# So, how bad is a water bottle?



## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

So, when I first brought Liam home he had a water bottle, because I hadn't discovered this website yet. After reading about them, I switched him to a bowl. I noticed he would occasionally tip over his bowl at night, so I put in the bottle as a backup. With his new C&C cage, there was no way to attach the bottle, so he has been bowl-only for about a week. However, when I was snuggling with him yesterday he seemed a little dehydrated (the skin on his back was 'tenting', but just a little bit) so just for kicks I offered him his water bottle. Poor little guy drank for like a minute straight! I felt so bad; I wonder if he had barely been drinking from the bowl this whole time. I ended up punching a little hole in the coroplast and hooking up the bottle that way. 

Is it okay if I just leave it like this? Should I just take the water dish out? I know there are issues with water bottles, but he just seems to prefer it so much.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

IMHO...leave both. YOU will feel better.

Generally, I don't like bottles, but that is based on Snarf. He had a bottle when I got him at 1.5yrs...always had one, apparently. I left the bottle in but added a bowl. He sniffed at the water one, then drank from the bowl for a minute straight...so I took out the bottle. I still watch his water level in his bowl like a hawk - six months later.  

So...it doesn't hurt to have both, I figure...unless he knocks over the bowl enough to get everything wet in his cage.


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Yeah, I will probably just do that. It will make me feel better in the long run, so I'm not constantly checking his bowl level (I knew I wasn't the only person who did that! :lol: ). Just wanted to double-check because I don't want any injured teeth... though I'm sure that beats a chronically dehydrated hedgie!


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## beehivehedgie (Feb 13, 2011)

It isn't that BAD. People really get stuck on their way or the highway on this forum and make it seem worse than it really is to new comers. Don't let it freak you out. If your hedgehog prefers the bottle, then he does!  His teeth will be fine because he knows how to use it. Unless something strange happens, like he does start chewing it a ton, which most likely WONT happen, then don't worry about it.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

It's a hard call since he seems to prefer the water bottle. For me personally I would probably leave both in just for the slim chance he could be converted over to the bowl. I defiantly agree with you though, I wouldn't want my little one to get dehydrated either so if its the only thing he will drink of I would leave it in too. Sorry to hear about the dehydration, I know that had to be scary. Hopefully the little guy is all good now 



beehivehedgie said:


> It isn't that BAD. People really get stuck on their way or the highway on this forum and make it seem worse than it really is to new comers.


Everyone has a different opinion but I personally don't feel this is the case. The reason a lot of people are against them is because of reported injuries from them. I can't speak for anyone else but I know when I give the recommendation to use a water bowl its because I feel its the safest option. I think this is the case with the majority of members, they are giving recommendations based on their research and personal experience and if they have come across numerous reports of something causing an issue they aren't going to recommend it and will point out the reasons why so that the person can look into it further to draw their own conclusion.


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## itbrti (Dec 4, 2010)

I personally can't voice my opinion on the bottle feeding method because I haven't used it with Mocha, but the breeder, and a few members on here voted against it, so I stuck with the traditional bowl. Mocha would occasionally knock over her water bowl (I had this), but after switching to All living Things Small Animal Crock she has yet to spill it. It's great because the bowl has a bottom lip that prevents the hedgie from burrowing under it and knocking it over. I've had the problem of Mocha not drinking because she kept spilling the old one over (the bowl would remain upright, but the fabric would be moist).


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

There's a few tricks to keeping a water bowl from tipping over (from what I've read here). The main reasons for people being anti-bottle is due to the unnature drinking position, some hedgehogs have trouble getting enough water, chipping teeth and on rare occasion getting their tongue caught in the bearing at the end. BUT, its your choice as owner, and both methods have been used fine among owners 

As for a bowl, you can try using a wide low profile bowl. I have these ceramic dishes from Walmart, they're about 4 inches wide and 1 inch deep, have yet to have one tip over. My boy has the habit of nudging them with his nose and they've yet to tip or really spill (his food dish migrates across the cage during the night, heh).

One trick I saw on here which might work out is you buy a ceramic tile and glue the dish down to the tile, makes it hard for them to flip it over.

From the sounds of things, he prefers the bottle though, but as everyone else said, I'd provide both.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

beehivehedgie said:


> It isn't that BAD. People really get stuck on their way or the highway on this forum and make it seem worse than it really is to new comers. Don't let it freak you out. If your hedgehog prefers the bottle, then he does!  His teeth will be fine because he knows how to use it. Unless something strange happens, like he does start chewing it a ton, which most likely WONT happen, then don't worry about it.


Responsible people make choices for their animals based on research into what is the safest and healthiest options. People are not


> stuck on their way or the highway on this forum


 nor do they


> make it seem worse than it really is to new comers


We are simply stating pros and cons and what is the safest, healthiest option based on the experiences of hundreds of owners, breeders and rescues over many years. Research is the only way people can make an informed decision and what they choose to do with the information is up to them.

There are so many cons of water bottles and so few pros and what pros there are, are more for owner convenience then benefit to the hedgehog.

*Cons: *

- Hedgehogs necks do not articulate the way rodents do so drinking from a bottle is unnatural and uncomfortable for them.

- Because of the unnatural position they tend to bite at the spout trying to get more water. They can break their teeth and hedgehog teeth unlike rodents, do not grow back. Once broken they are broken.

- There have been reports of tongues getting caught in the bottle. A tongue getting caught often results in the death of the hedgehog because their tongue has to be surgically removed from the bottle leaving him/her with no tongue.

- Bottles are difficult to clean properly and bacteria can build up quickly. It takes much longer to properly wash a bottle than it does a dish and often people get negligent on proper bottle cleaning.

- People also tend to leave water in bottles longer without changing than they do when using a dish. Fresh water must be given daily.

- Bottles can leak and soak the cage. Yes, bowls can get spilled but using the proper size and weight of dish eliminates the risk of spills. A ceramic, low sided, wide based bowl of 4-6" will work well.

- Bottles can get clogged and not work which makes the hedgehog bite even more at the spout which makes even more risk of breaking teeth.

- Many people who have used bottles and switched to bowls have found their hedgehogs drank much more with the bowl. Drinking more water is healthier.

*Pros:*

- Loose bedding can't get into the bottle.

- Owner convenience.

Yes there are many people over the years who have used bottle without a problem, but there are also many who have had a problem and regreted using bottles.

We've stated the pros and cons so it's up to the individual owner what they choose.


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Thank you all for replying, I really appreciate it. 

I think what I will do is get a larger what bowl like what Mocha or Puffers suggested. His water bowl now is relatively small (maybe 2.5" wide x 1" deep?) so maybe that's why he doesn't like to drink from it or knocks it over. He doesn't knock it over regularly, just every once and a while, but since it's like a less than $5 investment it's not exactly an issue. Obviously, I'm not awake 90% of the time he is, but I have never seen him drink from the bowl whereas I have seen him drink from the bottle. Who knows? I can't force him to change but I can give him both options.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Have you seen what Snarf uses?

They are IMPOSSIBLE to tip over and it's even hard for them to over-flow. I can't for the life of me find one on the internet, but here's a pic of one in action. Snarf has two: the smaller one has water and the larger one has food...and ,as you can see, him in it: :lol:










Another pic...same bowls, different color:


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Yours are really cute, MissC - I'll be keeping my eye out. It just sucks because if I have to buy one new bowl, I know I will buy 3 or 4 just so I can have a matching set!! Since Liam now has a water bowl, food bowl, treat bowl, and bowl for extra dry kibble because the prince has decided he doesn't as like them as much when they're mixed with other things. :roll: Oy.


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