The Prettiest of Water Bowls
A New Year calls for some new hamster water bowls!
Well, I wish it was that glamorous, but it’s actually quite a practical purchase. For the past year or so I have had seven hamsters - the most hamsters I have ever had. For the most part, it’s not a ton of work. I try to keep up with keeping them clean and occupied. I work from home so I can let them out into the playpen while I continue working, or use my break to do some tidying up.
But one thing that continued to irk me was… yes, water bowls.
All of my hamsters have both water bowls & bottles. You can go on YouTube or Instagram and hear hamster owners have a wide array of strong opinions on either - “Water bowls are more natural” or “water bottles are plastic and harmful to your hamster” or “water bottles harbor bacteria in the nozzle” or “water bowls carry more bacteria because they are open and can get messy quickly”. Okay, you get it. In my opinion, there is no right answer, the right answer is whichever your hamster prefers.
In my experience, most of my hamsters will use BOTH a water bowl and a bottle for a reason I cannot determine. I have only ever had one hamster who did not use a bottle at ALL, and that’s little, old Maurice, who would rather shrivel up from dehydration than drink from a bottle. So he gets TWO water bowls… just in case one spills or gets icky.
Annnnyway, long story short, I give all my hamsters both a bowl and a bottle (well, except Maurice, obviously). Why? Because sometimes one malfunctions. Water bottles sometimes leak, or sometimes the stoppers get stuck. And sometimes hamsters push water bowls off platforms. Or fill them with bedding for no apparent reason. There are many, wild things, thing beyond our imagination, that go on in a hamster enclosure at night while we sleep… all I know is I don’t feel comfortable only providing one water source to my hamsters.
And what this means is, it’s a lot of upkeep for me! I have bowls and bottles to wash and replace. Bottles I can do about once or twice a week, but bowls I really need to do daily. And it’s time consuming. Up until now I’ve been individually pulling a bowl out of a hamster enclosure, washing it, then returning it with fresh water… seven times a day…. everday. Yeah! It’s a lot.
So, now you understand why I bought some new hamster bows! And I figured, if I’m going to get hamster water bowls, why not get the “gold-standard” - the gorgeous, Mount Fuji water bowl from Niteangel!
It comes in a few colors - clear, blue and iridescent. I chose the iridescent and I’m very happy with that choice! They are gorgeous and really sparkle in the low, twinkle lighting I use in my hamster room / office.
They are much larger than I anticipated, which I don’t mind. They are also quite heavy & sturdy! I believe these would be much more challenging for a ham to knock over as compared to the little tea-light bowls I sometimes use.
So, here they are, in all their glory! I wish I could have an entire hamster enclosure that was iridescent, it’s definitely my favorite!
Do you use a water bowl or a bottle? What brand/type do you prefer? Tell me all your hot opinions please!
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