Guinea Pig not Drinking

[MrsFruitcake]

He seems well in himself, and is eating normally but I bought a new water bottle on Sunday and filled it, and only about 2 inches of water, if that, has gone since then.

What could be the matter?

Does he usually drink water? I'm not convinced that mine ever do. They have a bottle in their hutch and a bowl when they're in their run but it never really seems to go down and I've never seen them take a drink from either. I'm a GP novice myself, so worry occasionally, but assume it's because they get what they need from fresh veg and they'd drink if they were dehydrated. They certainly produce significant amounts of wee!

Yes, he's usually quite a good drinker which is what makes me suspicious. Maybe he just doesn't like his new bottle?

Is he still producing the same amount of wee? If so, I wouldn't worry.

Does the water come out of the new bottle? It could be that his old bottle dripped (I have had a couple like this) so it looked like he was drinking more than he really was. The new bottle could be better and is only showing what he's drunk.

BTW I would change his water daily even if he's not drinking it - it's just nicer fresh. I hate wasting the water from my boys so I use it to water the plants

Hi MrsFruitcake

mine never drink (even though they have fresh water on offer) I've tried bowls and bottles but no avail.
Maybe your pig is suspicious of the new bottle.
Maybe it's more difficult to get the water out and he can't be bothered trying.
The only time I've ever seen GP1 near water was when he was in alone and I think he just went to the water to make a noise.
Mine trough a load of veg (and pee plenty). There's no rhyme or reason sometimes.

Hi there, I agree with everything everyone else has said - they never appear to drink an awful lot, but do keep a bowl and bottle of fresh water on offer. Offer lots of water based veggies, such as cucumber and celery, spinach and dandelions if you can find any, then at least you know fluids are going in. You can hold him on your knee and offer him the water bottle so that you are teaching him how to use it. Once he gets the hang of it he will be fine. Fortifed has a lovely thread on here about how her new guineas have taught her older guinea girl how to use a bottle, so you can teach an old guinea new tricks!

Pet shop did say to me it was ok that mine didn't drink much water as long as they were eating their green veg. Apparently they get water from that. Not surprised as mine love celery which is mostly water!