water bottle problems

[Larrymom]

I bought Larry a ferplast sippy water bottle because he was driving both me and my boyfriend crazy constantly trying to chew through the last one and because it had suction cups so it could go through the gap. I put it in this morning and I've noticed he has to lay in weird positions/on his back to actually drink it. I could block the gap off and put it in the cage but what with? Is it really bad that he's drinking it basically upside down? Or is it just because it's a new bottle so he's trying to work it out? I don't want my boy in pain!

I did buy him a bunch of new toys that he's actually enjoying for once instead of ignoring but i think that's more to do with the fact that his water bottle has been changed.

[StarlightSerenity]

I'm not keen on the Ferplast Sippy bottle because of exactly this - it makes the ham go into a weird upside down position to drink. I've never known a ham be able to use them like a normal bottle.

Is he chewing the cage or the bottle itself? A glass one would stop him chewing the actual bottle. Living World Eco do a glass one - Living World Eco Plus Water Bottle, 177 ml: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Or is he chewing the spout? If practical, you could give him a bowl instead of a bottle but there a number of difficulties with this with hams. The bowl can't be too deep otherwise they can fall into them and possibly drown, they have to be kept away from substrate otherwise they just get clogged up and they can't be easily tipped over otherwise the water will get everywhere. Plus filling them up can be a pain - the water evaporates a lot more quickly from a bowl than a bottle so you have to top them up a lot in the summer months.

[don]

I have one of these glass living world bottles. The hanging catch is a bit fiddly, but otherwise a good bottle.
It's much cheaper on zooplus though from what I remember.

[Piebald]

You could try something like this
Exo Terra PT2806 Water Well Dispenser: Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies
Or another option is to hang the bottle so it swings-- this allows drinking if done quietly but is no fun for chewing without the resistance.

[Jeir]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I've found the Savic water bottles to be pretty good. All four of my hammies use some variation of them (pretty much just the bottles that came with the cages).
They don't leak as long as you fill up the bottle completely when you go to change the water, and they're a lot quieter than some other bottles I've tried (such as the 'classic' one. I got one a few months back to try, and it was so noisy when my little fluff drank I had to get rid of it and go back to the Savic bottle).
For my dwarfs I just put theirs in those 'play cubes' from P@H (and probably elsewhere) to keep them stable.

I do say I might be in the minority because some people say they've had theirs leak no matter what. =/ 4/4 of mine have been fine, though.