can guinea pig drink 0.9% saline solution?

[tzy98]

I have some 5ml 0.9% saline solutions in my house, to sometimes clean my guinea pigs' eye boogers with cotton swabs.
But she always goes crazy to try to eat the swab, I squeezed out some of the saline out of the bottle she liked drinking it and looked for more.

Is it safe or beneficial for guiean pigs to drink 0.9% saline?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

Please don’t. While swallowing a small amount accidentally may not be harmful, there is no benefit in giving it to her deliberately.

 

[Freela]

Swallowing a bit if you're cleaning her eyes is harmless, but there's no reason to give it to her to drink. It's saline (salt) solution, it's dehydrating. She's probably just interested in it because it's salty, but it's not a replacement for water or meant to be consumed orally.

 

[tzy98]

Thanks guys