Last updated on January 22nd, 2023 at 06:50 pm
Guinea pigs eat and drink all the time and they make messy all over the place and in the cage. But guinea pigs are just like they are, and we can not change that habitat.
In the water bottle, there are pieces of hay, vegetable, fruit, and lots of other things.
What to do to make this a little better, or to not be so much messy, and how can we change this, must be some easier way.
Can guinea pigs drink out of a bowl?
Yes, guinea pigs can drink out of a bowl, it is a good choice because is easy for babies and for older guinea pigs, but is also dangerous for their health.
You maybe ask yourself, what is better drinking from a bowl or a bottle for our guinea pigs?
In today’s article, we will find out what is good and bad if we allow our guinea pigs to drink out of a bowl vs a bottle.
And we also can see some other alternatives to both. So let’s dig into the topic.
Can guinea pigs drink out of a bowl?
To find a better answer to this question we must do some comparations to see what is better for guinea pigs’ bowls or bottles.
Let’s see a couple of examples to get an answer to this topic.
Bowl makes more water inside the cage vs bottle
When guinea pigs drink from the bowl they can flip the bowl, and water will be all over the place, meaning bedding and toys and everything inside the cage.
Then we need to clean the water with towels, change all their shavings, and again refill the bowl.
In this case, the bottle is a much better choice than a bowl, because we don’t want our guinea pigs to be wet, and even can get sick, so bottles win this round vs bowls.
Bowl is dangerous for baby guinea pigs
When our guinea pigs are young, still babies it’s dangerous for them to drink water from the bowl.
You maybe ask yourself, why is so dangerous?
The danger comes in the case of guinea pigs flipping a bowl and hurting little baby guinea pigs.
The babies can get stuck under the bowl and even can drown in some cases.
Yes, when little babies use bottles they can make a mess because their hide under bottles, but still bowl is much danger for them.
However, in one case bowl is a better choice than a bottle, because the bowl is lower than the bottle, which makes it easy for them to drink water.
So if you can find a bowl that can be screwed into the cage, then this option is good for babies, they will drink more.
Bowl is a little difficult to keep clean
Bowl is difficult to keep clean when guinea pigs drink water from them.
Bottles are a much better choice because they are very easy to clean, but they need more time to be cleaned.
The top filling bottle is best because cleaning is fast and also they can be filling also very fast.
When guinea pigs have bowls they can use them like nests and they build fortresses with their bedding.
If bowls are mounted on the walls of the cage then maybe they cannot do all this nest and other things, but still, they can mound bedding behind the bowl.
When bowls are on the bedding in a cage, guinea pigs will surprise us with tiny things floating in the bowl.
Bowls are better for old and sick guinea pigs
Bowls is a better choice for old and sick guinea pigs because they don’t have to raise their head when they drink water.
If they have a bottle, is much more difficult to raise and drink, so in this case, bowls are a good solution.
How easy is it to teach guinea pigs to change habitats for drinking water?
It is a little difficult to change your guinea pigs’ habitat when they need to change bottles with the bowl.
When your guinea pig is already learning to drink from a bottle is difficult to change its behavior.
The best way to avoid this problem is to teach your pet to drink water from a bowl when they growing up.
Bowls are much cheaper to buy than water bottles.
What is the alternative to bowls and bottles?
Maybe you get tired from bowls and bottles and looking for something new for your guinea pigs, to easily drink water without any mess.
Chicken nipples
Chicken nipples are interesting for guinea pigs, just you need to route water from some large source like aquarium tubing.
You only need a gravity-fed system and nothing else, the waterer is ready to supply.
Chicken nipples are very similar to bottle systems, with much less contamination and backflow.
All you need is to clean chicken nipples every morning and is ready for daily use for guinea pigs.
Read more: Why Guinea Pig Drinking A Lot Of Water? (Find Out Now)
Sidebars
Sidebars are also a good choice for your guinea pig and are easy to use.
You just need to connect tubes to small metal or plastic dispensers.
The most important thing you need to do is clip them between the bars of the enclosure, and your little pet will enjoy drinking water.
Another big advantage is because dispensers are small, you do not need to worry about the possibility of drowning, and your pet is safe.
Read more: How Long Can a Guinea Pigs Go Without Food And Water?
What is a better bowl or a bottle for guinea pigs?
Bottles have much more benefits for the health of our pets.
The bottle is easy to use, easy to replace, and most importantly guinea pigs will always have enough water.
On another side, if the bowl is broken or water is spilled all over the cage, guinea pigs will stay without water.
Imagine when you’re in the work or outside of the home, your pet can dehydrate when they spill water from the bowl.
Guinea pigs cannot live without water, they can die for 3-4 days.
Our recommendation is to use a bottle because is safer for the health of the guinea pigs.
