Guinea Pig Supplies – Selecting a Water Bottle

Super Pet 16 oz. Top Fill Small Animal Water Bottle (16 oz.; 2.5" L X 4.5" W X 10" H; Blue) Our water bottle with its top opening allows for super convenient cage-side refills without having to remove and replace. This bottle features an adjustable locking bracket that easily secures to any wire cage and includes a stainless steel double-ball sipper tube that stops leaks before they happen. We designed our bottle with an easy to grip handle making it a snap to switch out and clean. Plus, during warm weather you can easily add ice cubes to keep the water cool for your pet. BlueStoneCommerce earns a portion of each sale.

There’s one thing to remember when purchasing guinea pig supplies: a water dish is fine for a dog or a cat—but highly inadvisable for a guinea pig for at least two reasons. 1) Cavies tend to knock dishes or bowls over quite frequently and 2) they tend to defecate often—and all over the place. (Yes, even in their food and water dishes.) For these reasons, when selecting guinea pig supplies, you would be well-advised to avoid water dishes or water bowls and to equip your cage with a top quality water bottle.

Water Bowls—The Downside

Yes, you can put water in a heavy ceramic bowl to make it difficult for your guinea pigs to knock over. And you can even rationalize that it’s a better system for them because it looks more natural to watch them drink from a bowl than a water bottle. In the wild, they would have lapped up water from a pond or a stream—not sucked it out of a metal tube. But when the day is done, you will still be faced with a filthy water bowl; heavily contaminated with hay, feces, bedding and any other debris that your pigs can manage to fling in there. Yes, our cavies can be (dare I say it?) such pigs.
On the other hand, if your pigs do manage to flip the bowl over (and it’s very probable that they will), it will cause a wet spot in the bedding that can became an appealing breeding ground for mold, fungus, or other undesirable life forms.

Choose a Water Bottle with a Stainless Steel Sipper Tube

The solution, of course, is to use a water bottle with a stainless steel ball bearing sipper tube. This will keep the water protected from contaminants. And, because it attaches to the wall of the cage, it will be free from spills.
Although a bowl is not suitable for offering water to your pigs, it is still a handy item to have. It is a good idea to put a small, heavy dish or bowl directly under the end of the sipper tube to catch excess water. If you watch your guinea pigs drink from their water bottle, you will observe that they do not gently lick the ball bearing end of the sipper tube. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. They aggressively attack the sipper tube. They chew on it. They shake it. They chomp, munch and crunch away at it until their thirst is quenched—all the while splashing, slopping and drooling excess water out of the lower side of their mouth because, as I said earlier: cavies can be such what? Right! Pigs.

When shopping for guinea pig supplies, be sure to select a top quality water bottle to reduce the probability of leaking. Yes, water bottles do leak occasionally. But if you find a wet area forming beneath your water bottle, suspect your guinea pigs’ drinking technique first. As I mentioned earlier, a bowl placed underneath the sipper is the solution. But make sure the bowl is heavy and sturdy as your pigs will most likely stand on it to drink.

Water bottles are available in several different styles with a variety features.

Lixit Quick Lock Flat Sided Water Bottle Flat sided, drip-less water bottle mounts flush against the outside of your pet's wire cage and provides clean, fresh water.Easy to install with quick-lock bracket that works vertically or horizontally.Floating turtle inside bottle lets you monitor water level at a glance. BlueStoneCommerce earns a portion of each sale.