On Apr 22, 8:16=A0pm, Scorpio <mwhit...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Apr 23, 5:02=A0am, Rosie <rosie_...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > Mine have always drunk from their water bottle, I'd say roughly 100ml
> > each per day - depending on temperature of room etc. It also varies a
> > lot with each pig.
>
> > If the bottle is full right to the top when you change it, that should
> > help it not to drip.
>
> > They also get a certain amount of liquid from any veggies/fruit that
> > you give them.
>
> > How old are your piggies?
>
> Well that's the thing...I didn't ask when I bought them. It seems I
> didn't ask a lot of things. =A0I'm learning so much along the way. =A0I
> know the little one was 6 months old when we got him and the big one?
> That's anyone's guess...
>
> Megan
The very minimum that a pig should get is 40ml per day but like Rosie
says 100 ml would be desirable. In reality it depends on the ambient
temperature - it's hotter in Nz and in the Uk my pigs would usually go
for about 80 mls each. It's true to say that the more a pig drinks,
the longer their life will be, so if you can't them to drink plenty
from the bottle, try and make sure they get water in other ways: my
pigs loved melon or for a lower calorie approach cu***ber and celery
are good. Pigs who don't drink enough are more prone to kidney stones.
The colour of their wee depends on what they've eaten ( I especially
used to notice this with my rabbits) - the calcium salts can be
removed from the cage (if it's plastic) with citric acid/ sulfamic
acid based cleaners. You must be sure to rinse with water several
times to remove every last drop. If the cage is wooden, don't try
these cleaners or they will build up in the wood. It's best to line
wood with thick newspaper to avoid getting the deposits in the first
place. You can stop the bottle leaking as follows: Fill it and screw
the top on - turn it upside down to check it is running freely by
watching a few drips come - place your finger firmly over the spout
pressing the ball valve in and blocking the spout - them squeeze the
bottle gently with the spout blocked - then stop squeezing the bottle
- now take your finger off the spout - hey presto you should have
created a slight vacuum in the bottle which will be better at
retaining the fluid until the piggie comes. Now check that by rolling
your finger over the ball valve, that you can still get water to come
out (as pig would). It's im****tant to see how much they are drinking
and also keep their house as dry as poss. Another im****tant point is
to always check that the bottle spout is not blocked with food
particles. Use pipecleaners/cotton buds and soapy water to clean the
spouts and long thin flexible brushes to clean the bottles regularly.
I occasionally used Miltons (baby bottle) sterilising fluid to clean
the bottles but as the spout is metal you shouldn't really leave the
spout under the solution for more than a minute or two. Rinse
thoroughly.
Piggies, like us can develop diabetes - if your pig seems to drink
large amounts for no apparent reason, this could be the case. You can
buy dipstick tester strips from the Pharmacy and test for glucose in
the urine. In a healthy pig, there should be none. Research has shown
that certain commercial food mixes (espec those with lots of colours
in) can make a pig more prone to diabetes.
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