Worried about my fur baby hamster Harley!

[HarleytheHamster2017]

Should i be worried about my hamster Harley? I've noticed lately that she hasn't drank much of water lately and it concerns me and i'm worried about her! I always give her fresh purified water each time i clean her cage and i have checked on her water bottle a lot and noticed that there's still a full water bottle and hardly any much water drunk in it! I am very worried about my Harley! My family tells me each time that she's fine & that she'll drink her water when she needs to! What should i do?

[AmityvilleHams]

Offer a shallow and appropriately sized reptile bowl along with the bottle,on an enclosed DIY platform(untreated hamster safe wood,wooden dowels,and popsicle sticks glued together with Elmer's glue)to prevent any substrate getting in.

Unfortunately,many bottles stop working,plus some hamsters just prefer bowls!Bowls are perfectly fine,if not actually better than bottles.If used properly they can be just as clean,plus they're always a more natural and generally more comfortable option for hamsters.Hamsters tend to drink more freely from bowls,and they often drink more from bowls than bottles because of that whereas bottles can be very unreliable and don't always supply water

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...l-reptile-dish

That would be the bowl I'd always recommend for those in the US.It's cost effective,durable(as long as you don't throw it down or drop it too hard,otherwise it's pretty sturdy!),and just the right size.Otherwise,make sure the bowl is a safe material(no plastic items other than a wheel)with no potential areas to cause injuries for example tiny holes.Preferably the bowl used should also not be made in China(as with any item,since Chinese products have terrible regulations and are best avoided).This particular bowl is made in the USA,according to the Petco website!

[cypher]

It's hard to tell sometimes if they are drinking as they drink very little, check the water bottle is working from time to time, just run a clean finger over the end of the spout & see if water comes out, with some plastic bottles you can give a gentle squeeze & a drop of water should come out.
Don't fill the bottle to the very top as that can stop it from working.
Change her water daily not just when you clean the cage.
As Amity says you can also give a small bowl of water.
Is your Harley ok generally, eating & active as normal?

[HarleytheHamster2017]

Originally Posted by cypher

It's hard to tell sometimes if they are drinking as they drink very little, check the water bottle is working from time to time, just run a clean finger over the end of the spout & see if water comes out, with some plastic bottles you can give a gentle squeeze & a drop of water should come out.
Don't fill the bottle to the very top as that can stop it from working.
Change her water daily not just when you clean the cage.
As Amity says you can also give a small bowl of water.
Is your Harley ok generally, eating & active as normal?

I have been filling her water bottle to the top when i fill it! I'll check it again when i go to bed soon. Thanks for the advice!

[Pebbles82]

It's supposed to be a trick that works - only filling the bottle about 2/3 full so there's an air gap. Something to do with the pressure and helping the water come out better. Bottles can stop working. I tap the spout every day to check water is coming out. As Cypher says you need to change the water every day. Maybe every 2 days is ok in colder weather.

I tend to have two bottles in the cage just in case one stops working. As for seeing if they've drunk any, they drink such a small amount usually each day that you don't really notice the amount being less in the bottle. You change the water so there is fresh rather than it ever running out Even when our last hammy was older and drinking a lot more I didn't notice the level go down much.

You could try a bowl as well as suggested above, but some hamsters won't drink out of a bowl. You also have to be careful where you put it as they could fall in it and getting very wet can make them unwell. Plus it needs to be in a place where it can't be polluted by substrate, food, poops etc falling in it.

Personally I prefer to just have two water bottles, then if one stops working the other one will - and check/change them every day or two. You don't need huge water bottles either - mouse sized ones are fine I find them easier to attach as well.