Water Intake

[JUSA97]

Hi there, I've been lurking for a few weeks now and finally registered this morning.

I have one guinea pig, from a petstore....I didn't realize this was bad until I found this site. I immediately made a C & C cage and we're picking up a friend for "beaners" (Spot Beans Jr.) this week from a shelter a few hours away.

With all that being said, here is my question... Beans doesn't drink water. I can fill the water bottle up, test it, and he just doesn't drink any. He gets fresh veggies, greens, hay, pellets each day and I check the water and none is missing. There is nothing in the water (i.e. Vitamin C drops) so it should taste fine. Is this a problem? Should I be worried?

 

[Piglet]

Hello and welcome!

Different pigs drink different amounts of water. Mine sound like yours - even though I am constantly refilling the bottle, it seems like nothing has been drunk. Perhaps the veggies you are giving him have lots of water in them? If you are worried, then I suggest drenching the vegetables in water and then giving them to him. Or, you can just buy a new water bottle and see how that goes.

Well done for building a C&C cage and adopting a buddy! Beaners (cute!) will be so much more happier.

 

[JUSA97]

Thank you for your reply. This is encouraging as I was quite nervous that something was wrong with him or would be soon. This site is so helpful!

 

[munchkin]

JUSA, How long have you had Beaner? Some Guinea Pigs take seveal weeks or even months to settle in. His water consumption may increase in time. Have you taken him to the vet to have a checkup? As long as the vet says he is healthy, I would just give it time. He may still be adjusting to his new environment.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Are you feeding veggies?

 

[twofinepigs]

I don't know how much mine drink but they sure go through the water. I have tried two different types of bottles; they just love to mess with them, and the area under the bottle is always a sloggy mess. I am thinking of trying one of those puppy pads under it that I could just change daily instead of all the marshy bedding.

It's my biggest concern about leaving them, that we have to watch their water level constantly so they don't go without. It's why I have to have the pet sitter come in twice daily. Piggers! I have explained the problem to them repeatedly, but they just stare at me.

 

[Binas Cavys]

Yes mine also love to drink thier water. But I fortifiy it because of vit.C

-Bina

 

[twofinepigs]

Sigh.
https://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html#scurvy
Vitamin C drops in the water are not recommended.

It's frustrating to find out that a lot of what you are doing is not the best thing! I've been learning all this same stuff. But at least I feel like I can make the changes to provide the best for my guys.

 

[JUSA97]

We've had Beaners since Christmas. He gets fresh veggies twice daily.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

If the veggies are freshly washed or contain alot of water then he probably gets what he needs from the veggies themselves. May I ask what types of veggies you have been feeding him.

 

[suzilovespiggie]

My 3 boys drink tons of water. I have 2 water bottles for them. They too make a mess.
I have big flat brick under the water bottles. They lay on it all the time.
My female seems to drink no water. Her veggies do have water on them and she eats them fine. I put a water bottle in her cage that I know works and a cup with water.
The vet said she is very healthy just fat and very round. He told me she probably is drinking some just when I can't see her. She is very shy and still hides quite abit. I have had her since June 18th.

 

[smileyface cavy]

Welcome!

I suggest the Farnam Pet waterbottle. For a while I gave my piggy Carrot a Critter Canteen waterbottle. He barely drank any of it!

 

[JUSA97]

If the veggies are freshly washed or contain alot of water then he probably gets what he needs from the veggies themselves. May I ask what types of veggies you have been feeding him.

You may.

He loves Romaine and carrots. He's not sure about red peppers. He sometimes likes basil and parsley, iffy on Kale, no thanks to cucumbers and enjoys grapes, apples and the occasional orange wedge.

 

[RyanR]

With the hot weather here in IL. I've got the boys standing in line for the water bottle like they were in school. When I got both out and not cleaning the other. One of the boys is always waiting for the other to finish.

 

[guineapiglvr14]

I have vitamins in my GPs water and they still down it, I had one with the vitamins and one without and they go to both of them not just the one without vitamins.

 

[amfeider]

please stop putting drops in their water

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

What kind of vitamins? You can overdose them on vitamin and mineral supplements. You can do a search at www.guinealynx.info forums for more info.

 

[Percy's Mom]

I don't know how much mine drink but they sure go through the water. I have tried two different types of bottles; they just love to mess with them, and the area under the bottle is always a sloggy mess. I am thinking of trying one of those puppy pads under it that I could just change daily instead of all the marshy bedding.

I know this was posted in another thread (I believe in Accessories), but I highly recommend getting an unglazed paving stone to put under the water bottle. It absorbs the drips, so you don't get soggy bedding, and when the piggies go for a drink it slightly files their nails. It's not a substitute for trimming, but it lets me go a bit longer between "torture sessions". I just got a second stone, so I can spray each down and scrub any poos and other things off when I clean the cage and still have an extra to put back in under the water bottle. It's worked wonders!

 

[Fujiko]

At first my piggies didn't drink ANY water, like you described, and I got really, really worried. But they seemed just fine. I still worried enough, though, to buy them a different water bottle (the cheapest one at Walmart, actually) in hopes that they might like that one better, and it worked! Now they drink about one and a half bottle-fulls a day. The one from Walmart doesn't drip, either, so there is never a mess underneath the bottle. And my girls are very lady-like and don't dribble.

 

[twofinepigs]

I know this was posted in another thread (I believe in Accessories), but I highly recommend getting an unglazed paving stone to put under the water bottle...

Thanks, Percy's Mom! I hadn't seen that thread. That sounds a lot better than the puppy pads. I'm going to see if I can find a way to fit a small one. (That's not about cage size, it's about logistics - height of the water bottle and preferred running tracks.)