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Any pet owner knows that the two absolute essentials for keeping their animal healthy are providing nutritious food and clean water. If you own a cute and fluffy little hamster then the most obvious option for providing clean water is a bottle that can be attached to their cage or terrarium. If for whatever reason your pet doesn’t get along with one of these bottles then there is another option, a drinking bowl. So can hamsters drink from a bowl?
Why would I use a Hamster drinking bowl?
There are a number of different reasons why you may want to provide your hammy with water via a bowl. These include:
- Your hamster doesn’t want to drink from a bottle that you’ve given them
- Your hamster makes a lot of noise when drinking from a bottle
- You can’t get a bottle that fits to your hamster’s cage
If you do face one of these issues, then you may want to explore using a hamster water bowl.
What are the disadvantages to using a water bowl?
When it comes to keeping your hammy hydrated, bottles are the more popular option for good reason. Firstly, bowls can be unhygienic if faeces, discarded food or bedding get into the water and contaminate it, which is very unhealthy for your animal. Drinking bowls are also known to be quite easy to tip over, soaking your pets bedding and creating a headache for you as wet bedding can be bad for your hammies’ health.
Which is best for hamsters, a drinking bowl or a bottle?
If you already use a bottle for your hammy, but you’re thinking of switching to a water bottle then you should first consider the specific needs of your own hamster. Not all hamsters find it easy to drink from a bottle, but if they can then it’s probably worth sticking with a bottle as they can be more hygienic and they also hold more water.
If you are having issues with a bottle, then you may want to try introducing a bowl as well as the bottle. This will allow you to see if the bowl provides a better option for your hamster, or whether to stick with the bottle. If you are introducing a bowl, then you should try to find one that isn’t easy to tip over and if possible you should place it in a location away from food and bedding.
You may end up deciding to stick with both a bowl and bottle, which many people do recommend as it means your hamster always has a backup source of water. If you have multiple hamsters living together, having both a bottle and bowl can stop arguments over who gets water first!
Regardless of which method ends up being the best for your pet, you should always remember to keep your hammies’ water fresh, refilling every day is a good rule of thumb.
Where can I buy hamster drinking bowls?
If you are considering getting a water bowl for your hamster, we love this ceramic bowl that is beautifully decorated to look like a watermelon!
If you are looking to get a water bottle to compliment a bowl, then we recommend this great-value drinking bottle.
If you enjoyed this article on ‘can hamsters drink from a bowl?’ you might also like to read this hamster food list.
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