An often overlooked aspect to ownership is: what water will my hedgie drink?  It is often assumed that tap water will be sufficient.  Unfortunately with many water companies this is not the case. Please read about the different options out there and decide which is best for your hedgie.

• Tap water: The problem with tap water is that there are often contaminates in it, especially city water.  The contaminants may not be enough to hurt a human, which is why it passes city ordinance, but they could be enough to make your hedgie ill over time. Tap water is definitely not recommended.

• Well water: This can get contaminated in many ways, many of which can make your hedgehog sick before you know about them--some bacteria can actually be fatal.  If you use a well, a filter should definitely be used.

• Bottled water: The problem with bottled water is that you have to be very careful where you buy from.  New laws are starting to regulate this, but at this point many "bottled" waters are simply tap water put into a bottle.  Plus you have tons of plastic bottles left over from using these that have to be recycled.  It is an option, but you need to do research about the company and their process of purification before you purchase your water from them.  You're preferably looking for "reverse osmosis" water from the company you pick. 

• Filter: The best thing to do is to buy a filter system, either a pitcher or sink attachment. This will help take many of the icky chemicals out of the water, and help ensure your hedgehog's safety. You can filter many gallons of water through these, and can drink it yourself if you want.

When considering, keep in mind: if there is an emergency situation, will you have access to this type of water?  If your power is out and all the stores are closed, what will you do about your water source?  If you choose bottled water, try to keep enough on hand to get you through an emergency situation.  If you use a filter, run water into clean seal-able containers if you hear a storm is coming or that there may be waterline maintenance in your area, etc.

Providing clean, pure water is just as essential as providing good quality food.  Please keep this in mind when you're deciding what will be the best water source for your hedgehog.

Here is a topic on HHC where this is discussed.