I just make sure his veggies are extra wet.

 

[ibeabluedevil]

I finally figured out what Cotton's problem was with not drinking water from his bottle. I tried putting a bowl of water in his cage for him to see if he would drink from that, and instead he just pooped in it! �� I had an extra water bottle that is different in appearance to the one he had in there, and so I just stuck that one in there along with the other one and a refreshed bowl of poopless water. Well, he just must have woken up one day and decided that the water bottle he had wasn't stylish enough for him I guess, so he needed a new change of water bottle scenery, LOL. He's drinking just fine, but still refuses to drink out of the other bottle he already had.

Piggies are are so silly, when I got my other 2 pigs a new bowl, same size and style as their old one, except that it was a different color, they refused to eat from it. They protested by dumping their pellets everywhere and dragging the bowl completely out of their kitchen area, so I had to swap bowls with my other 2 pigs that had one just like their old one and then they were fine and happy about it. The other 2 pigs didn't care one bit that their bowl was a different color. Who knew they could be so picky & not able to deal with change so well. They are so funny and really crack me up!! Gosh I just love Guinea pigs they are the best ever!

 

[foggycreekcavy]

It's possible there's something wrong with the first water bottle. Maybe something stuck up inside the nozzle.