If you are an owner of a hamster, then you know the hamster needs a lot of food and water. A hamster likes to stay inside of its cage most of the time. It runs on a wheel, plays with some toys, and sleeps a lot. Though a hamster stays inside a cage, it does not exercise less than other pet animals. So, a hamster needs water beside its cage.
Talking about hamster cages, the cages we find usually in the pet stores have an attached water bottle. But that water bottle is not always a safe thing. Sometimes a hamster can’t drink easily from the water bottle, and sometimes the bottle does not last long.
So, how to give a hamster water without a water bottle? Can they drink water from other things without a water bottle? Stay to the end to know in detail.
How to Give Hamster Water Without a Bottle?
You can use a water bowl instead of a water bottle. A water bowl or a pan can be alternatives to their water bottle. Though a water bowl is kind of risky for drowning a hamster, there are some easy tips to follow to teach a hamster to drink from a water bowl or water pan.
Do Hamsters Need Water?
Yes, a hamster needs water every day. And if you use any pot for water, you should clean it daily and provide fresh water to drink. Hamsters also get dehydrated, and that causes some serious health issues. Water keeps their body organs working well.
Though a hamster can go 3 or 4 days without any water, but that is totally not a good idea to keep your hamster dehydrated.
How Much Water Does A Hamster Drink A Day?
Hamsters are tiny in size. So, they don’t need a lot of water. In short, they can’t drink too much water at all. Excessive water drinking can be a bad sign too. If a hamster is drinking more water than usual that means it is not feeling well somehow. So, a hamster needs balanced water in its body.
In short, a hamster can drink a maximum 10 ml of water or 100 gr every day.
Can My Hamster Drink Water from Water Bowl?
The answer to this question is- yes. A hamster can easily drink water from a water bowl. For some cases, a water bowl is much better than a water bottle. However, we usually see an attached water bottle with the hamster cage. So, we normally assume that hamsters can drink water only from that type of bottle.
But that is not true. A hamster can drink water from a flat water bowl or water pan too. Though there are some rules to follow when you provide a water bowl for hamsters to drink water.
The bowl should be as high as 8cm diameter and not more than that. You must remember this always. Because, hamsters are tiny and they can drown in water if the water bowl is higher and deeper. The bowl should be made of ceramic. Plastic or rubber based bowls should not be used for hamsters.
Differences Between Water Bottles and Water Bowls
Mounted water bottle or water bowl, which one is better for your hamster? Well, it depends on your hamster. And as we are here talking about how to give a hamster water without a water bottle, that means your hamster is not drinking from the water bottle. Or you might have been facing some problems with those bottles. Whatever it is, if your hamster is refusing to drink water from a water bottle, you can provide them with a perfect water bowl.
Water bottles are not bad. They are designed to provide your hamster with clean water, and that can’t be wasted by their bedding or other things. Moreover, a water bottle keeps the cage clean and tidy. If your hamster moves or runs a lot inside the cage then there is no chance that it will spill water.
But the water bowl is flat, and you have to keep the bowl in a flat position inside the cage. There is a slight risk that your hamster can waste the water or its bedding while moving inside the cage. So, when you keep a bowl, you should try a smaller one or you should enlarge the hamster’s cage.
How to Use a Water Bowl for Hamsters?
At first, your hamster may not find the way to learn how to drink water from the bowl. It may also keep a distance from that bowl. For this, you need to follow some steps.
Step 1
Choose a light color water bowl that doesn’t look scary to hamsters. You can find different water bowls, from big to small in your local pet stores.
Step 2
The water bowl should be half the size of your hamster. If you choose a more significant water bowl, your hamster can not drink water from it. Moreover, if the hamster tries to climb the bowl to drink water, it will mess everything up.
Step 3
Put the water bowl inside of the cage and never change the position of the bowl. You should try a corner side for this so that your hamster doesn’t find any difficulties to move inside the cage for that bowl.
Step 4
Use hand signs to teach the hamster to drink water from that bowl. You can put some tidbits on the water bowl to make them know the bowl.
Wrap Up
A hamster is a prey animal. In the wild and in captivity, it is always scared and warned about everything besides him. When you put a new water bowl after replacing the water bottle, the hamster needs some time to understand and believe the bowl. After that, they will definitely learn on their own. It’s their basic instinct, there is no need to worry a lot. Sometimes a hamster may take one or two days. But if you notice that the hamster is not drinking from the bowl at all, then it’s time to go back to the water bottle again. Don’t force your hamster to drink water from the bowl and of course change the water daily.