Water Bottles for Guinea Pigs

Clean, fresh water is essential to your guinea pig's health.

Water bottle advantages

When you're setting up your guinea pig's watering hole, keep in mind that a water bottle is better than a dish.

Water bottles offer several advantages:

• They can't be easily spilled or clogged with bedding material, food, or other particles.
• Guinea pigs prefer clean, dry bedding, and even though they may mastermind the mess created by overturned water bowls, they won't appreciate the result.
• You probably won't either, since sodden bedding means additional cage cleaning.

What to look for

Water bottles are available in different sizes and styles.

• Size: 32-oz. water bottle
• Material: Glass is preferable, but plastic works well, too, and is more commonly sold in pet supply stores.
• Features: Angled stainless steel sipper tube with a ball bearing in the spout.
• Cage placement: The water bottle should hang off the side of the cage at a height that's easily accessible for your guinea pig.
• Care and maintenance: Change your guinea pig's water every day, and wash the water bottle thoroughly during the weekly cage cleaning. A bottle brush can help remove any stubborn particles. When re-hanging the water bottle, check to make sure the sipper tube isn't clogged by gently tapping the ball bearing.