# Water dish strangeness



## Chihirolee3 (Nov 27, 2012)

This has been a strange quirk of Pindsvin from basically the time we got him. It's not a concern or problem, it's just a major inconvenience when it comes to cleaning his cage and making sure he is comfortable. But I just wanted some input to maybe make it stop (if that could happen) and/or I just want to know if anyone else have hedgie's that do this strange thing. It does not happen everyday, and it's pretty sporadic as to when he does this. He takes his sleeping blanket, or a stuffed animal and puts in his water dish, soaking up all the water, and he then must move the blanket/stuffed animal all over his cage making his whole room damp. If it's his blanket, he'll get all mad at me (huffing) until I give him a dry blanket to replace his wet one (more often than not, I have to replace the liner too) since he won't use it to sleep under. He's usually angriest at me for not taking care of it soon enough if he does this while I'm sleeping. However, there's no rhyme or reason as to why he does this at all. Sometimes he does this right after I clean his cage (which really grinds my gears since I have to do it all over again). 
At first I thought he does this because he may be too hot so I turn my CHE temp controller down a couple degrees, and even set up a fan during the summer when we got some 90+ weather (we don't have air conditioning) to help him not overheat. However, he did this earlier in the spring when the temps were in the 50's (we keep our house about 58 over the winter just to prevent pipe freezing). But because of lack of consistency of when he does this, I have ruled out the temperature to be the problem (since his cage is always hovering around 78F. 
I have found that he will always do this if I don't put ALL his stuffed animals in his cage after I clean it (I wash his stuffed animals periodically, and he always seems to hate that). Sometimes I have forgotten 1 and he just goes nuts over not having everything "just so". I actually find this very funny since I have never heard of a hedgehog being a bit OCD. :lol: 
But this is the only reasoning I have found as to why. That isn't very often now that I have picked up on this fact. But that still does not give a reason as to why during all the other times he does this. I now just wonder if he does this to be a little turd and just be defiant. :roll:


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## Chloethehedgie7 (Jul 24, 2013)

I would use a water bottle. He sounds like a smart little guy!
You can just buy a water bottle instead. Because it is much more practical. 
Cute little boy!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: I think hedgies just like giving us new mysteries to puzzle over. I wonder if he really might just be using it to show he's upset with something. Trying to think of other reasons or things to try...have you tried moving the water/food dish locations? Though maybe that'd just prompt more tantrums! What kind of dish do you use for water? How often do you change the water? Maybe he does it when he feels the water is too old/stale and he wants fresh? Wish these guys could talk to us a little more clearly. :roll: 

I would wait on the water bottle until you can see if anyone else has some ideas or input. Bottles just have so many drawbacks that (IMO, anyway) it seems like they should be a "last resort" kind of thing.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I wouldn't use a water bottle. There have been hedgehogs that have broken teeth, cut their tongues and actually have gotten their tongues stuck in the bottles. Hedgehogs that are on bottles usually drink quite a bit less than ones that use dishes. Hedgies just do the weirdest things sometimes...lol. I have one that drags his food dish under his liner to eat, then pushes it back out when he's done.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I agree on not using a water bottle. He may just be moving things around and they accidentally end up in the water bowl. How large is his bowl and where is it located. I've had to change locations of bowls sometimes for the same reason. My blind boy Samson kept putting his hedgie bag in his bowl until I moved the bowl to beside his wheel. He hasn't done it since.


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## Sims (Jul 2, 2012)

My beloved Roscoe used to put his blanket in his water bottle too, even though he had lots of space. He did not seem to notice it or care. Maybe it was because he was too focused on digging and digging! 
I think your hedgie may be trying to ask for your attention just as kids do.


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## Chihirolee3 (Nov 27, 2012)

The water dish I have is Amazon.com: Fluker's 16 oz Repta Waterer: Pet Supplies

His water dish is located in the corner farthest from his wheel (for obvious reasons). I have his food dish near his water. I have tried moving his water dish to the other corner, but it's harder for me to get at and he still soaked stuff anyways. I don't really want to use a water bottle because of what has already been mentioned, and I have a sterilite bin for a cage, so i'd have to really adjust the cage to accommodate a water bottle meant for wire cages. The water is changed daily, and my hedgies get filtered water since our city water is very rusty. I only fill the bottle about half way, since he doesn't drink that much in a night, and it's less for him to soak up when he does this. On normal days, he doesn't move his sleeping blankets around at all. He sleeps in the center of the cage, which isn't close to his drinking/eating area. He really only his stuffed animals on a regular basis; he often moves them closer to his bed.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Is the bin a single-bin setup? Unless you mange to find one of those ginormous Christmas-Tree-Storage-Boxes, a single bin is usually a bit on the small side. Maybe attach in a second bin (cut a hole, use a 4" pvc pipe to connect)? I've found having the wheel by itself contains poop to one quadrant and takes care of the pee-splash mess, and then you'd have more space in the main cage to spread out the food-water-bed.


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## Chihirolee3 (Nov 27, 2012)

I have a second story for him, with an air duct tube tunnel for him to go to the different rooms. He sleeps downstairs and his wheel is upstairs (making it easy for me to clean without disturbing his sleep). I spoil my pets when it comes to room (even my cat has his own "bedroom.") and my other hedgehog has the same setup as Pindsvin, making it simple and practical.

At first I used a 4" tube, but in the past few months, Pindsvin outgrew that, so now he has an 8" (the local hardware store doesn't carry 6"). Rhododendron is smaller than Pindsvin so she has a 4" still and doesn't seem to have any problems with it.


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