How to clean a guinea pig water bottle [ Detailed Answer ]

Keeping your small and cute animals hydrated is extremely important. And what best way can it be other than a lovely water bottle.

A guinea pig water bottle has been an all-time favorite for little pets. The water bottle is used widely for hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other such animals. Although keeping your animals hydrated is important, it’s also necessary to keep their items clean as well so that germs and bacteria do not enter into the animal’s body.

Now I know you all might be wondering how to clean a guinea pig water bottle?

Well, turns out it’s not that much of an issue. If you look at the details mentioned below, all your doubts will be cleared.

Table of Contents

Can algae grow in guinea pig water bottles

It’s a very common question asked among pet owners that whether algae grows in guinea pig water bottles or not? The answer is yes!! And it’s really common to happen. Although algae might not sound so bad, it’s still good to clean your bottles from them. Thing is, even the purest form of water is not safe for microorganisms and microbes.

The reason behind the mystery of algae growing in water bottles is solved. It happens because of the bottle’s exposure to sunlight.

The frequent penetration of sunlight, causes the algae to grow within the bottle, resulting in a green color perceived within the water bottle. Although it’s not toxic, not even poisonous, however, it doesn’t look good and it’s recommended to clean it up to ensure your little pets can get fresh and clean water.

Another reason for cleaning algae is that it makes the bottle color turn green. You don’t want your little piggy bottle to look all green and ugly now do you?

Is algae harmful to guinea pigs

Although algae don’t seem to be much of a problem, however, when it blooms, that’s when it’s a problem. Your small animals begin to act as if they are drunk because of the effects of algae on them. If water bottles aren’t cleaned from a bloomed algae, it will result in making water toxic, causing animals to feel sick, tired, and unable to perform any activity.

If you find algae in the water bottles on a frequent basis, it means that the bottle is too much exposed to the sun. Keep the bottle away from the sunlight and make sure to clean it for freshwater for your little pets.

What happens if guinea pig drink water with green algae

People in today’s modern world have gotten really busy in their everyday lives. They rarely have time to clean up bottles for their pets every week. This is why many pet owners frequently ask about the effects that water with green algae might have on guinea pigs. Will their pets get sick? Will they die? Will they start acting strange? Will they get a high fever? Etc.

There are various types of algae such as green-blue algae, dark green algae, red tides, cyanobacteria, and simple green algae.

The ones other than just green algae are extremely harmful. They contain harmful toxins resulting in:

Vomiting
Nausea
Diarrhea
Headache
Stomach pain
Poisoning
Allergy
Irritation
Throat irritation
Watery or itchy eyes
Sore throat
Breathing problems

If you find algae of all colors mentioned above, try to clean the bottle as quickly as possible.

How often should i clean my guinea pigs water bottle

The guinea pig’s water bottles should be cleaned on a weekly basis. Meaning, you should clean those water bottles every one or twice a week. It’s because water isn’t safe from microorganisms.

They can be anywhere. To not let them grow inside the water bottle, it’s recommended for water bottles to get cleaned as much as possible. Also, it will help bottles stay away from developing algae inside. As algae will ruin the color of water bottles.

Can you use dishwasher to clean guinea pig water bottles

Cleaning your water bottle with your hands might make your bottle look good as new especially if you cleaned it to remove algae from the bottles.

However, there is a certainty that some bacteria might still remain inside the water bottles, resulting in the formation of green algae again.

Now when it comes to dishwashers, it’s important to understand what material your water bottle is made of. If the material is dishwasher friendly, then it’s a great idea to clean guinea pig’s water bottle in the dishwasher however if the material of the bottle ain’t dishwasher friendly, it can be a problem.

For example, aluminum water bottles, aren’t dishwasher friendly. The reason why is because aluminum reacts with certain liquids can cause issues. Similarly, disposable plastic water bottles aren’t dishwasher friendly either because they dispose of.

Therefore, do your research carefully before you decide to put water bottles in a dishwasher. As per our suggestion, water bottles made of stainless steel, and high-quality plastic are the best and dishwasher friendly.

How to clean mold out of guinea pig water bottle

There are plenty of things that begin forming inside a guinea pig water bottle such as green algae, and molds. Molds are not good and when you see one, it’s important to remove it as soon as possible. To remove the molds out of a water bottle, you need to follow the following steps:

Take the water bottle and drain out all water inside it.
Once drained, clean it with water to rinse out anything you find moving within the bottle.
Once that’s done, prepare a cleaning mixture (water + vinegar).
Put half of vinegar and half of water and combine the two in another clean bottle or bowl.
Make sure the water you are using to prepare the mixture is hot.
Next, put the whole mixture inside the bottle and shake vigorously.
Now put it to rest. Let the mixture soak in a while. Leave it for 10-20 minutes.
Now drain out the mixture and start rinsing the water bottle again. Keep on rinsing it till mold completely gets out of the bottle
Now your bottle is as good as new.

Follow the steps mentioned above and get rid of that nasty mold in no time.

How to clean a guinea pig water bottle with rice

There is another highly famous and widely used method to clean water bottles. The rice method. Rice helps like an anti-oxidant, making sure to remove all bacteria from the bottle. Now to clean your water bottles with the rice method, follow the following steps.

First, rinse off your water bottle with warm water. If you have any water before in the bottle, then drain it first.
Next, prepare a mixture of water and rice. Just put enough rice in the water that the bottle is filled till the top
Now that’s done, began shaking the bottle vigorously.
Now let the mixture soak in for a while. Leave it for 15 minutes.
Next, drain out the mixture and began rinsing the bottle again. Repeat the process till you see no leftovers of rice water.
Your water bottle is good to go.

This method is quite common to get rid of growing algae in water bottles. The method helps scrub off any kind of mole, algae, dirt, or anything within the bottle, resulting in a fresh and clean water bottle.

How to prevent algae growth in guinea pig water bottle

Growing algae inside water bottles can be a serious problem especially when you don’t know the reason. Sometimes, algae show up every week despite cleaning water bottles on daily basis. Reason? Too much exposure to sunlight. The sunlight causes the growth of algae in water bottles when they have contact with the sun, resulting in green water.

To stop this from happening, simply avoid putting your water bottles in places that have direct exposure to sunlight. You should also not place it in front of the windows, as sunlight comes from there.

Conclusion

We all love our little pets as they are very dear to us. However, in this busy life, it’s our duty to take good care of our little fellas with love and respect. We should always make sure that they are hydrated as well as perfect diet.

If you want to learn more in regards to what vegetables good for guinea pigs, please visit petconsortium.com