FAQ: Bowls & Feeders for small pets

Room-temperature water is best. Some animals are reluctant to drink very cold water, while on a hot day cool but not ice-cold water is fine.

Not without a vet’s advice: the changed taste can put the animal off drinking, and some additives encourage bacteria in the bottle. If a vet prescribes an additive, change the water more often.

Yes. Juicy vegetables provide some fluid but cannot replace constantly available clean water. The animal knows best how much it needs, so water must always be there.

Yes, especially because chinchillas and degus eat mostly dry hay and pellets and get little fluid from food. A clean water bottle must be available around the clock.

No. Juice contains a lot of sugar, which harms rodents’ digestion and teeth, and tea is no substitute for water. Give only clean drinking water, and other drinks only on a vet’s advice.

A large bottle can help if you are away briefly, but the water goes stale over time. Changing water daily is still essential, and for longer absences leave the animal with a carer.

In winter insulating bottle covers or heated bottles help, and on the coldest days water has to be changed several times a day. Having two bottles and keeping one warm as a swap is useful.

Yes, water expands as it freezes and can crack a glass bottle or damage the spout. Outdoors in winter a plastic bottle with an insulating cover or a frequently changed water bowl is safer.

Keep the bottle or bowl in the shade, change the water more often than usual and wash the bottle more frequently. In the sun water warms up fast and algae and bacteria grow.

On hot days small pets drink more, and a single bottle may run dry or jam. A second bottle or water bowl is a simple safeguard so the animal is never without water.

It is a bottle or bowl with a built-in heating element that stops the water freezing. When using one, it is important to protect the cable from chewing and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Outdoors leaves, soil, insects and bedding fall into the water, and algae grow quickly in the sun. In an outdoor run check the bowl several times a day or use a bottle.

There are metal and wooden racks, ones that hang on the bars or stand on the floor, corner racks, racks with a lid or shelf on top, and hay bags and balls. The choice depends on the animal’s size, the cage type and how much it likes to scatter hay.

A metal rack is durable, cannot be chewed and is easy to wash. A wooden one looks more natural and rodents happily gnaw it, but it absorbs moisture and urine, so it needs cleaning and replacing more often.

Yes, if the gaps between the bars let the animal push its head or a paw in and get stuck. Choose a rack with gaps that suit your pet’s size and no sharp edges, and watch how the animal uses it.

The gaps should be wide enough for the animal to pull hay out easily but too small for it to push its head through. Small animals and youngsters need narrower gaps than large rabbits.

Hay bags reduce scattering, but animals may chew fabric ones, and swallowed threads are dangerous. Choose sturdy ones, check for holes and loose threads, and replace chewed bags.

Hay balls, from which hay has to be pulled out, provide enrichment and encourage movement. The gaps must not trap a head or leg, and the ball should not be the only source of hay.

It can, but on the floor hay is quickly trampled and soiled with urine and droppings, so a lot gets thrown out. A rack or a pile in the litter tray helps keep it clean.

Rabbits and guinea pigs like to eat hay and relieve themselves at the same time. A rack above or beside the litter tray encourages them to use the tray and keeps the cage cleaner.