Hydration is serious business.
To keep your cavies healthy and happy, they need an unlimited supply of fresh, clean drinking water. And as simple as that sounds, many water bottles are more hassle than help, leaking water into their bedding and creating a nasty mess!
Which bottle is best? Which ones are the most leak-proof? What are the advantages of one style versus another?
We’ve got answers! And whether you’re a new owner or an experienced piggy parent, we’d like to recommend a few of our favorite water bottles.
Here’s a quick glance at the best guinea pig water bottles:
- Choco Nose H125 – Best water bottle overall
- RentACoop No Drip Small Animal Water Bottle – Best water bottle for large cavie clans
- Lixit Wide Mouth BPA-Free Water Bottle – Best budget water bottle
- Living World Eco+ Water Bottle – Best glass water bottle
Guinea Pig Water Bottle Reviews
Choco Nose H125 – Best water bottle overall
Capacity: 11.2 oz. (or more if you refit with a soda bottle)
Material: BPA-free plastic
The Choco Nose H125 is a popular water bottle for pet parents, and a quick run-down of its features illustrates why.
Its bottle is made from a quality, BPA-free plastic, and the 10mm leak-proof nozzle works really well. It’s clear that Choco Nose thought this product through: the base will accept the mouth of a standard soda bottle, giving you larger capacity options as well as an environmentally-sound alternative to replacements.
That’s a feature we really like, especially if you’ve got a big cavie family!
Be sure to tap the ball gently when first filling it (and after every refill). You’ll want to do this until you see tiny bubbles rise into the bottle, as this is a sign that the seal is working properly to prevent leaks while still providing a refreshing drink for your cavies.
The bottle is pretty easy to clean–the mouth is the standard soda bottle size. A thorough shake with some soapy water, followed by careful rinsing, should keep the reservoir fresh.
Most people find that this bottle works well for their guinea pigs, preventing a soggy mess and moldy, nasty bedding.
Pros:
- Light
- Nice capacity that can be upgraded easily for larger clans
- Accepts a standard soda bottle, providing both increased capacity options and recyclability
- Very leak-proof
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- You need to be sure to tap the ball gently each time you refill it
RentACoop No Drip Small Animal Water Bottle – Best water bottle for large cavie clans
Capacity: 32 or 64 oz.
Material: BPA-free plastic
If you talk to experienced cavie owners, RentACoop’s No Drip Small Animal Water Bottle will come up–especially if they’re taking care of a large clan. Aside from its quality construction, that awesome capacity makes it a great choice if you need to quench the thirst of three or more guinea pigs.
RentACoop’s water bottle is big, and since its top is removable, it’s among the easiest-to-clean designs on the market.
That’s something we like a lot, and it’s painless to give the inside of the reservoir a thorough scrub!
It’s also pretty effortless to refill: simply pour fresh water into the container via the locking flip-cap. Then, press the chew-resistant nipple a few dozen times to get it working.
While probably overkill if you have a single guinea pig, many owners love this water bottle as it’s a hassle–and drip–free!
Pros:
- Light
- Awesome capacity
- Very leak-proof
- Chew-resistant nipple (comes with a spare)
- Extremely easy to clean
- Extremely easy to refill
Cons:
- You need to be sure to tap the nipple gently each time you refill it
Lixit Wide Mouth BPA-Free Water Bottle – Best budget water bottle
Capacity: 8 or 16 oz.
Material: BPA-free plastic
Lixit’s Wide Mouth Water Bottle is a popular choice for guinea pig breeders and enthusiasts. It works well, it’s easy to clean, and it’s very inexpensive.
That’s a lot to like!
Two sizes of BPA-free reservoir are available: an 8-ounce and a 16-ounce. Both provide plenty of water for a single piggy, though we’d select the larger size (and perhaps more than one) if you’ve got a growing cavie family.
Both sizes come with a capacious mouth that makes refilling and cleaning easy. And as far as leaking goes, as long as you completely fill the bottle, there should be enough suction to prevent any drips.
We like that a lot, and for the money, this is an awesome product.
Pros:
- Light
- Nice capacity
- Leak-proof
- Chew-proof nozzle
- Very simple to clean
- Very easy to refill
Cons:
- You need to be sure to fill the reservoir completely to prevent drips
Living World Eco+ Water Bottle – Best glass water bottle
Capacity: 6 oz.
Material: glass
Living World’s Eco+ Water Bottle is a great glass option. Designed with guinea pigs in mind, it keeps your fur babies hydrated and prevents them from chewing the tube to bits.
Available in a single 6-ounce size, we’d recommend this for pet parents with a long cavie, unless you want to buy more than one water bottle (always an option). Made from recycled glass, the reservoir is dishwasher-safe and relatively easy to keep clean.
A quick shake with soap and water, followed by careful rinsing, should be enough to keep this bottle fresh.
It’s pretty easy to refill as well, but like the Lixit, be sure to completely fill the reservoir to create the proper suction to prevent leaks.
One thing we really like about this bottle is the chew-proof metal nozzle. It’s high-quality and not likely to fail. And we also appreciate the carrot-shaped water level indicator; that’s a thoughtful, cute touch!
Pros:
- Dishwasher safe
- Nice capacity
- Leak-proof
- Simple to clean
- Easy to refill
Cons:
- You need to be sure to fill the reservoir completely to prevent drips
What We Consider When Selecting the Best Guinea Pig Water Bottle
Leaking
Leaking is a very big deal, and if there’s a problem that bedevils pet parents, it’s this.
The design of many water bottle nozzles uses a tube and a small, steel ball. Water fills the tube from above, and by moving the steel ball on the tip, water is dispensed.
But unless the proper suction is maintained in the bottle, water can leak around the ball, creating a continuous drip. That’s nothing but trouble, and from wet bedding to a stinking mess, something you definitely want to avoid!
We’ve selected the products on our list by looking for the most leak-proof options on the market. Even then, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully!
Ease of cleaning
You’ll want to clean your cavie’s water bottle and nozzle frequently with soap and water.
Generally, the larger the mouth of the reservoir, the easier it’ll be to keep fresh. That’s a real advantage of designs like the RentACoop–you can give them a good scrub!
That’s also the strongest reason to go with glass. In a pinch, you can clean it with ammonia (as long as you rinse it off thoroughly) or dip it in boiling water to make sure there are no nasty bacteria growing inside.
Ease of refilling
Since you’ll be refilling often, you want a bottle that’s easy to use.
We really like the RentACoop for this reason: the big flap on the top lets you fill it without removing it from the cage, and it’s just dead simple to keep full.
None of the products we recommend are hard to refill, but each demands that you take the time to do it right to prevent leaks.
Glass vs. plastic (pros and cons)
Water reservoirs are typically made from one of two materials: plastic or glass. Each has its pros and cons.
- BPA-free plastic is essentially unbreakable, very lightweight, and pretty easy to keep clean.
- Glass is heavy, and it can break, creating a hazard for you and your cavies. But it is dishwasher safe, and can it even be immersed in boiling water if it needs to be sanitized.
Plastic is generally the more popular material, but some cavie parents prefer glass because it can be thoroughly disinfected.
Capacity
How much a guinea pig drinks vary a lot from piggy to piggy, and it’s also affected by diet. Simply put, there’s no hard-and-fast rule about how large a bottle you need to get.
Instead, you need to use some common sense. A small bottle is probably big enough for a single cavie, but as your clan grows, you’ll need to step up in size or number.
Always keep track of the water level in your pet’s bottle, and it’s best to refill it every day.
Freshwater just tastes better, right?
Nozzle size
Lots of small animal water bottles are designed for rabbits rather than guinea pigs. Typically, these will sport larger nozzles of about 13mm in diameter.
Guinea pigs need something a bit narrower, more in the range of 10mm in diameter. While they can drink from a larger nozzle, they’ll tend to spill more water, and they may have more trouble getting the ball to actuate and provide the drink they’re looking for!
Choco Nose makes a small animal water bottle with a 13mm nozzle: the H528. You’ll commonly see it reviewed for guinea pigs, even though the manufacturer explicitly states that it’s not appropriate for hamsters, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, ferrets, or rats.
The products we’re recommending are designed for cavies–and it’s best to stick with them!
Final Thoughts
The best water bottle for you depends on your particular needs. Just as we wouldn’t recommend them otherwise awesome RentACoop to the parent of a single cavie, we wouldn’t suggest a single Choco Nose H125 to someone raising a clan of five guinea pigs (unless you refit it with a large soda bottle!).
But we can stand behind the options on our list, whichever is right for you. If you follow the manufacturer’s instructions, they’re all very leak-proof while still providing the hydration your guinea pigs need to stay healthy and happy.