chins cant drink tap water?

[riotheoleo]

Not sure if this goes here or in the new owner bit.
Well I was browsing the forums and read that you cannot give chinchillas tap water? :hmm: Is this true? I had planned to give them tap water all along as I have done with other pets (none had problems) just wondering if its poisonous to them or it is just not the "best" thing to do. Obviously if it's really harmful I'll use another water but if it's not should I just use tap water?

 

[efromnlv]

Hello,
I've had my chins since 2009 & 2010 and I've given them nothing but tap water. For me, them, and my parakeets. I clean all of their water bottles & dishes when I refill, but nothing else fancier than that. And I'm happy to report we're all fine. I hope this helps. And enjoy your new furry family members. They are too much fun!

 

[seachin]

Tap through a good water filter is fine. You can do a search on this forum and learn lots about the potential problems with straight tap water. Namely giardia and cryptosporidium. I pass my tap water (for myself and my chins) through a three stage water filter and have not had any problems with this water.

Definitely DO NOT do distilled water. Reverse osmosis water is fine.

Gastrointestinal health is key for chinchillas, and clean water is a must.

 

[Amethyst]

Tap water is not advised for chinchillas because of all the stuff that can be in it. The biggest issue is giardia, which is a micro organism that is present in most tap water, the safe/allowed amount for humans is still too high for chinchillas, so they can get it, causing diarrhea among other issues. You can give tap water if you have a water filter on it that filters out the micro stuff. Here is the link talking about giardia http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56&highlight=water
Another issue is some water companies add fluoride to the water, which really isn't good for anyone. If you are on well water, like I am, then you have a whole bunch of things most of which are at low enough levels so it's safe for humans and most animals, can be in the tap water since it's not tested everyday like city water is leaving the water plant.
Your safest bet is to either have one of those multi stage water filters, (that filters out giardia) so you can use tap water, or buy purified or reverse osmosis bottled water. Growing up we just used one of those water pitchers with a built in filter for the chins water since my parents didn't want to add a filter to the actual tap.

 

[riotheoleo]

Thanks for the replies but where do you get the filters what do they look like how much do they cost and where do you put them? Just wondering if it's cheaper just to use the right water rather than get a filter.

 

[Amethyst]

I looked it up on Amazon.uk to help with prices, the faucet one and the pitcher one, obviously you don't have to go with that brand, but you need one that filters out the microbes. In the long run it's probably cheaper to just get the filters, I already by bottled water which is only about $2.50 for 5 gallon jug for our personal drinking water (my water system has issues, it's safe for humans to drink it just tastes weird) so sharing isn't an issue, but if I drank the tap water I'd go with a tap filter.

 

[riotheoleo]

Hi, been to see a breeder who has been breeding for about 25 years and was told that in the UK tap water is not an issue as it is safe for chinchillas. Thank you for the links though

 

[seachin]

There is NO WAY that one breeder should/can speak for an entire country's water supply, I don't care who that breeder is. The most that breeder can say is that the water they use is luckily clean enough that he/she has not had problems. Do not fall into the false sense of security that because one rancher hasn't had issues that you don't need to filter your water. If you didn't need to filter water, say, from municipal water sources, water would not need to be treated with chlorine and other methods of treatment. They add that stuff because water can and does get microbes proliferating in it from time to time. As many have said on this forum, chinchillas have a much lower tolerance for microbes than humans. It is highly recommended that you still filter your water. Good water filters are much cheaper than a vet bill, medications, hours nursing chins back to health and potentially replacing a dead chin.

 

[Pikaia]

I'm gonna agree with seachin. I can't speak for how the water is in the UK, but I know that I do filter my tap water with a PUR pitcher. They are pretty cheap. I think it was less than $20 for the pitcher and then the filters are around $15 for a pack of 3. My chins and I both drink water from this pitcher. It's better to be safe than sorry! Plus it makes the water taste better and that is worth it in itself!

 

[aznmexaggie]

I have a PUR filter that I mounted to my faucet. It can filter out microorganisms and Giardia cysts. I think the filter was around $20 and then my refill cartridges are $20 for two. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[nikkik0720]

I just buy reverse osmosis water that's been bottled at our local Wal-mart (not sure what they have in the UK) It's pretty cheap, only $0.88 for a gallon and it'll last them like 2 weeks (closer to 3-4 in the winter)

 

[Godofgods]

I use a Pur water filter as well. It specifically mentions giardia on its box as well. It also attaches right to the end of the faucet. So no big system to put in. Since the waters going through a small filter like that tho, be expecting that the outflow from the filter will not be as high pressured as straight from the faucet. But it will be more clean and more safe. - I use it for all my foods/drinks as well now too.

 

[Deeds777]

I've given nothing but tap water to my chins and they are perfectly fine. I think it also has to do with your location and how your tap water is. Some may be heavier on the chemicals than others so you may want to keep that in mind.

 

[Teddykay]

I would use a filtered water. I don't think tap water is that bad. But I mean, you might as well just use that healthier option for you chin. I use water filtered by a Britta pitcher or bottled water.