# Tap, distilled, or Spring Water?



## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

My mom and I were talking the last night about what water I should be giving Shiloh. 

I've had her for a little over a month now and I've been giving her water from the kitchen sink (tap water) we have "city water" and not a well.

My mim suggested I should buy her distilled or spring bottled water since city water has additives such as chlorine. 

She is doing fine with the tap water but what do you all suggest?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I bought bottled water for Lily. I know I've seen people say that some bottled water brands are basically tap water anyway, so I'm not sure if it was better or not, but it worked well for us! I liked having the bottles so I could just grab a few when we were going up to the cabin or if I was leaving her with someone else. I just bought a 24-bottle flat for $4 and it'd last longer than a month, so it wasn't any huge added expense either.


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## ellisrks01 (Mar 25, 2014)

I use bottled water also. It works out great because we like to have them in the house anyways. I buy a 24 case for $2.99. My GF usually leaves half drank bottles laying around so I just use those and it lasts awhile with multiple hogs.
Some cities have more water treatment issues than others but I'm sure she will be perfectly fine if you continue to use it  

If your worried about it you could buy a gallon of water for about .60 cents I'm sure that would last a long time with your one hedgehog.


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## HedgiePome (Mar 27, 2014)

I've been wondering about this as well.. right now I'm giving Cookie tap water, but will probably switch it to bottled. I typically buy cases of them anyway.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

Thanks everyone.


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## Kiwithehedgie (Oct 1, 2014)

I give Kiwi tap water that has been through a Brita filter. It is what we drink, so its what he uses


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I use tap water. As long as there are no concerns in your tap, high fluoride in California or areas where fracking may have harmed your ground water you are fine. I believe that tap water provides a lot of nutrients and is more environmentally stable than buying bottled water. Buy a filter if you want a more purified water. 

Also as Kelsey said most of the time, in parts by million, spring or bottled water has more harmful or just plain nasty stuff in it than tap water. 

Sorry for the soapbox. My school is a part of the program call Bring Back The Tap and are school will not sell bottled water anymore so I hear a lot about bottled water, pollution and the like.


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## CourtneyLA (Jun 20, 2014)

I just use tap water for Nina and she doesn't seem bothered by it


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

I use filtered tap water---we have Pur filters. If we travel, I just fill a water bottle with "our" water and label it so no one drinks Nara's water.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

alkaline water seems to be the new trend here where i'm at. Is that safe for hedgies as well? just curious haha


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## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

Distilled is a poor choice for any living being to consume in place of normal water because it literally has nothing in it- no minerals. 
I filled Pepper's water bottle with the pur water filter that is attached to the faucet just because it is easier to get into her bottle!


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

I do tap as well. Sometimes if I'm traveling, and forget to bring tap water from home, I'll use bottled. I just have an annoyance with plastic bottles though, especially since there's so much pollution. I actually drink tap water myself, but I still have a Britain filter just in case. But it's a preference thing


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## FightinFox (Sep 29, 2014)

Use tap or purified/spring, but don't use distilled water! Distilled water has all of it's minerals removed so it is not very well absorbed by the body, so your hedgie could get dehydrated if you only give her distilled.


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## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

I trust my city's tapwater (at least, for the time being) but I would never drink, nor let my hedgie drink from the tap in my hometown again. They made national news when their water became toxic with algae growth. A few days before the town's official water ban was announced (but after flyers were passed out stating that algae toxins were already getting too high), my mom's cat began refusing to drink and got really dehydrated. My mom finally coaxed her into drinking and not long after she suddenly died. It may have been coincidence, who knows. A few days later the water was not even safe to bathe in. But it makes me think about what that water (or my city's water) would do to such a small hedgehog if a similar crisis happened here and the city was reluctant to admit it was toxic and treat it with heavy amounts of chemicals like they are doing there.


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## Moonwishes (Oct 9, 2014)

Question - what about boiled tap water? My family and I drink that


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

That should be fine as well. I assume you guys cool it before giving drinking it. :lol:


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## Moonwishes (Oct 9, 2014)

Yes of course we do haha ^^


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