Water intake

lovelyhamsters5 · 02-22-2015, 06:58 PM

How do I know if Einstein is getting enough water? His water bottle was not working for a bit so I put a little dish of water into his cage until I could fix his bottle (his bottle was only gone for a day). He seems to not want to drink from the bottle anymore and I checked to see if the bottle was working and it was, though he just looks at it funny. It's worrying me that maybe he's not getting the water he needs but he's still very energetic and every active when he's supposed to be. So I'm thinking that when I'm asleep he uses it but when I'm awake I just don't see him drink. He doesn't drink as much as he used to but I've started feeding him fresh carrots and they have water within them so I'm wondering if he gets some of his water intake from the carrots and he hasn't needed as much water from the bottle then when I wasn't feeding him carrots.

Shannonmcn · 02-22-2015, 08:52 PM

You can try marking the water level in his bottle or filling it up to a known level and then monitoring how much he's drinking that way? They do get up at all times of the day and night to have a drink so just watching him isn't going to tell you. Quick look on the PDSA.org.uk website gives a guideline of about 10ml per 100g body weight per day but he will be getting water from fresh veg as well so it can be a bit under.

If you're worried he's not drinking enough then cucumber is great for keeping them hydrated. Its possible he's gone off the bottle if he thinks it's not working but he should soon forget about it if that's the case.

Thin Lizzy · 02-23-2015, 07:16 AM

Most water bottles come with amount levels on them, so try filling up to a certain level and keeping an eye.
I always squeeze the water bottle to see the air bubbles and I also check the spout.
If you're worried try putting a slice of cucumber in his cage.

CPalmer · 02-23-2015, 08:07 AM

i agree with everything said. It may also be that the water bowl was a hit. Some hams just prefer a bowl over a bottle. I know a few members on here prefer them to have easy access to water rather than have to work for water or risk it seizing up as it did for you.

lovelyhamsters5 · 02-23-2015, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CPalmer

i agree with everything said. It may also be that the water bowl was a hit. Some hams just prefer a bowl over a bottle. I know a few members on here prefer them to have easy access to water rather than have to work for water or risk it seizing up as it did for you.

So should I just wait until he forgets that I gave him a bowl and wait until he realizes the water bottle works and just feed him veggies that hold a lot of water until he does realize? Or should I just use a water dish permanently and take out the bottle

CPalmer · 02-23-2015, 12:23 PM

personally? I'd use both

can't hurt. If you start to see him use the bottle frequently then you can remove bowl.

Piebald · 02-23-2015, 12:46 PM

Some one with water issues posted this a few day ago, maybe it would work for you?
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