bunny doesnt seem to drink water

[wicked witch]

 Max is 7 months old and i have had him for 2 weeks. in the beginning i would see him take drinks out of his water bottle but now i dont. I change his water everyday and it doesnt seem like hes drinking any. He gets pellets, hay, spinach, lettuce, and carrots everyday. Is he getting enough water from his veggies? He eats very well, plays, jumps and lets us pet him. so he seems very happy.

[Valkyrie]

It is important to make sure that he is drinking because the veggies are probably not enough. He could be having problems drinking from the bottle, whether it is not working properly or if he is uncomfortable using it. Try putting down a bowl of water and see if he drinks from it. And don’t change the water in the bottle until you notice a change in the water level.

[Irina]

I agree. One of my bunnies was like that- within one day if finding his water bowl, he was gulping it up- I left the bottle up until I was sure he had found the bowl.

[wicked witch]

He drank from the bottle before so i know he got water that way and that is how the shelter gave it to him. But i will try the bowl thing and see if he likes it better. Thank you!

[Valkyrie]

Keep us posted! Just because a bottle worked before, doesn’t mean it won’t clog later.

And he may just decide that he doesn’t like the bottle and will wait for a drip to hit the floor before lapping it up. Bromley used a bottle for months and then one day decided that he didn’t like reaching up for it and stopped drinking from it. He would lap up the drips that hit the floor or drink from the cat’s bowl, but wouldn’t touch the bottle. We have to remember that rabbits naturally bend down and drink so bottles are not in a natural position for them to be in. If you are worried about him dumping a water bowl you can buy a crock that attaches to the wire of his cage.

[Kbana]

Mine drinks from both for now but I can tell he much prefers the bowl. He gulps it down! He has a bowl in his cage and a bottle in his playpen and though he will use his bottle, he goes back in his cage a lot instead. Good luck!! (just make sure it is a large bowl as mine tends to go through a smaller one way too fast if I am not home and he is in his cage.)

[wicked witch]

I put a bowl in Max’s cage and he tipped it over. i try to get him to drink out of a bowl when hes out but he wont. Actually he did it once. I am hoping that he is getting the water that drops on the floor from his bottle. I am going to look for something that will attach to his cage.

[wicked witch]

I put a bowl in Max’s cage that attached to the cage yesterday. filled it with water. Now that container is off the cage and water all over. Im still not sure if hes drinking. i never see him do it. Any ideas? i tightened the bowl as tight as i could

[Ralphie]

I use a cat bowl for my bunny's water and it is out for him to access it when ever he wants. I have never used a water bottle, until recently when he was molting I have him a little amount of pineapple juice. I would try to mix a tiny bit of apple juice within the water to sweeten it up, because they can't resist sweet things. You could also get a syringe and fill it with water and not force feed him but start releasing it while he licks it. Also, you could try having a super cold water bottle and take it out of the fridge just before you do this and let it get moist so there are water dropplets and stick it close to his face, he might start licking at it. 

The last two things I had mentioned should only be used to get him to start drinking and not the daily routine. Water is very important for them.

Hope he starts drinking soon! 

[wicked witch]

I just saw him drink from his water bottle! Maybe he’s doing it and I never see it. I change his water everyday so I don’t notice. Should I not change it? Thanks to everyone for their great ideas. I’m a new pet mom and I want Max to be happy and healthy.

[Deleted User]

A major problem/danger with the water bottle is just because they are licking it (which looks as though they are drinking) doesn’t mean any water is coming out. My last rabbit nearly dehydrated because the water bottle was full and he went to it often, so I thought he was drinking. Problem was (and its lucky that the bottle didn’t leek and I was worrying about it or I might have missed it) it wasn’t coming out properly for him. And no that didn’t mean no water came out, when I ran a finger tip over the end I got water. So my own opinion is that it is really worth trying hard to find a bowl that works for both of you. You may not see him drink out of it but monitoring what goes out of the bowl and knowing if/how much he is drinking will be a lot easier, it is more natural for them, and you know It Is Available when he tries to drink out of it!

Maybe try something like a very heavy earthenwear dish, … something really hard for him to tip? Or maybe a pot where you can poke the handle out through the grids and tie it in position?

There are things you can fiddle around with but water is so vital.

[MoveDiagonally]

For the tipping problem I would go with a heavy stoneware bowl or a "no tip" bowl. 

 

[Irina]

I recently bought a water dispenser from my pet store. It is meant for cats and dogs- holds quite a bit of water- but it cannot be tipped over! It has a large base and a plastic cylinder container that is attached on top. I have had it for about 3 weeks and have no problems- other than the occasional paw they gets wet!

[wicked witch]

i bought two metal cat bowls and velcroed them to the floor of his cage. In one i put water with some apple juice. he actually drank it. In the other one I put his pellets. Hes like his mommy, he would rather have something sweet to drink than water. Thank you for all your suggestions.

[Author]

Messages