# Water Bottle vs. Water Dish



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

I am picking up my new hedgie soon and I am still getting supplies & his cage together. The breeder uses a water bottle that is available for purchase from them but I was thinking of getting him a water dish. Should I get both and let him use whatever he feels most comfortable with? (Assuming that the breeder has let him use the water bottle since he was born) :?


----------



## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Yup...get both until he decides. You don't want him getting dehydrated cuz he doesn't know what a water dish is for.


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

i highly recommend using a water dish...since he has had a water bottle, work to wean him onto a dish. 

my issue with water bottles, aside from the mechanism sometimes not working, is that the bottle itself needs to be cleaned thoroughly OFTEN. if not, it gets moldy & musty. & while you put fresh water in the bottle...the bottle is dirty & STINKS though looks fine. so your hedgie gets icky water. i think it is much easier for the hedgie to get the water & for owners to keep a bowl truly clean. 

that said, i know some hedgies are pigheaded  & refuse to use anything but a bottle. if this describes your new little one, please please please clean it THOROUGHLY at least 3x a week & if you can manage daily, that would be best. 

welcome & congrats on your hedgie! we are all excited for you. :mrgreen: we will need pictures - if you have not noticed that already! :roll: :lol:


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

I will be sure to post pictures as soon as I get him! (Im not sure when it'll be due to my travel dilemma) 

How can I wean him onto the water dish though without not placing a bottle in his cage? I dont want him to be confused and not know where to get water from because he got used to the bottle..


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

i am sure some people will give you good advice...better than i can.

i know most people put the bottle in & put a bowl of water directly under the spout so the hedgie realizes that there is water under the bottle. many will eventually transition themselves. 

DexterTheHog recently did this & then unscrewed the spout/top & put it IN the bowl as a final step & had very good success. hopefully she will come along & provide her insight, since i am just giving you tips others have shared here.

i have done it the not so gradual way...put in a large dish & see if they figure it out. not the smartest way but i did not have a bottle at the time & it was night - could not get one. hedgie went to water dish. i had a thristy hedgie who was not going to be stubborn. for once!  (i have all the weird special needs hedgies! so i caught a break. YAY!) he consistently went to the bowl & was peeing well (double checked the liners  ) & had no signs of dehydration, so i stuck with the bowl.


----------



## JLF1995 (Jun 22, 2011)

I never had much luck with water dishes, my 1st hedgehog Hedgie loved his water bottle and would not give it up, and his last owners said when he had the water dish he keep sitting in the water and poop in it! :roll: He needed the water bottle. When I got my 2nd hedgehog Norah, I put the water dish in and the water bottle, she used them both but she tended to use the bottle more so i let her use the bottle. If you keep the water bottles clean at least weekly then they will be fine. Clean the water bottle when ever you clean the cage or when ever you get the chanse.


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

Alright, so ill get both and I think i'll try to wean him off it by placing the dish underneath and slowly showing him the dish is more natural. 

PS. I added the picture the breeder sent me of my little man to my signature.


----------



## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

It shouldn't be too hard to convince your baby to use the bowl. From what I've seen, if given a choice, most hedgies will choose a bowl over a bottle. I did the whole put-the-bowl-under-the-bottle thing, and it took my hedgehog 3 or 4 days (maybe? I can't remember, but it wasn't very long) to understand what the water bowl was, and to choose it over the bottle.

Good luck! And your baby is SO cute!


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

hanhan27 said:


> It shouldn't be too hard to convince your baby to use the bowl. From what I've seen, if given a choice, most hedgies will choose a bowl over a bottle. I did the whole put-the-bowl-under-the-bottle thing, and it took my hedgehog 3 or 4 days (maybe? I can't remember, but it wasn't very long) to understand what the water bowl was, and to choose it over the bottle.
> 
> Good luck! And your baby is SO cute!


I hope its that easy! And thank you! Im so excited to get him!


----------



## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

Walter is adorable. thanks for sharing the pic. cannot wait to see more.


----------



## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Just wanted to say that Walter is ADORABLE! I love his coloring. 

It took a while for Liam to figure out his water bowl once I tried to switch him, but he finally did get it. I did what others have suggested, just put his bowl underneath the water spout. For a little bit, he maneuvered around to get to the spout, but eventually he realized the bowl was the easier option. :lol:


----------



## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Taking the path of least resistance - Liam's a smart little guy!


----------



## CanadienHedgie (Feb 4, 2011)

One of my boyfriends males refused to use a water bowl. We didn't want him using a bottle because they are a pain to clean, always drip water and the potential risks (breaking/chipping teeth, not getting enough water, neck strain). Anyways, after 3 months, I decided to squeeze some juice from berries into the water. He used the bowl the second night I did that, and after that I quit squeezing juice in. Now he uses a bowl  .


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

This isn't the same topic but I didn't feel like making a new thread and I didnt see it on here but I need to get either a Medium igloo from Petco or a regular sized one from PetSmart right? Does anyone know if I can get them in lime green? I cant seem to order it (and pick my color) online and when I go to the store they either don't have the correct size or they don't have the color I want. :roll:


----------



## Guest (Aug 1, 2011)

They have thsoe colors usually but its random theres no way to know but you could try calling and asking them if online won't let you choose color


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

Hmm, yeah I guess thats what I'll have to do. I tried looking on Amazon but everything just says "Assorted Colors." I dont understand why they wouldn't let you pick your own. hahah

I need to get moving, can't have him come home and not have a house to sleep in!


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

One more question :roll: , I went to get a water dish & food dish yesterday but Petco only had one small one so I got one small and one medium but now Im thinking I should get a second medium one and use those two for food and water and use the small one for treats. Or I could just use the small for food and treats but I feel like that might confuse him, he might think hes getting treats all the time. :lol:


----------



## Guest (Aug 3, 2011)

casxcore said:


> One more question :roll: , I went to get a water dish & food dish yesterday but Petco only had one small one so I got one small and one medium but now Im thinking I should get a second medium one and use those two for food and water and use the small one for treats. Or I could just use the small for food and treats but I feel like that might confuse him, he might think hes getting treats all the time. :lol:


My girls drink so much I gave them the large pet dish cause I would often find the medium dish empty and i filled it to pretty much the top so I was worried and I noticed when I got them the large small animal bowl they stopped accidentally getting their nose in the water (I guess the angle of their head is slightly different) and use medium for kibble and the small for wet cat food treats, eggs, baby food mixes, etc.


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

TWCOGAR said:


> casxcore said:
> 
> 
> > One more question :roll: , I went to get a water dish & food dish yesterday but Petco only had one small one so I got one small and one medium but now Im thinking I should get a second medium one and use those two for food and water and use the small one for treats. Or I could just use the small for food and treats but I feel like that might confuse him, he might think hes getting treats all the time. :lol:
> ...


Okay, thats what I was thinking. I just wasn't sure. Thank you!


----------



## TeddysMommy (Apr 24, 2011)

I have the 2 medium bowls and a small one for treats (except their not the same type of bowls) I agree with TW  

PS. I think your new hedgehog is so cute!


----------



## megums75 (Jul 30, 2011)

I originally had a water bottle bc that's what they had in his cage when I got him, but he didn't seem to like it much and I wasn't sure he was getting enough water , so I added a dish and he uses that. At that point I just removed the water bottle . So I would just let him/her decide.


----------



## casxcore (Jul 28, 2011)

Hahah thanks guys! He started using the dish as soon as I put him in his cage


----------



## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Walter is adorable! :mrgreen: Harvey never took to a bottle so the choice was made for me. The reptile section at the pet store has some really cute water dishes. I got Harvey a swimming pool dish with a palm tree. :lol: He doesn't care, but I love it!


----------

