How do I know if my Guinea Pig is drinking?

Question

She has a huge supply of water in one of those rodent drinks bottles.

When I bought her from the pet shop 1 week ago (she is about 5weeks old) she had one of those drink things but it was lower.

I haven't seen her drinking from it yet but she might be getting her water from her apple etc.

I know the bottle is at a good hight because when I set the cage up it gave me a diagram of where it should go.

I have put a small rock at the bottom for her to climb on.

But am very worried

Answer 1

you can mark the water line at begining of day and at end check where water line is later

might work

Answer 2

Please never buy a Guinea Pig from a pet store. Do you know what happens to animals in pet stores? They are mistreated, uncared for, and habor disease. They come from "mills" which are mass breeding homes for animals. Pet stores are the worst place to get a pet. Next time you want a pet, please adopt. As far as the drinking, make sure the water bottle is low enough for her to get to it. She needs fresh water, not just from fruit. Watch her for a while. You should see her drink once an hour about.

Answer 3

Look on the bottle every day and see if it the water in the bottle etheir: goes down, or stays the same.

Answer 4

If it slurs when it talks and sways when it walks....

-:o)

Answer 5

if she startsbighting when you try to pick her up and she normally doesn't, then she hasn't been drinking

Answer 6

Guineas should have a fresh water supply daily. When you fill it in the morning, use a measuring cup to measure how much is going into the bottle and the next morning measure what's left before dumping it out and giving her fresh.  Also, as mentioned above, don't move the water bottle around. My two full grown males drink approximately 10-12 ounces daily between them, but you would need to check with a vet or a site like cavyspirit.com to be sure how much she should be drinking.

If you find that she isn't drinking as she should, I would suggest moving the bottle lower (she shouldn't have to stretch her neck to reach it) and get rid of the stone. She may not like climbing to drink. Also, you should be sure that your cage is large enough for her... an unhappy pig in a too-small environment may show it in strange ways... including not eating or drinking enough.

The person who said not to buy from pet stores was right... but since you already did it, just be sure you give her the proper care and love she deserves and you will be fine. You should have her checked by a vet though to be sure she is healthy, pet store animals are known to be wrongly sexed (she may not be a she after all LOL) and have mites or other parasites that could make her sick and cranky.

If you decide to get another (they are social animals after all) be sure that you get another of the same s*x and quarantine the new animal for 2 weeks and take it to the vet for a check-up  before introducing it to your piggy you already have.

Answer 7

well you could see if the water bottle or bowl is empty

Answer 8

The best way to tell if your Guinea Pig is drinking, is mark the spot where the water is with a marker. Then check the next day, if the water is lower from the mark it that means your Guinea Pig is drinking if not that means its not drinking.

Also lower the bottle. Or maybe she's just gets water from her apple. Be sure to change the water every day. If you don't know what else to do, ask the Pet Store where you got your Guinea Pig from, for advice on what to do.

Also when you got it did it look healthy, if not bring it to the vet because it might be sick.