How to teach gerbil pup to drink water

[imaupser]

How can i teach 4 wk old, hand raised, gerbil pup to drink from water bottle or water bowl. I set a cap full of water out daily, but I don't think he drinks it and his water bottle is always full. I try to show it to him, but he won't have anything to do with it

[blanknote]

Unfortunately I don't have experience with tiny pups, so I'm not sure how to help you with this. But are you sure the pup isn't drinking? If he isn't drinking the water, where is he getting enough water to keep him hydrated?

[aspiringvet]

If you're worried about the amount he is drinking, feed small amounts of moist foods, like carrot and cucumber. Spray the walls of his tank with water - when gerbils live in the wild, they get their water by licking the moisture off the tunnel walls!

With regards to teaching, there isn't a huge amount you can do. He'll eventually learn. If you get despetate, dab a little peanut butter on his bottle nib. This should encourage him to pick it, and -voilà!- positive association, hydrated gerbil!

Good luck,

ApsiringVet

[thegerbilfamily]

As someone said above give him moist food. I had a hand raised pup but she learnt on her own. Try setting a bowl of water beneath the water bottle and also spray water around it.

[tinypenguin34]

Does he have a cage mate? Gerbils will learn from each other. If he doesn't live with another gerbil then feed him small amounts of moist foods daily until you can get another. I raised a litter of pups but none of them had that issue. They all learned from their parents on how to drink water.

[betty]

Yeah, are you looking for a cage mate for the little one? Perfect age for pairing up with anyone, and they will teach him all the tricks of the trade. With no point of reference from other gerbils, the longer you leave him alone the more chance of problems later.