Flakes on her feet - is it possibly from dehydration?

Question
My daughter just got a guinea pig 2 weeks ago and we are new to ownership.  It seems as though she doesn't drink much water from the bottle we have hanging, so we also have some in a bowl in her cage.  She seems to have dry or flaky skin on her feet just above her toe nails.  Is this something to be concerned about?  How can I be sure she is getting enough water?  The salesperson at Petsmart told us she would drink one of those big bottles in just a couple of days but she isn't much that we can tell.  The bottle seems lower but I don't know if that is because it is dripping or she takes some.
Thanks!

Answer
The flaking on the feet is not an indication that she's dehydrated. Some pigs do have a dry skin issue during the summer months and will even have what appears to be dandruff in their coat. There are a couple of things you can do for that.  

Put some ordinary Vaseline on the feet and just rub it in a little just as you would if you had dry skin. Don't use a lotion or cream that has any perfume or scent to it as that may cause an irritation to her and make the problem worse. Vaseline is an all around good product for things like this.

You might also try giving her a bath in some tepid water using shampoo that you use on yourself, or you can also use liquid dish soap.  I prefer Dawn because it is the best for cleaning the grease spot that the boars get on their backside. Use a hairdryer on low to dry her.  You don't need to completely dry her, just get the wettest areas dry, then let her finish drying in her cage.

I would remove the bowl of water from her cage entirely and just leave the water bottle. A bowl of water gets easily fouled by the pigs walking through it and getting urine and poo in the water. The safest thing is the bottle hanging on the cage.          

If you're concerned that it may be dripping put a small dish under the spout and see if it actually is dripping. You would also expect to see the bedding wet right under the spout. A few drops are normal, but if it's dripping enough to lower the level you should be able to see that. If it's the spout with the ball inside it tap on the end of it and see if water is indeed coming out when the ball is moved. If it is then she's probably drinking and you just don't see her do it.

The amount of water they consume depends on the weather. When it's hot they will drink more. Another thing that can change the amount of water they drink is how many veggies and treats they're getting. If she's getting lettuce and parsley, fruits, veggies, etc. then she's not going to need more water because she's getting it in the veggies.  

One of the first signs of dehydration is sunken eyes, rough looking coat and being able to feel the backbone as they quickly lose weight. It sounds like she's probably getting enough hydration through other means and just doesn't need to empty the bottle.  If she's in the house and it's cool she also won't want to drink as much.  

Most pigs will consume about 4 oz daily in the winter months. Hot humid days will make them drink as much as 8 to 10 oz per pig daily. I prefer to have the largest bottle available hanging in my cages. That's the 32 oz size. I'd rather have to empty it out than to have not enough available. In a large bottle with only one pig drinking it will seem like there's much less being taken than if it were a small bottle.

If the water level isn't moving at all that's sometimes an indication of the spout being stuck. It sounds like yours is working fine. I think the clerk at PetSmart is mistaken about the daily consumption. Again, if you're worried she's not drinking enough just give her lettuce. Wet it and offer it to her. If she eats it she's getting what she needs.

Some pigs take a little while to warm up to the treats because they've just not been offered any. They don't know what to do with them. But they're quick learners and will soon indicate the things they love and the things they won't go near.  

Just remember that her pellets should be the mainstay diet. Stay away from those feeds with the colored things in them. They have no nutritional value and are just eye candy for the owners. You want a bag of nothing but pellets.  Kaytee makes an excellent cavy food. Vegetables are fine but in small quantities. Parsley and Romaine lettuce are the best to offer. Parsley is the highest in Vit C per oz than any other vegetable.

My entire caviary bursts out in song when they hear the rattle of a plastic bag because they know that carrots, lettuce, etc. comes that way.  It's quite an impressive chorus to hear 65 guinea pigs all wheeking at once hollering "Me first, me first!"