Changing from a bowl to bottle

[bunnyluv96]

My bunny has been getting his water from a bowl at the breeder's, but I have a water bottle for him at home. Is there a best way to transition him between the two?

 

[elrohwen]

I would offer both and see if he's using the bottle at all. Most bunnies will learn to use it, but I would keep offering the bowl just in case it takes him a few days to figure it out.

 

[Arwen]

What kind of bottle do you have? When I was trying to get mine to use a bottle, I had one that had like a little projection that when moved released the water. She tried biting it a few times but never drank from it.:? I guess she couldn't figure that one out. So I got her the kind with a ball in it and the next time she tried it, no problem at all!

If that doesn't work I've read that you can try putting honey or something on the end of it and when they get the treat they discover that water comes out.

I actually had a question myself about watering. Does it matter what they drink from? Or is it just simply preference? My bottle leaks a bit and was thinking of going back to the bowl (which she used to kick around and play with).

Arwen

 

[bunnyluv96]

I have a plastic bottle that attaches to the cage and has a metal tube tip with a ball at the end. I think when they drink from it, it moves the ball and it's supposed to keep it from leaking. I think it's a preference because I've heard people use both kinds. Thanks for the replies!

 

[funnybunnymummy]

My advice is: First, show him how the bottle works (wet your finger on the spout and rub it on his nose), then just leave him to figure it out. I wouldn't put both a bowl and a bottlein his cage (he'll just use the bowl and not the bottle!). But I'd give him access to a bowl outside his cage once a day so he doesn't get dehydrated. Eventually, he'll figure out the bottle and you can take away the bowl 100%.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[kahlin]

I've switched back and forth for all of my bunnies and none of them had a problem using a bottle.

For Fin and Behr I like bottles because they *always* spill the bowl or get stuff in it. And when given a choice, they go for the bottle.

Zayne is a bit different because she drinks tons of water. She uses a container that holds 1.1 L of water (but doesn't drink it ALL in a day). I wouldn't want her on a bottle with her drinking so much since it would mean she is at the bottle all day.

I don't do anything special to transition. Attach the bottle, leave the bowl, and wait to hear them use the bottle. Then I remove the bowl.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

Its preference but it is a thought that they drink more from a bowl. Its more natural. Storm barely drank any water form a bottle once I got him a bowl he drinks a lot of water.

Jessi went straight on a bowl she was on a bottle when I got her it took her 1 or 2 days if that and never touched the bottle again.

Both of mine like bowls a whole lot better. To prevent tipping I get the bowls that attach to the cage.

 

[bunnyluv96]

Thanks for all the help!

 

[elrohwen]

Mrs PBJ, I'm with you - I prefer bowls. I think it's easier to drink from them. Also, I've had a lot of problems with bottles leaking or not working over the years (with gerbils) so I just don't like them in general. My first bunny is very clean and doesn't tend to get things in his water dish. He also rarely tips it over (only by accident). Bowls can be a huge pain though if you have a bunny who is dead set on filling it up with hay every day.

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

elrohwen wrote:

Mrs PBJ, I'm with you - I prefer bowls. I think it's easier to drink from them. Also, I've had a lot of problems with bottles leaking or not working over the years (with gerbils) so I just don't like them in general. My first bunny is very clean and doesn't tend to get things in his water dish. He also rarely tips it over (only by accident). Bowls can be a huge pain though if you have a bunny who is dead set on filling it up with hay every day.

Yeah Storm does that if I put his water bowl near his hay. So I just put his food and water on the opposite side of his cage from his litter box and hay.

That solved that problem. Thank goodness


Kat

:bunnydance::bunnydance:

 

[Runestonez]

We used to give our kids bowls...but they seem to like bathing in them or filling them with toys rather than drinkingout of them....I finally gave up when we had been gone one day and came home to find one of our kids had been without water while we were away(she had tossed her toy in the dish and it soaked up the water).

If you want to switch to a bottle this is the way we found works best for us...

We take the water bottle and hang it directly over the water bowl...we poke it to show bunn that water comes out. After a couple days we lower it a bit so it is still above the water bowl but they usually start to poke or grab it to move it...at this point most of our kids got the point that water comes out and we were able to remove the water bowl a few days later once we heard them drinking from the bottle.

Our one boy Darwin was a little slower on the uptake!
He would keep drinking around the water bottle and ignore it...even when he did grab ithe just didn't seem to get the point that water came out...it took about an extra week of watching and waiting till he got the hang of it! We slowly let the water level in the bowl go down and watched to make sure he was using the water bottle before we finally removed it completely...and he has been fine ever since and I don't have to wring out their toys anymore!

Danielle