I'm worried my new hammys aren't drinking their water

[Hanhanboban]

Hey everyone (:

I got my two new hammys on Saturday, they have a plastic cage so there is a water bottle stuck on with sticky suckers.

I couldn't get it to balance properly at first so it kept dripping out the end they drink from, and they where drinking from it fine and taking in the drops.

But the sawdust got soaked and I changed it and I've now managed to get the water bottle sitting up straight so it's not dripping anymore but I haven't noticed them drink from it since and the water isn't going down. That was at 10am this morning it's now 9.45pm and I'm worried they're not drinking from it.

Anyone got any advice or information for this? Or do I just need to calm down and trust they'll drink from it?

Thanks a lot in advance (:

Hannah x

[CPalmer]

you could put in a water bowl too, it would potentially be messy too, but at least you'd know they have access to it x

[missyme]

Hi Hannah

try not to worry, we all panic and want the best for our hammies, its good to see you care . it may take them a while to find it, but i would advise that you leave it where it is now that it does not leak and they will find it and remember where it is. They soon get into their little routine!. have you checked that the water is coming out of the bottle now its upright?. push your finger lightly on the end they drink from to check.

in the meantime give them some cucumber which is mainly water, this will ensure they are hydrated.

hope this helps

keep me posted

georgia

[celmoy]

I was really paranoid about my ham when I first got him too! As missyme says, it's a good idea to check that water is coming from the end of the bottle, but your hams are probably fine! My boy mostly drinks during the day when he wakes up for a snack and a poo, so i hardly saw him drinking for days.

If they're getting dehydrated, their eyes will look dull and they'll become listless. If they're hand friendly you can do the pinch test- if you very gently pinch the skin at the scruff of their neck, it should be quite elastic and go back into its original position when you let go. If it holds its shape or goes back very slowly they may be hydrated. Providing cucumber is good if you're worried they aren't drinking (although remember that too much can give them upset tummies!), but if they've already sussed that water comes from the end of the bottle, they are most likely fine!

[Hanhanboban]

Thanks everyone for all the help (:

I was considering a bowl if they didn't start drinking, but luckily they have! It's gone down in the night so that's good (:

Some lovely tips tho especially the one about cucumber!

If I notice it stopping again I shall do that test to make sure they're hydrated, I might get a new water bottle tho as this spout for this one is quite large and they're obviously very small little hammys. They're drinking in the mean time tho which is the main thing!

Thanks again everyone for all the help (:

Hannah x

[racinghamster]

The red topped `Classic` water bottles are the best bottles as they are very reliable and go for years without causing issues. So you could look for a couple of the Classic bottles, they do them in mouse, hamster and rabbit sizes, although you would want the hamster size as the spout and ball-baring is smaller in size for hamsters to manage.

The suckers you mention are not he best for attaching the bottle and they will also permanently mark the clear plastic lid. My advice would be, take a metal knitting needle or something metal that`s similar and heat the end over a gas ring on the cooker. Using a marker pen, mark two holes on either side of the water bottle where a wire might go around the bottle to hold it on and gently melt two holes in the Perspex lid to hold this wire around the bottle and secure it in place. I`ve done this previously with perspex caging and it works better. x

[Hanhanboban]

Yes I was thinking the suckers aren't very good! I've managed to make it stop dripping but one side keeps popping off and not staying on properly! I will deffo invest in one of the classic ones I think!

That trick is a good idea, we're thinking of upgrading to a bigger cage already and want to make a bin cage so that will come in handy when working out where to put the water bottle!

Thanks a lot for all the help and advice!

Hannah x

[CPalmer]

I'm glad they're drinking! Panic over,