If a hamster has settled in the house, it is very important to create the necessary conditions for his full life activity. One of the highlights is the choice of a drinking bowl for your pet. It can be home-made or purchased in a specialized store - this remains at the discretion of the owner. We talk about what drinking bowls are, how to choose them and use them correctly, in this article.
Which are there?
Drinking bowls that are used for hamsters at home can be internal and external. They differ in the method of attachment, that is, they can be located inside or outside the cage. In the second case, it turns out to save space inside the pet's habitat, this is especially true in the case when the dwelling is not too large.
There are many factors to be guided by when selecting. This is primarily the size, convenience, reliability, mounting method.
You should also pay attention to stability, safety for the pet, as well as the aesthetic appearance of the design.
You can also classify devices by design type. They can be suspended and floor.
As for floor options, they are placed inside the cage. The bowl must have sufficient weight so that the moving pet cannot turn it over.
However, it is necessary to consider the following: since the water is in the public domain, it is contaminated quite quickly, and it is still possible to overturn it by accident.
Suspension structures can be fixed inside or outside the cage. Capacity may be open, but closed options are still the most popular.There are vacuum structures, which include a container standing on a wide pallet with high sides, from which water comes. This option is not liked by everyone, since the liquid is contaminated quickly enough and for cleaning you need to wash the entire device. Since most often such drinkers are made of soft materials (like plastic), hamsters often bite them.
Nipple drinkers for pets include a flask from which water flows through a tube ending with a locking mechanism. The hamster gets the fluid by pushing its tongue on the latch, and this animal will have to get used to. There are also ball mechanisms, acting by analogy with the previous one.
Such options are used especially often, because the water remains clean and does not spill over the cell.
Some owners choose bottle drinkers with a tank. Water slowly flows from the tank into a small depression. Such drinkers are most often used by bird owners, but hamsters can also use them. However, with this choice, you need to consider that the water will also be open and the structure will often have to be washed and cleaned.
How to do it yourself?
If it is not possible to purchase a drinker in a store, you can try to make it yourself at home. This process is absolutely not complicated and does not require any special skills.
In addition, the construction will require exclusively improvised or the most inexpensive materials. They can be found in almost every home.
To make a drinker you will need a knife, a nail or an awl, a bottle made of plastic. You also need to prepare a regular pen, a ball that will fit inside it, but will not slip out, a spring from a fountain pen, a wire to fix the device, electrical tape, glue. The procedure does not take too much time. Consider 2 options that are especially easy to do on your own.
In order to make a nipple drinker, you will need a small bottle of plastic, a ballpoint pen and a ball. The ball must be selected so that it fits freely inside the handle body, but does not roll out of its narrowed part.
The place where he gets stuck is carefully trimmed with a sharp knife so that the ball sticks out a bit, but does not have the opportunity to roll out completely.
You can fix the ball with a spring from a fountain pen, but not too tight.
A small hole is made in the bottle where the handle is firmly inserted. The place of convergence should be fixed with electrical tape or glue to prevent fluid leakage. After that, the structure is fixed with a wire on the cage so that the tube is located below and is at a height convenient for the hamster.
For the second version of the design, a plastic bottle and a straw for drinks, which is inserted into the hole made in the center of the lid, corrugate outward, will be required. The inside must be trimmed. We protect the structure from water leakage with glue or electrical tape. The bottle is attached to the cell with a straw down, liquid will flow through it.
How to install?
Buying and making a drinker is not the most difficult task. It is also necessary to correctly attach it to the cage so that the playful pet does not splash water and damage the structure. Store items are usually equipped with special clips, which are very convenient to use in this case.
If the drinker has a hole in the lid for fastening, but there is no latch itself, this is not a problem. It can be made from a small piece of wire by bending around the edges to make peculiar hooks. You can also use a tight rope.
The main thing that you need to pay attention to is that the container holds firmly on the cage, and the pet does not hurt itself on the protruding edges of the mount.
It is possible to fix the auto-drinker with the help of a large plastic glass. To do this, he turns upside down, and a hole for a drinking bowl is cut out in it.On the side it is necessary to make already a small hole into which the tube is pushed. The design is fairly stable placed inside the cell, it can be put in any free place.
The floor drinker should be equipped with a weighting agent, then the active animal will not be able to turn it over. However, keep in mind that rather frequent washing of the tank will be required, therefore it should not be fixed thoroughly. It will also be appropriate to place such a design on a stand. In this case, less dirt will also get into the water, as a result of which it will be possible to change it a little less.
How to teach to use?
Experts recommend purchasing a drinker along with a new hamster house. In this case, the pet, examining the unusual housing, be sure to notice it and learn to drink on its own. This will save the owners from the learning process.
However, there are cases when the drinking bowl is purchased instead of the old one, its type changes and is installed in the already existing dwelling of the animal. In this case, the hamster may not immediately figure out how to use a device new to him.
However, these animals are smart enough and amenable to training - you can just bring it to the drinker and poke a muzzle into the ball.
After several times, the animal will understand the principle of work and will actively drink water on its own.
Note to the owners: there is another simple way. You just need to brush the tip of the drinker with something tasty and fragrant. A curious hamster can’t resist and is sure to try a treat, thereby activating the water supply mechanism. After that, instincts will work, and the animal will use a drinking bowl if necessary.
Why doesn't the animal drink water?
The reasons why a hamster refuses to drink water from a drinker can be varied. If the animal has recently appeared in the family, its stressful state cannot be ruled out. In this case, there is no need to rush things - let him get comfortable and get used to new living conditions.
Another factor is the inability to use a drinker. What to do in this situation, we have already discussed above.
It is possible that the animal has a rather juicy feed, which satisfies its fluid needs for a while.
We must not forget that hamsters are nocturnal animals. This means that the peak of their activity may occur at a time when the household is already sleeping. Accordingly, the animal, quite possibly, enjoys a drinking bowl, he just does it when no one sees.
Well, finally, you need to consider that the animal needs fresh water, which is recommended to be changed daily. The hamster will not drink stagnant water. It is also necessary sometimes to check how well the drinker is functioning and if there are any technical malfunctions.
It should be noted that the fact that newborn animals need the same way as adults to get fresh water.
However, they cannot reach an adult drinking bowl right away, so you should take care of a small saucer with water from which the kids can drink on their own.
In this case, it is best to rinse the saucer several times a day and refresh the liquid.
How healthy a pet will grow depends entirely on its owners. Therefore, deciding on such an important step as the establishment of a pet, you need to pay maximum attention to it and provide competent care. Only in this case, the hamster will be active, friendly, develop correctly and delight his owners.
Video review of drinking bowls for rodents see below.
