question for hedgie breeders

[taco]

Not exactly sure if this is were this post should go but it was my best guess. I was just wondering how do your baby hedgies start using water bottles for those of you that do use them. do they just do it on their own or do you or their mom teach them or something? any info whould definitely be appreciated ive been up long nights pondering about this.... ok not really that much but thats beside the point. :|

[~Chelsey~]

My girls all teach their kids how to use water bottles. I use the top-fill kind in all of my cages, and since they are a little trickier to use (little lever thing releases water when pushed) I put the regular ball nozzled ones in the cage until I see babies start to drink out of the top=fill ones. But in answer to your question, the moms teach the babies :)

[bloane]

I disagree with that personally....
I have had handfed babies who drank from water bottles on their own before they were ever in contact with a bottle-savvy roommate.
Becca

[taco]

ya i guess with bloanes comment with handfeeding the water bottle might resemble whatever you used to feed them and you know it could be both depending on different situations. or mabey they are evil masterminds bent on taking over the world......... or most plausible im just paranoid.

[aislinsadia]

I wonder though- if you've always had trouble getting the mom to take to the water bottle if she's using a bowl, and the bowl isn't deep enough to drown babies in, will the hoglets still be able to learn to use a bottle even if mom doesn't?

[illinidairychic]

Usually the hedgehogs are curious enough to try out the water bottles. Also at first if I see a hedgehog around the bottle (I have some that were originally on bowls that I've switched over) I'll but a little pressure on the bottle so that a drop will hang off the end and they end up pushing and learning that water comes out when they do that.