My hamster wil not drink from its water bottle

Question
My 8 week old Syrian hamster will not drink from its water bottle,it try's to but cant not figure it out!I do not want to squeeze the bottle for it to get a drink as it will never learn its self!But i do not want it to get dehydrated either!Is there anything i can do to help it or give it instead of its water bottle!Thank you!

Answer
Hamsters are pretty curious and bright little creatures. They are naturally desert animals, so they may not drink as much as you expect. Every pet store I have been to uses water bottles to give their hamsters water, so your ham would know how to use one. If your bottle does not have a free moving ball berring inside, it makes it harder to drink from then one that gives the ball very little moving room. As long as there is a bottle that you know can produce water (just tap the ball with your finger to see if the water comes out), then I can assure you your hamster can figure it out. If you catch your hamster drinking and see bubbles rise to the top of the bottle, it shows the water is flowing.