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How much water should our mini PBP have daily?

22 9:10:26

Question
Zeus is just over 3 months old and I have read that fresh water should always be available, but I haven't seen anything for any approximate total amount of daily water intake.  He drinks as much water as we give him, but there has to be a reasonable limit I would think as it seems if we gave him 10 gallons he would drink it all up.

I ask this because he urinates quite a bit, having now to completely change his cedar chip litter box every morning because it is soaked from the day/night before.  If that is normal that is fine, just wanted to get advice on water intake.

Thanks!

Answer
I was not able to track down a specific number, but the veterinarians I consulted all agree that drinking too much water is better than drinking too little, especially with male mini pigs.

All pigs are prone to urinary crystals and infections. Male pigs have skinny, twisty uretheras, so they are especially prone to blockages, which can be deadly. Drinking too little water makes the urine concentrated, and increases the chance of urinary problems. Drinking a lot of water makes a lot of dilute urine, which helps keeps things clear.

Pigs deprived of water often develop some odd behaviors. One is urinating when they drink, male pigs in particular will develop this behavior. It's a little harder for females, because they must squat but some will try anyway. Eating a bite of food, then taking a drink of water is another odd behavior. Water deprived pigs will also drink as much as possible when water becomes available, almost to the point where it seems they might burst!

If your pig is just a natural water-drinker, you are lucky, because some pigs just don't like to drink water, and chronic dehydration can cause kidney failure. If your piggy is simply reacting because at one point he did not have enough water, this should gradually stop as long as he continues to get as much as he wants to drink.