Fur disappearing on belly

[Jeska26]

Hi,

I have two guinea pigs who for several months now have accidentally learnt to empty their water bottle without drinking most of it. They seemed to realise that I’d fill their water bottle at the same time as they get their daily veggies and started to empty it (by chewing it) onto their fleece to try and make the veggies come quicker or again in the same day. So I then only filled their bottle twice a day and that worked for a while but now they keep emptying it without drinking water then getting thirsty. However, the fleece in most of their hutch is soaked by the end of two days of this. They’ve started laying on the fleece where it’s wet and get wet tummies/sides and now their fur has started going where they repeatedly lie in the wet.
I’ve tried only giving them their water bottle at night (when I’m not in the room at all) but that felt cruel. They always knock over or sit in water bowls. The bottle being limited doesn’t seem to work and obviously I can’t stop them laying near it if they choose to. The vets seem lost on this too. I have treatment for their skin but the vets are unsure how to stop them being so demanding for fresh food that they are willing to be dehydrated/have awful skin. They regularly have fresh food in their bowl when they do this, they just want more.
If anyone has any suggestions I will really appreciate them!

Jess

 

[Siikibam]

One or two questions. What fresh food is always in their bowl? And do they have plenty of hay in their cage? Hay should make up at least 80% of their diet, while veg is 15% (a cup a day each) and pellets only 5% (a tablespoon a day each). Are you sure the bottle isn’t just dripping? Have you seen them not drink when they’re chewing on it? One of my boys will continuously drink though it does sound like chewing when he is. You also can’t leave them without water. Although they may not drink much, it has to be available to them 24/7.

Is there something absorbent underneath the fleece or is it just fleece material? If the latter you need something underneath to wick the moisture away and leave the surface dry. I would put some pads on top of the fleece where their bottles are and where they sleep and eat. They will pee in their sleep and while they’re eating as well.

You may have to start changing the fleece more often if it’s that wet in two days. Are they boars or sows?

 

[Jeska26]

Hi!
They are sows. The fresh varies daily but generally is spinach/kale, cucumber, tomatoes, celery, parsley, etc.
The fleece they have is an all in one type thing specially made that has a waterproof layer on the middle so the base of their cage (underneath the fleece) isn’t wet.
They have plenty of hay all the time and the bottle is an anti drip one and definitely isn’t dripping. When they actually drink it’s silent but they ping it with their teeth so it drips but they don’t drink it. And it’s definitely nit pee as the fleece is far too sodden for it to just be pee. Their fleece is changed every two days as it is, my washing machine couldn’t cope with any more than that.
I’ve tried pads but they just chew them up or push them out the way so they don’t make a bit of difference.

I know I can’t leave them without water but if it’s hurting their skin what can I do?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please don’t give spinach, kale and parsley all at the same time. they are all too high in calcium and should not be fed at the same time or in big quantities. Give one small amount of one of them, once per week only. Lots of calcium can contribute to bladder stones. Lettuce is a safe leafy veg go give daily and coriander is also a safe daily herb. Pellets and water contain a lot of calcium also so keeping pellets strictly limited to one tablespoon per day per pig and ensuring their drinking water is always filtered helps reduce calcium intake greatly.

also, tomatoes are too acidic to be fed daily. They should only be an occasional treat. Too much acidic food can lead to cheilitis

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

id put some pee pads underneath the bottle so you can remove those daily. Fleece square pads (with the absorbent middle) not just a puppy pad

Could it be they’re doing it because it’s an anti drip bottle? What make of bottle is it?

 

[Jeska26]

I know that and they don’t have them at the same time in big quantities, they were just examples of a huge variety of food they eat.
With fleece pads it’s worse, they get moved about entirely.
I doubt it. I mean they aren’t drinking the water when they ping the bottle but can drink from it fine. It’s a Zolux one.

 

[Jeska26]

And even if they have issues with calcium (which there are no signs of) the problem is the water on the fleece.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

I have two guinea pigs who for several months now have accidentally learnt to empty their water bottle without drinking most of it. They seemed to realise that I’d fill their water bottle at the same time as they get their daily veggies and started to empty it (by chewing it) onto their fleece to try and make the veggies come quicker or again in the same day. So I then only filled their bottle twice a day and that worked for a while but now they keep emptying it without drinking water then getting thirsty. However, the fleece in most of their hutch is soaked by the end of two days of this. They’ve started laying on the fleece where it’s wet and get wet tummies/sides and now their fur has started going where they repeatedly lie in the wet.
I’ve tried only giving them their water bottle at night (when I’m not in the room at all) but that felt cruel. They always knock over or sit in water bowls. The bottle being limited doesn’t seem to work and obviously I can’t stop them laying near it if they choose to. The vets seem lost on this too. I have treatment for their skin but the vets are unsure how to stop them being so demanding for fresh food that they are willing to be dehydrated/have awful skin. They regularly have fresh food in their bowl when they do this, they just want more.
If anyone has any suggestions I will really appreciate them!

Jess

Hi!

How much veg are feeding? 80% of the daily food intake should be hay, hay, hay and more hay and only about 15% fresh veg.

Can you place a larger plastic tray or a large storage box with an entrance cut into one side under the bottle. You line the box with some newspaper and absorbent material with hay on top to prevent the cage bedding from going soggy. With the help of the newspaper it is much easier to empty and clean daily. Many piggies like to use the area under a water bottle as their toiletting area anyway.
I have found that this works better for my own more messy drinkers and in case of leaking bottles and keep the soggy mess off the fleece and the underlay.


Have you considered switching the bottle model? or have you already tried different types of bottle?
All About Drinking And Bottles

You may also want to use our piggy whispering tips to assert your authority and make clear what goes and what no in the herd you are leading - but always ensure your boys first and last that you love them and that they are welcome in the hear you are leading.
Because you are communicating in ways that they instinctively understand, this is actually often quite successful.
Praise them for any positive development and use their veg as treats to reinforce this.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I know that and they don’t have them at the same time in big quantities, they were just examples of a huge variety of food they eat.
With fleece pads it’s worse, they get moved about entirely.
I doubt it. I mean they aren’t drinking the water when they ping the bottle but can drink from it fine. It’s a Zolux one.

And even if they have issues with calcium (which there are no signs of) the problem is the water on the fleece.

That’s fine - as a new member we are unaware of what you do and don’t know, we see many new members unaware of certain aspects and are grateful to have things pointed out even if it wasn’t what they originally posted a thread about. It’s to keep threads and information accurate and we will always aim to clarify certain points.
We are all volunteers and do this in our spare time.

Perhaps try a different type of bottle and see if it helps?

 

[Free Ranger]

I'm trying to mentally envisage your set-up so forgive me if this sounds silly, but I would be tempted to try something absorbent on top of the fleece under the bottle like a bit of folded newspaper or a piece of bath towel that will soak up the dribbles but stop it going into the fleece, and would also be easy to switch as often as needed. And this might sound even sillier but I'd think about adding a second bottle in case there is some sort of competitive aspect to this - one does it so the other does it so the first one does it again etc. They might settle to one each - at worst they'll try and do the same to both bottles - but if it just ends up like a pool in there you can remove the second quick enough. And if the new bottle is more resilient to their game and doesn't dispense so much swop 'them.

Do you have something like a hay-tray that they can choose to lie in which would be protected from the flood? I mean - you could suggest it to them but they might not listen! But if they haven't put two-and-two together and realised that they are laying in wet because of this activity they might welcome a dry area once they figure out what's happening.

 

[Siikibam]

Unfortunately newspaper wouldn’t last long with regards soaking your the water.

 

[Free Ranger]

Yes I know, sorry. Because my pigs are in the kitchen I'm walking past the cage all the time so in my head I'm replacing during the day (and if it's not soiled it can be left to dry and then used again or recycled) - I forget that some folks have them in a different room or shed so need a longer lasting solution.

Another point - in my location we have outrageously hard water but I don't know what it's like in Essex. You can get a slight, almost invisible build up of limescale in the metal spout and it stops the little ball sealing off the flow like it should, so even a non-drip bottle can end up dribbling a bit more freely, especially when they're drinking. Something like newspaper allows you to identify if this is happening pretty quickly. That's perhaps another reason for adding a new second bottle to compare the two? (But I don't want to be encouraging you to rush out and spend money!)

From the human perspective: at one point here we'd invested in 'Quality' bath taps with ceramic disc washers because we got sick of replacing the crusty rubber washers in our standard taps. It took a year but they started dripping and the plumber pointed out that it didn't matter how Quality they were, all it took was one tiny noddle of limescale and they were blocked from closing properly which meant a pretty rapid growth of the noddle to a big crusty chunk! AND he couldn't track down new ceramic discs that fitted so we had to cough up for new (more serviceable) taps again! I guess compared to new taps a second water bottle isn't that extravagant! Let us know how you get on, whatever you decide to try ☺

 

[Wiebke]

I'm trying to mentally envisage your set-up so forgive me if this sounds silly, but I would be tempted to try something absorbent on top of the fleece under the bottle like a bit of folded newspaper or a piece of bath towel that will soak up the dribbles but stop it going into the fleece, and would also be easy to switch as often as needed. And this might sound even sillier but I'd think about adding a second bottle in case there is some sort of competitive aspect to this - one does it so the other does it so the first one does it again etc. They might settle to one each - at worst they'll try and do the same to both bottles - but if it just ends up like a pool in there you can remove the second quick enough. And if the new bottle is more resilient to their game and doesn't dispense so much swop 'them.

Do you have something like a hay-tray that they can choose to lie in which would be protected from the flood? I mean - you could suggest it to them but they might not listen! But if they haven't put two-and-two together and realised that they are laying in wet because of this activity they might welcome a dry area once they figure out what's happening.

Yes, I am having a hay tray under the bottles (at least the ones that don't have a drip dish underneath). You are cleaning out hay trays pretty regularly; but just newspaper on its own underneath the hay won't work with a watering issue as it is not very absorbent and will quickly turn the hay in a soggy mess. You need an absorbent layer like fitch or even wood chippings between the newspaper and the hay so the hay on top stays dry. The newspaper (2-3 layers of sheets) comes in handy for removing everything much more easily by rolling it up when disposing of it and makes it easier to clean afterwards.

 

[YvonneBlue]

Have you tried a 'sippy' bottle.

Ancol Sippy Water Bottle

Even my most ardent water bottle worrier (Dora) has found it impossible to empty.