# waterbottle v. water dish



## miss bunny18 (May 5, 2014)

Is a water bottle okay to use for my hedgie? I saw some negative comments about using a waterbottle. Is it safe to use?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It's not really safe. The spouts can catch tongues (or slice them off) and chewing on the metal spout (which may happen because water doesn't come out fast enough) can chip or break teeth, which don't regrow once they're adult teeth. Unless you have it low enough, it's also an unnatural angle for them to drink from. 

The only possible plus there might be to a water bottle over a water dish is if hedgie is prone to knocking the dish over (which can be prevented with heavy ceramic dishes or special waterers designed to be hard to knock over) or likes to fill it with bedding. Water bottles are harder to clean than water bowls, and they still need to be washed out every day and refilled - which many people sometimes skip because it looks cleaner than water left in a dish, or because it's harder to clean. IMO, it's much easier & safer to just use a water bowl.


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## miss bunny18 (May 5, 2014)

Thank you so much! Thats great to know. I want my hedgie to be safe! Also since you are here, is a fleecy 6in plush toy good to have for the little hedgie. He or she will be about 8-10 weeks old when I bring them home.


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## miss bunny18 (May 5, 2014)

And are squeekers inside cat and dog toys dangerous?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

That should be fine! Just check for loose strings or little bits that could be bitten off like buttons, etc. I don't think a squeaker should pose any problems either. Hedgie would be unlikely to get to it anyway, and I'm sure you'd notice long before if they were trying.


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## Alex in Tampa (Oct 12, 2014)

I had my Hedgie for over 24 hours now. I have a bottle in there, haven't seen him use it. So today I got another dish, this time to use for water. This evening i saw Taco use the bottle for about 90 seconds. Took a break and went back to it, but this time he was chewing on that thing. Freaked me out, so I pulled the bottle from the cage and kept his water dish in there.


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