Leaking water bottles

maharvey83

New Born Pup
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Hi. We have had our two piggies for a week now - they live in a hutch outside. We have two of the drip water bottles but I’ve noticed both times that I have cleaned the hutch out that the area under the bottles is completely soaked and seeped in to the rest of the floor of the hutch. I have newspaper down already with sawdust on top and hay on top of that. Is there anything you would recommend putting underneath the bottles to protect the hutch and to stop it getting so wet? I’m worried If the floor underneath is constantly soaking, it will put the piggies off drinking. Failing that does anyone have any tips for good bottles that could be used as an alternative. Many thanks
 
:wel:

I use the crystal classic bottles and have done for 30 odd years - they’ve always worked very well and ive not had any problems with leaking. It’s important to ensure they are filled with water right to the top so they get a good seal.

All About Drinking And Bottles

It would be a good idea to line the hutch with something to protect the wood. My hutches are lined with correx but lino or plastic sheeting (ensuring it’s covered so piggies cant chew it) would really help ans ensure your hutch lasts
 
Mine drip as well. The pigs also happen to pee in the same spot so I needed something that could absorb a lot of liquid in that area. I found that putting a large pee pad under the bottles and changing it out every few days helps a ton! I got mine on Etsy. There are a lot of really nice ones with various designs on there.
 
Thank you that is where I have been going wrong. Only been filling them half full as changing them daily I didn’t see the point in filling them right to the top
 
Mine drip as well. The pigs also happen to pee in the same spot so I needed something that could absorb a lot of liquid in that area. I found that putting a large pee pad under the bottles and changing it out every few days helps a ton! I got mine on Etsy. There are a lot of really nice ones with various designs on there.
Excellent thank you. I’ll have a look for some. Are they washable?
 
I don’t use water bottles but back when I did for the rats I used these..
Search - Lixit Animal Care Products

They’ll take a bit of getting used to but I’m sure they can work it out. As a plus to being drip proof they are also silent!
 
Excellent thank you. I’ll have a look for some. Are they washable?

Yes they are! I was kind of afraid they would take forever to dry as I don't have a dryer, but they don't. They also help keep the cage less smelly (mine are in my living room) so I would absolutely recommend pee pads to anyone! They are fleece with a washable absorbent layer sewed inside.
 
Yes, def fill to the brim -that helps, but I've also eventually worked out that some just leak from when you buy them. I swop tops and bottoms around and that seems to work - some tops work better with some bottles! I had the opposite problem with one in the last batch I bought online, it didn't leak at all, not even when it was supposed to, nothing came out! Wondered why one cage was drinking all the time, then realised they were trying to tell me something! When I swopped tops with another bottle they both worked fine - it's a mystery to me!
 
Excellent thank you. I’ll have a look for some. Are they washable?
Just to say that you can’t really use this for piggies houses outside, especially in winter. The person pad will stay wet.

My boys spill a lot of water as well. They seem to drink a lot but then they always have.
 
I know it defeats the idea of having a water bottle. But I have water bowls underneath the water bottles. That way they can choose bottle or bowl, and the leaks drip into the bowl. My cage has been a lot dryer since I started doing this :)
But be warned.. some pigs love to make poo soup..
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I had the same problem. I had to put a bowl under the leaky bottle as the water was pretty much gushing out on the morning we went to Cavy Corner for our piggies. They suggested that we let the bottle lean out and support it with some rubber coated garden twine instead of using the springy thing. Problem solved!
 
It’s so funny to read what everyone’s solution to these things are, we’ve all experienced the same issues. More importantly I love the various solutions.
Don’t forget to clean the spouts though as I find a build up of muck can prevent a good seal also
 

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Ia use the zippy bottles, a bit more expensive but they have never dripped
 

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Do you know if there’s a thermal cover for this bottle?
I don’t? But could you fashion one out of one of those thermal coffee pot covers? We have one and they keep coffe really warm for ages so will work the opposite for cold weather
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We have a little granite stone under our water bottle, brought from the garden center. It catches most drips. The guinea pigs like to put their front feet on it when drinking, I like to think it helps keep nails short too!C70EC894-FB95-47AE-8860-C86C0B11673E.webp
 
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