A question about water

[Lillybabe]

I know that chins should not have typical out of the tap water. My little guy before was always given filtered water. What is the best way to go? For the two little girls I am getting I want to make sure I take the least risks of things in their water as possible. The tap water here is very clean. We have like one of the top water treatment plants around but I still know that it could not be safe for a chin.

My issue is, doesn't bottled water once open risk becoming contaminated? If I got reverse osmosis or something else like that wouldn't it only be safe to use for a short while? For humans I had heard that fresh water needs to be collected every like two weeks and that if you let it sit, even in a closed container, longer than that it risks becoming stagnant.

I really know very little about all of this I just do not want the chinnie girls to get sick because I did not get them the right thing. I would prefer not to have to boil anything as I would have to let it cool before bottling it which can become complicated. So, any ideas? If I have like a brita filter is tap water safe to use? Are there other ways to make it safe? Isn't bottled water simply tap water from somewhere else? They seemed to say it was on a documentary I caught part of.

 

[Airyn]

You want to filter out microbial cysts, like giardia. Tap, Brita and normal bottled spring water don't go through that filtration process. You can pick up bottled water as long as it says that it's filtered by reverse osmosis on the bottle, or you can pick up a PUR3 filter or pitcher. Kudos for researching before you pick them up! )

 

[Terbear24]

Definitely kudos for putting this much thought into the water but to be honest I have always used tap water. But here in Toledo I know we are in the top 10 in the country for our city water.

 

[melbur10]

brita has actualy come out witha new tap mount filter which filters 99.9% microbial cycts including giardia. just make sure it says so right on the box!

 

[Lillybabe]

@melbur10 - Do you know if they have this out in pitcher form?

 

[melbur10]

no not as far as i have ever seen, the pitchers from brita just dont cut it im afraid

 

[Lillybabe]

Our fridge has a filter and I always used the water from that filter for my little guy. Here are the specs on it: http://www.fridgefilters.com/ge-water-filter-mwf.html

It should be enough as long as it's replaced as often as it needs to be right? It says it removes 99.9% of cysts.

 

[Sandi]

Yes, that should be fine as the pur 3 stage filter says that it also filters out 99.99% of microbial cysts.

 

[AZChins]

With tap water you have to be very careful. What is safe for humans may not be safe for the chins. Near Phoenix in some of the suburbs people have had chins get sick with giardia from the tap water. They basically say that the drinking water is safe for humans but it still has enough bacteria or parasites to make chins sick. I know of several people, who have had this happen.

I'd definitely make sure the filter the water before using it or get reverse osmosis or purified water.

 

[tcraighenry]

We buy Aquafina since it does the 3 step process. I checked in to getting PUR 3 filters but the Amazon reviews aren't good. Quite a lot of talk about them breaking after a few months.

 

[greychins]

We use the Pur3 filters... never had a problem with them. When we used tap water, we'd end up with some loose poos every now and then, but since the filters, we don't really have that problem.

 

[Airyn]

I've had my PUR3 for a few years now and bought it off of Amazon. It still works and looks like new.

 

[fanofdmb84]

We have a reverse osmosis filter system under our sink, the chins get their water from that. As for water sitting and becoming contaminated or stagnant - as long as you have it in a closed container it will be fine. Think about all the bottled water and even soda and juice that sits in trucks and on shelves for months - it's fine as long as it's not being physically contaminated.

 

[Lillybabe]

All of the water and soda and such that sits on shelves and in trucks is sealed right after it is put into a bottle. This keeps all the contaminants out. However, each time you open a water bottle it is exposed to the air which has airborne contaminants. There are people who for example use well water, etc. and they have to pump from the well frequently. The water can't just sit even if closed... it's not cleaned, filtered or sealed the same way items are during manufacturing. This is why I asked the question because I know if I put even the world's best water into a bottle it'll grow stagnant overtime if the bottle is opened. The question I am not sure of is how long does it stay safe once the seal is broken? Would someone buying bottled water for their chinchilla need to buy it in small bottles? I would assume if you only had one chinchilla that he or she might not even drink a whole gallon of water before it was unsafe to continue using.

 

[tcraighenry]

We get 32 oz bottles and keep them refrigerated. At night the whole bottle gets tossed and we refill it. In the mornings we top it up. She's never actually drunk all of it. We like to give her an excess of everything just in case something happens to us.

Once a week we sanitize the bottle with a white vinegar/water mix.

We probably go through about two of those bottles a week. I occasionally steal some when I want some cold water, I think as long as you keep it refrigerated and with the lid on it's probably ok. It usually tastes the same as when you first buy it.

But even filters attached to faucets are going to get contaminants. Impossible not to!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Most people change the water , regardless of its source, every one or two days and sanitize the bottles once a week.