Post by PigPog on Jan 26, 2008 15:50:30 GMT
Watering Guinea Pigs
Water bowls
If you want to give your pigs a water bowl you need to give them a big, heavy ceramic bowl to stop them tipping it up when they put their paws on the rim! Water bowls need to be changed very frequently because they can get soiled easily by guinea pigs who have a habit of using their bowls as a toilet. You may also find the occasional bit of veg, dry mix or hay floating about in the bowl too!
Water bottles
While keeping guinea pigs I have come across two types of water bottles - the more commonly used ball and spring system, and the newer valve system.
The "ball and spring" system
Ball and spring spouts work when your pet licks and moves the ball at the end and releases the water from the spout. They tend to leak a notable amount because the pressure inside the spout is not great enough to stop water leaking out around the ball at the end.
The "valve" system
The valve system, a new idea from America, works by holding a pin inside the spout against a small rubber ring at the back and releasing water when your pet licks the pin. Because it works on a simple valve principle, when your pet stops licking the pin, it is sucked back into place and seals off the spout.
My personal experience finds that valve system water bottles leak far less than ball and spring water bottles. When they do leak, I just have to tighten the spout up a bit and the bottle is ready to use again. I have yet to find a method of preventing a ball and spring bottle from leaking or fixing it when it does, so all of my guinea pigs use the valve system water bottles.
You can buy these new valve bottles - "Water Buddies" - here:
www.agselect.com
Vitamin C drops
You should never need to put Vitamin C drops in the water unless instructed to do so by your vet. Your vet may give you Vitamin C drops for sick or convalescing guinea pigs to aid recovery. If your guinea pigs are getting a good diet of hay and vegetables they should be getting all the Vitamin C they need.
Tap water vs. mineral water
One question I have come across before is which is best: tap water or bottled mineral water? The obvious answer should be mineral water, because mineral water has trickled through the hills in exotic countries for eons and therefore should be a healthier option. However, bottled mineral water can have a different concentration of minerals in it varying from bottle to bottle. Tap water on the other hand is pretty much guaranteed to give you a similar glass of minerals each time you turn on the tap due to the management behind our water supplies.
Extract taken from my feeding guide at:
www.rodentswithattitude.co.uk/generalcare_feeding.html
Water bowls
If you want to give your pigs a water bowl you need to give them a big, heavy ceramic bowl to stop them tipping it up when they put their paws on the rim! Water bowls need to be changed very frequently because they can get soiled easily by guinea pigs who have a habit of using their bowls as a toilet. You may also find the occasional bit of veg, dry mix or hay floating about in the bowl too!
Water bottles
While keeping guinea pigs I have come across two types of water bottles - the more commonly used ball and spring system, and the newer valve system.
The "ball and spring" system
Ball and spring spouts work when your pet licks and moves the ball at the end and releases the water from the spout. They tend to leak a notable amount because the pressure inside the spout is not great enough to stop water leaking out around the ball at the end.
The "valve" system
The valve system, a new idea from America, works by holding a pin inside the spout against a small rubber ring at the back and releasing water when your pet licks the pin. Because it works on a simple valve principle, when your pet stops licking the pin, it is sucked back into place and seals off the spout.
My personal experience finds that valve system water bottles leak far less than ball and spring water bottles. When they do leak, I just have to tighten the spout up a bit and the bottle is ready to use again. I have yet to find a method of preventing a ball and spring bottle from leaking or fixing it when it does, so all of my guinea pigs use the valve system water bottles.
You can buy these new valve bottles - "Water Buddies" - here:
www.agselect.com
Vitamin C drops
You should never need to put Vitamin C drops in the water unless instructed to do so by your vet. Your vet may give you Vitamin C drops for sick or convalescing guinea pigs to aid recovery. If your guinea pigs are getting a good diet of hay and vegetables they should be getting all the Vitamin C they need.
Tap water vs. mineral water
One question I have come across before is which is best: tap water or bottled mineral water? The obvious answer should be mineral water, because mineral water has trickled through the hills in exotic countries for eons and therefore should be a healthier option. However, bottled mineral water can have a different concentration of minerals in it varying from bottle to bottle. Tap water on the other hand is pretty much guaranteed to give you a similar glass of minerals each time you turn on the tap due to the management behind our water supplies.
Extract taken from my feeding guide at:
www.rodentswithattitude.co.uk/generalcare_feeding.html
I guess for groups of guineas I'd say that bottles are more hygenic and you don't get lots of paws on the sides. 
