Bottle or Dish?

[Riddick]

I noticed that when Ed was a resident at the petstore I work at, he would not use his water bottle...every morning when I went in, there would be little or no water gone in his bottle...is this because he didn't know how to use the bottle, or are hedgies mouths not "desgined" for drinking from a water bottle?

My boss already has another hedgehog on order...(nothing I could do to change his mind...at least I know how to take care of them better now!)

Should I give a water dish to this next hedgie? Or try to encourage bottle use?

Any input would be apprieciated!!
Thanks!!

[Nancy]

I prefer bowls. Hedgehogs have been known to chip a tooth on the bottle. Also they can get their long tongues stuck around the ball in the end. Their necks do not articulate like a rodents so drinking from a bottle is not a natural or comfortable position for them.

Many people who have switched from bottle to bowl find their hedgehog drinks far more from the bowl. This leads me to believe that they don't drink as much as they should from a bottle because it is not comfortable for them. :)

[Riddick]

Thanks!! I'll definately use a bowl then...our new hedgie is due in tomorrow or Monday!!

[originalcopy]

I really prefer bottles. The only hedgehog I've had that drank from a bowl had been raised on the bowl his entire life. He would chew on the water bottle spout in an effort to get water out. Usually twice daily, I'd have to come in, clean out his dish, and refill it, because he'd always kick bedding and use the bathroom in it. Yuck.

[ChinsRI]

I think my hedgie drinks more from the bowl, but lots of people use bottles. I have to empty it and refill it every day though.

[illinidairychic]

I have bottles for all of my hedgies. I give them fresh water daily and make sure they are drinking from the bottle. I had one male that used a bowl for a week or two before he figured out the bottle and I had to constantly empty out the shavings and get fresh water. With 15 hedgehogs and college classes the bowls would just be too much to keep up on. For me it's much easier to get them freshwater while cleaning the cage out nightly and knowing that I won't have to worry about them going without water at all.

[Titanium]

I have a mixture. When I first got each of my hedgies, each one came with a different preference for drinking. For the first week or so, I provided them with both and watched which one they used. Right now, four are using bowls and the other three are using bottles. I think it depends on what is comfortable for the individual.

Bottles, in my opinion, are much easier to maintain, but bowls would be your best bet for a young hedgehog if you can ensure it will stay clean.

[hemi_mygirl]

I use a bowl for my girl. So far, we haven't had a problem (even when I used shavings for bedding). She very rarely got shavings in her bowl, anyway. And when she did, she'd very carefully pull them out and drop them outside the bowl.

[groovychic]

Personally I like bowls better, I think they get more water than from the bottle. Herbie's water is on the second level and he gets no litter in his water. Kahlua was using a water bottle when I adopted her but then stopped using it when I got her settled in here. I put a big water bowl in her cage but she wasn't using that either...I switched her to a small rubbermaid contaner that she used until a few days ago when she decided to use it as a litter box instead! I used Nancy's idea and put in both water bowls and then phased out the smaller one. Now she is using her bigger bowl happily with no poops in the water! :hyper: I do agree that water bottles are less maintenance than bowls, but I like to offer fresh water to my hedgies everyday anyway, so it is just a part of my routine :winkgrin:

[eponine454]

I, also, prefer a bowl. I think it's more natural for hedgies. I also know that if I just filled up a water bottle I'd neglect to clean it out or freshen it as much as I should. With the bowl NacL gets fresh water every day and it gets cleaned with good hot water almost every day.