water bowls

[pebblethehamster]

hey!!

i’ve been wanting to switch from a water bottle to a water bowl for a while now but i’m not sure how to do it. i’ve had the bowl in the cage for a month or two but he’s going to the bottle for water instead. i’ve tried getting him to the bowl and he sniffs it, but i’ve never seen him actually drink out of it. is there any way i can teach him to drink from the water bowl?

i’ve been wanting to do this because he’s been trying to put the spout in his cheeks. i check if there’s water coming out regularly and it seems to be working fine. he comes out to drink quite a lot and i’m not sure if he’s not getting enough out, but he pays no attention to the bowl at all.

it would be great if you could give some advice!!

[mangoandmimi]

Some hams are like this mine was too, I guess they continue drinking out the bottle out of habit or something. Have you tried putting the bottle and bowl right next to each other, that sometimes helps.

[Ria P]

Does your hamster eat fresh foods like bits of cucumber, apple etc? I don't know much about hamsters yet but wonder why your hamster drinks a lot and mine drinks little but read somewhere that hamsters get fluid from fresh food.

[Ria P]

Afterthought but a bit random: if your hamster tries to put the spout in his cheek, does that mean he wants to hoard the water for later and take it to his house? Maybe a water bowl placed within reach from his house or sleeping place may tempt him to use it.

[pebblethehamster]

i’ll try these, thank you!!

he gets carrots and broccoli mostly, i’ll have to try with the cucumber!

[W0lf]

I personally just went straight from a bottle to a bowl and she got it right away. As long as they know what they're doing, you should be fine.