Weaning Guinea Pig

Question
We recently acquired a baby Guinea Pig which is now about 2 1/2 weeks old.  We took it at 6 weeks and it was still nursing some.  He is not drinking from the water container and I have tried several types.  Afraid he will get dehydrated, I started feeding him from a dropper which he took.  He eats well and seems normal, but I can't continue on this same path.  How do I teach him to drink from the water bottle and what is the best type to buy?  

Thank you for any advice you can give me!

Answer
The babies usually learn from their mom how to use the water bottle and are drinking from it by the time they're two or three weeks old.  The best kind is the one with the stainless steel tube and a ball in the end of the tube. The pig touches the ball and the water comes out.

If the mom had the kind of water bottle with a little metal pin in it the baby will have to learn to use the kind you have now. OR, if you have the type with the little font and the baby's never seen that kind that may also be the problem.

In the meantime just offer him some wet lettuce everyday. It doesn't take much and it will keep him hydrated. Check your water bottle and make sure that when you touch the tip the water comes out. Sometimes they get stuck and the pig can't get the water.

Water bowls are messy and unsanitary. The pigs will soil their water making it unfit to drink. If you've had the baby for nearly three weeks he's probably getting more than you realize, otherwise he would have succumbed to dehydration already.

Carrots and lettuce are excellent means of hydration. Iceberg lettuce, although useless for nutrition, is an excellent source of water because that's about all it is. So you needn't worry about the baby not getting enough fluid. He's probably getting more than you actually see.