How Long Can Guinea Pigs Go Without Water? Use 3 Things!

 Surviving without water is different among different animals. if you own a guinea pig, it’s natural to think “How long can guinea pigs go without water?”

When it comes to guinea pigs, the vets have no clear recommendations as to how long they can survive without water. But just like any other animal, they need clean and fresh water to live.

It is empirical for pet owners to make sure that they will not be deprived of water beyond 12 or 24 hours at most.

Since guinea pigs are domestic animals, they are completely dependent on their owner for water and food.

Thus, you have to ensure that your cute pet will have constant access to water.

This is important because the digestive tract of guinea pigs need a lot of water to function properly. That is because they are eating too much fibrous and dry food, such as timothy hay.

However, not all the time, you will be around to provide them food and water. 

So knowing how long your pet goes without water is essential as it will help you prepare accordingly.

With that being said, keep on reading this post. This will tell you everything related to the water requirement of guinea pigs.

Daily Water Requirement Of Guinea Pigs

Being a responsible pet owner, you should have knowledge about the water requirements of guinea pigs.

On average, guinea pigs need approximately 80 to 100 ml of water every day.

But the lactating and pregnant guinea pigs will need greater water intake.

One of the simplest ways of ensuring that your pet will have sufficient daily water needs is by attaching a non-drip water bottle into their cage.

You can also provide them with fruits and vegetables as these contain high volumes of water.

Doing so will greatly help in ensuring that they will get enough daily supply of water. Plus, it will also provide them with nutrients.

Some pet owners are worrying because their pet seems not to drink much water.

But they fail to realize that their guinea pig is eating a lot of fruits and veggies. In this case, they might already have met their water requirements for the day.

Providing Water To Your Guinea Pigs

You’ve got the answer to your question “how long can guinea pigs go without water?” you can also read how long can Guinea pigs go without food?

So, you should make sure you give your pet enough water supply.

There are several ways of delivering water to guinea pigs. You should choose the best method to deploy based on the comfort of your little cutie.

Any method will do as long as you will be able to make it easier for your pet to access water.

#1. Use a water bottle

Using a water bottle is the most common procedure for supplying water to guinea pigs.

In this procedure, you will need a pipe and a bottle. You have to attach the pipe to the outer part of the container.

To prevent it from leaking, you have to connect the pipe with a small ball.

Through this, your pet can have continuous water access.

However, this process is quite complicated for guinea pigs to execute. Unless, of course, they are already trained to do so.

Well, this method is the most convenient for Ginger.

Here’s what you should remember:

When buying a water bottle for guinea pigs, see to it that it’s mainly made for your pet. You can also learn here, How to clean a Guinea pig water bottle?

#2. Try a sippy bottle

A sippy bottle has a metal plate that is used as a lid.

One problem with this method is that the guinea pigs will need to elevate such metal plates to drink water.

But then, they will be able to drink as much water as they want, unlike in the previous procedure that the guinea pigs will have to depend on their tongue to sip more water.

With that being said, this drinking procedure is relatively easier for the guinea pigs.

#3. Using a bowl

Perhaps, this is the best way of drinking for guinea pigs.

Using a bowl is quite the easiest way, among other methods, since your pet won’t have to push their heads in drinking.

However, this, too, has a disadvantage, and that is the water will get easily polluted since it will be openly exposed.

Bowls do not have cover, so nearby little dust, as well as hay, will fall and mix with water, thereby polluting it.

Also, some guinea pigs would not prefer drinking water from a bowl.

How long can guinea pigs go without water?

Since water is vital to guinea pigs, it can bring some issues if you fail to provide them with an adequate water supply. 

They can go for 12 to 24 hours without water but not more than a day or two. It can cause dehydration and more health problem. 

Dehydration

The most common risk is dehydration, which might also lead to some organ dysfunction. 

You need to be aware of the common symptoms of dehydration in guinea pigs so that you will be able to identify them earlier and, of course, provide proper treatment.

Also, take note that severe dehydration can lead to weight loss.

Symptoms of dehydration

If your pet has been deprived of water for too long then look for the following symptoms in your guinea pig.

The signs and symptoms of dehydration include thick and sticky saliva, crusty eyes, poor appetite, seldom urination, dark-colored urine, as well as hard and dry feces.

The authorities also state that the eyes of guinea pigs can determine their hydration level. In the case of dehydration, their eyes will look dry and hollow.

What to do?

Here’s what you can do:

Squeeze your guinea pig’s skin. If it returns to its previous state after pinching, you won’t have to worry because your pet is fine. 

But if you noticed any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should not panic because dehydration can typically be reversed. You just have to ensure that your pet will get extra water.

If your pet’s dehydration is simply due to a lack of access to water, you should address the cause and fix it.

For instance, if the water bottle is broken, you have to replace it with a new one.

You can also give them fresh fruits or vegetables such as cucumbers, mint(Do Guinea pig eat mint), radish(can Guinea pig eat Radish), basil, eggplant, and so much more.

And if this won’t work, you can help them drink with the use of a syringe.

However, if all of these still won’t work or your Guinea pig is not drinking water, then the problem is more serious than you think. So the best thing to do is to take them to the vet.

Fruits And Vegetables With High Water Content

There are a lot of fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water. All of these are considered safe for guinea pigs.

One example is carrots; they are excellent vegetables that you can give to your pet since they contain up to 87% water.

Plus, guinea pigs love eating carrots; my Ginger does.

In fruits, apples are among the most common ones that most people have at their homes. This can also be a good source of water since it contains up to 84% of water.

However, you have to keep in mind that most fruits and vegetables have high sugar content.

As such, you can only give it to them sparingly. The recommended serving is in very small portions, only three to four times a week.

Conclusion

Guinea pigs can go without water for not more than 24 hours. Guinea pigs require constant access to water. They should not be deprived of water since dehydration can be an issue after a few water deprivation hours. If you fail to recognize this, it could lead to death after a few more hours.

However, in some reported cases the answer to the question ‘how long can guinea pigs go without water is stated that guinea pigs can survive without water for more than 48 hours.  But of course, this is risky and you need to avoid this as much as possible for the better health of your pet.