I'm sure ths is just paranoia but...

Podling · 11-28-2010, 01:53 PM

How do hamsters actually tell how to use their water bottle and where it is etc?
Fudge has barely touched her food and not drunk at all since she got here this afternoon. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid but I just wondered, especially as I only made the hole for the bottle in the zoozone a few days so I'm worried the smell of plastic might mask the smell of water or something? Also it's not quite straight on the zz because it goes over the ridge so it leans back a little but I ran my finger over it and it seemed to produce water ok...
Urgh I don't know it probably just sounds really silly.
I've put in another house as well because she's fallen asleep in the corner without any bedding even though the other house I made her has the bedding from her old cage in it with some new stuff but I'm worried she'll get cold when the heating goes off at night!
I even made a sharpie mark on the bottle where the water level is to see in the morning if she's drunk any!
I guess I'd really just like to see what other people think though I probably sound like a right wack job at the moment it's just been a while since my last hamster and I'm utterly convinced I'm going to get this all wrong!

KatiePillow · 11-28-2010, 01:58 PM

They don't drink that much, because they're only tiny, I worry about mine drinking enough, but they drink fine, they can use the water bottle fine

Fudge will be fine, she's probably drunk but you haven't noticed, as long as water comes out when you check, it should be fine =]

Podling · 11-28-2010, 02:10 PM

Haha, yeah, 5 minutes after i get worried enough to post a thread about it she wakes up again and has a nice wee drink from it and a bit of food, typical

I noticed the level didn't really move from the markers either so it must be pretty minute the amount they drink! Still I've seen her do it so now I know she is aware of what to do ^_^ I feel much better for having seen that!
Thank you for replying earlier and making me worry less though, glad I'm not the only one who's been a bit surprised by such things

KatiePillow · 11-28-2010, 02:42 PM

Sandy has drunk about...a 1.5 cm worth of water in 3 days..so yeah, tiny amount. =] I did get a free bottle with a cage which intermittently let water out, and intermittently didn't...so I had to buy a new one. But if you've checked yours it should be fine =]
Hope she's settling in ok =]

Podling · 11-28-2010, 02:50 PM

The water bottle is a Ferplast one I got from ECF, I will probably check it again in the morning to make sure but I'm pretty sure it's ok...
I think she's ok, she's obviously a bit nervous, and when I put in a mineral cube for her she went back to trying to scratch her way through one of the corners but considering we only have a tiny amount of her old bedding I can't really blame her for being a bit nervous! I'm going to sit with her in our shower unit tomorrow or Tuesday, she was handled every day at the rescue so though I want to give her some time to get used to a new environment I don't want to leave it too long and have all their hard work go to waste!

anorak · 11-28-2010, 04:10 PM

Oh my, when I first got Noodles I was super paranoid! I was super obsessed about her drinking, but she wees enough on me to know that she does drink! You are just a worried Hammy Mummy!

fluffymunchkins · 11-28-2010, 04:21 PM

i get paranoid too!
I didn't see Treo ever drink for ages after i got him and i haven't seen Bacardi drink yet either.
But they don't drink an awful lot and they are a bit secretive about it at first anyway

As long as you know the bottle works and is easy to reach it should be fine.

Podling · 11-29-2010, 12:01 PM

Urgh it wasn't just paranoia, whilst she was asleep I tested the bottle again because the level was still the same and this time it didn't give out water! I think she must have knocked it back enough that the ball bearing retracted so she couldn't drink anything! I've washed a hot chocolate mix lid thoroughly and put water in it next to the igloo and also fixed the water bottle so it's in the inside and therefor at less of an angle, and kicking myself that I didn't do it before! Dom disturbed the igloo a bit and there was some movement so she's still alive but I'm still worried because it means she hasn't had any water in 24 hours and our living room is quite warm because we have the heating on

louisbs · 11-29-2010, 12:05 PM

Dont forget hamsters were/are desert creatures.. so 24 hours is probably nothing compared to out in the wild.

Podling · 11-29-2010, 12:39 PM

Thanks, urgh I just feel like an idiot at the moment. We now have a hole to fill in the zoozone which I cut out to put the water bottle through. Luckily I have at mine some plastic which is mouldable when hot so Dom's gone to get it and the we can plug the hole *headdesk* She went back to sleep when she got disturbed so she can't be too bad or she'd have come out to look for water I think? I dunno..