01/08/2019
Is your small mammal drinking enough water? 💦
I always stress the importance of offering bowls of water to our small pets 🐭🐹🐰
Lapping from a bowl is a much more natural and accessible way to consume water.
Water should be changed daily, regardless of the offering method. Both bottles and bowls, if not cleaned and changed frequently, can develop algae that not only affects water flavour (yuck!) but can also make our pets sick. Water offered from bowls may need to be changed more frequently (twice daily) and offered in areas far from bedding and toileting areas.
Why not offer BOTH a bowl and a bottle so your small pet has a choice? 😊 Offering more than one water source also means they have another option if water is knocked over, or bottles stop working.
👩🏻⚕️💜
Reference to studies: Tschudin, A., Clauss, M., Codron, D. & Hatt, j-M. (2011) Preference of rabbits for drinking from open dishes versus ni**le drinkers. Veterinary Record 168:185-186.
Balsiger A, Clauss M, Liesegang A, Dobenecker B and Hatt JM (2016). Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) drinking preferences: do ni**le drinkers compensate for behaviourally deficient diets? Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition
Hagen K, Clauss M and Hatt JM (2014). Drinking preferences in chinchillas (Chinchilla laniger), degus (Octodon degu) and guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 98(5): 942-847.
*This page is dedicated to small mammal ownership, nursing and rehabilitation tips. Rabbits are not rodents, and belong to the order Lagomorpha.*