Bowls for water???? - Paw Talk

Perrigirl · #1 01-10-2003, 11:03 AM

Ok I have a question. Does anyone use bowls instead of waterbottles for their piggies? I am at my wits end trying to keep my boys from soaking their cage with the water bottle. I have moved it up as high as I can, I tried putting a brick under it. I tried putting a small dish under it(big mistake by the way the just filled it up and then tipped it over).
Anyway I was thinking my next step would be to get one of those bowls that attaches to the side so they would not be able to tip it. But will they get tons of poop and bedding and such in there all the time? I am not alway home to change the water frequently would this be a problem?
I have been changing there bedding pretty much daily due to the water bottle fun. And since I changed to carefresh it is costing me much more than I can afford. Any help would be much appreciated.

LOL this is how I feel about spill proof water bottles.

Punxatawny · #2 01-10-2003, 11:08 AM

I wouldn't use bowls if I were you, they make a bigger mess than the water bottles do. You are right, they will get tons of litter and poop in their water, not to mention the bowls that connect to the side of the cage they can tip over. I had a guinea pig that did that all the time with the one that I used for her food and the food would go on my floor. I hope I helped a little. I again would stick with the water bottle.

Oh I just thought of something, there are the water bottles that hang from the top of the cage, they hardly leak at all I never had to worry about changing the litter with those, you might want to give that a try.

Perrigirl · #3 01-10-2003, 11:25 AM

Thanks for the advice.
I have tried so many different kinds of water bottles. Hanging ones, ones on the outside,one with a valve that is supposed to be harder to use so they are less likely to sit there and let the water drip out, doubleballed spill proof. They just seem to find a way. And I dont know why they would want to do it. It cant be comfy sitting in a puddle of water.
I think I caught the culprit too. My little baby Periwinkle who is only 5 months old. I decided to give them just a little bit of water in there bottle and watch to see what they did with it. That way it wouldnt make too much of a mess right away. Well Peri ran to bottle and started banging it. Then when Spud or Hamy tried to come get a drink he bit at them and bumped them away with his nose will yelling a bunch of gibberish at them. Finally when he had banged it for several minutes he let the others drink. And they didnt spill any of the water. So my baby is the one causing me all this grief.
Anyways I use a bowl that attaches to the cage for their food because they used to dump it too. They have not been able to tip it or havent even tried. So I dont think they would tip the water. Im just worried that it will be filthy and they wont have water while im out. Although it only takes him about an hour to empty a full water bottle and they have to go without too. So which would be better. Anyone else with ideas?

#4 01-10-2003, 02:21 PM

An online friend of mine uses bowls for her free range piggies. You can always give it a try!

Linda Lee · #5 01-10-2003, 04:20 PM

Maybe you can put some interesting things to play with in their cage when your away. Like paper tubes to chew up, or bounce back toys with food stuffed in them. Or maybe a hammock would amuse them too. That's if you don't have these things already. But put the paper tubes or whatever in right before you go out the door and then take them out when you come home. It might help take the interest away from the water bottle .

Crittercall · #6 01-10-2003, 05:31 PM

I found out a long time ago that I just can't hang a water bottle properly! I bought a fancy new-fangled kind for Camden that just poured water out of it, so I went back to the old-fashioned style. But Bubba is in charge of water for the chin. Every time I fool with it we have water every where!

Birds are bad about pooping in their water, and when it's an African Gray the smell can run you out of the room! I had my first Gray trained to use a water bottle for a while, then being a Gray she started playing with it. The fun came when one day I had a glass bottle on her cage and she managed to knock it down onto the tile floor. No more glass bottles in this house!

I think it's a trial and error thing. Since your piggies are used to a food bowl attached to the cage they may think that the water being there to is perfectly normal.

Like dealing with a bunch of 2-year-olds, isn't it?

How do our animals get to be so picky?

BrendaLynn · #7 01-11-2003, 10:41 AM

I have the same problem with my girls water bottle! I have tried every kind out there and they all run like a seive!
I have resigned myself to the fact that they can only have one bottle in the cage. It's a 32 oz. and I fill it twice a day. There are 6 girls in their c&c cage. It's 5 cubes by 2 and the coroplast is divided into 2 equal sections so that I only have to change the bedding every third day on the one side and once a week on the other. They all beat the crap out of the bottle and it empties really quick. i haven't figured out anything better yet!
I tried the bowl thing and it was a dismal failure!

Linda Lee · #8 01-11-2003, 01:02 PM

You can use one of those bowls that screw on to the cage with water in it and also make a stepping up to platform with bricks, that way the water won't get so filthy like if it was right on the ground level.

Linda Lee · #9 01-11-2003, 06:41 PM

I guess I'm very lucky right now because I have 6 girls and they only drink when they need to.
I use to have another sow who died a few months ago and she would empty a 32oz. bottle of water a day. Years ago I also had another big water drinker. But most of the time I think they do it for recreation not thirst, possibly illness in a few.