How long without water?

BooBoo*TheKiddo* · Jan 7, 2014

How long can a chin go without water before you should be concerned or before issues?

After issues of being ill, Macy wouldn't drink on her own, but she is now. However, I tried everything I could and even gave her a water bowl which she took too. So now she only drinks from a water bowl, but still has a water bottle available to her.

For now I'm going to let her use the water bowl, but I plan to get her back to using a water bottle after time for her to adjust and recover 110%

Also, any tips on getting them back to a water bottle are greatly appreciated.

akane · Jan 7, 2014

I wouldn't leave them more than 24hrs without water but they drink so little it can take a few days to tell if they are drinking out of a bottle. I figured so long as our new young chin was bouncing and eating instead of getting steadily depressed looking she was probably getting water. Eventually we could tell the bottle had gone down. With a sick chin you might want to put the water bowl back in for a few minutes every day just in case until she is ignoring it or you can tell the water bottle is being used.

ticklechin · Jan 8, 2014

To check for hydration, pull the skin up at the nape of the neck, if it retracts quickly the chin has enough hydration, if not chin is dehydrated. That said, when chins come off a severe bout of GI issues, their habits can change in the short term, I would let her have the bowl for another week or so, it wont hurt, then remove the bowl and see what happens. As for chins don't drink much water they will if the water is good tasting, mine drink 2-3 oz a day after a water change when they were drinking less than a oz.

BooBoo*TheKiddo* · Jan 8, 2014

Thanks!

I'm planning on leaving the bowl for another week or so. She's only been drinking on her own a few days, so I don't want to take the bowl just yet.

I've been changing the water in the bottle daily and in the bowl at least every 12 hours.

When I take the bowl from her I'll check for hydration the way Dawn said so I'll know if she is drinking enough or if I need to put the bowl back.

akane · Jan 8, 2014

2-3oz a day on a 16-32oz bottle is still only maybe an inch more air space for a healthy adult. Unless you mark the bottle you won't be able to tell if it was that full yesterday and that much might drip out and dry in 24hrs. Then if you figure it for a 10week old it becomes such an insignificant amount on the bottle. It's not like guinea pigs and rabbits who will drink 1/3rd or 1/2 a 32oz bottle a day each. Even the hedgehogs drink more than the chins. All together I refill the gallon jug for the hedgehog room twice a day. 256 oz for 6 adults plus offspring. The 4 rabbits plus a small litter at a time in there empty their gallon jug once a day. If we don't throw out a lot of water and replace we might fill a bottle twice a week for a pair of chins. Hachiro and her triplets have been drinking less than half a 10-12oz hamster bottle a day. That's around 45oz or less a day for 9.

BooBoo*TheKiddo* · Jan 9, 2014

I've been marking the water bottle since she first got sick. She's 6 years old by the way.
I use an 8oz Water Buddy for all my pets.

I've had her since she was little so I have a pretty good idea how much she usually drinks day to day, which is how I noticed something was wrong with her in the first place.

ticklechin · Jan 9, 2014

I don't use 16 oz bottles, what would be the point when I change water every day. I think water should be fresh and replaced daily and why bother to compare chinchillas to other animals, it has no point or bearing on the question the op asked.