FYI- I learned my lesson: water bottles are OUT for Dimi!

[napagirl]

ON another post, I wrote about Dimi not liking her new digs in the XL dog crate. She'd thump, seem angry, nervous, etc. To maximize room, I bought her a water bottle (typical rabbit bottle that sets outside cage, with spout inside). THis is not a cheap bottle, and I made sure that it was working properly.

Anyhoo, the other day I was sitting in the other room and heard Dimi taking a few drinks, then biting/pulling on the spout and thumping. We have changed the water daily, and she was consuming water, so we thought all was fine. But after hearing the struggle and frustration, I quickly brought her a dish like she had in the bathroom and she drank almost the whole thing!!!

Needless to say, I felt horrible! I felt like my placement of bottle might have caused some dehydration, and I may have misjudged what she drank via the bottle. Since the bowl is now her water source (but I leave the bottle too, just in case of spilled bowl while at work), NO thumping, VERY calm bun bun. It seems she is a happy camper after all.

Just posting this in case someone else might have issues with their rabbit preferring a bowl to bottle.

 

[Blue eyes]

I had a bun just like yours. He hated that bottle and just couldn't seem to get enough water out. He was the bun that got me to switch to water bowls for him and all my buns ever since. :big wink:

You may like this kind of bowl that can't spill:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752724

 

[Imbrium]

Nala always used to get aggressive with her water bottle too - I'd hear her biting at it like "gimmeh waterz!"

I still have the bottles in the cage 'cause I like to have more than one source of water just in case... but I currently use a little $5 waterer from walmart in their pen (the kind with a reservoir that feeds a bowl) - it makes sure they don't run out of water, then I just dump it out/clean it/refill it once a day

 

[ldoerr]

I use the same kind as Suzette. I use them for food and water. At petco they have them in 10oz, 20oz, and 40oz sizes. I have actually seen them in all of these sections of the store in the same day... small animals, birds, dogs, cats. There is probably a section that I am forgetting but still they have them EVERYWHERE in petco. I used these bowls in my rabbitry. They do not break or wear out. The rabbits can not chew through them. I still use the same ones that I bought 6 years ago and they are still in perfect condition.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I've seen guinea pigs get really aggessive before-maybe that's why!

I've wondered before if the buns get enough water through it. UNforunately ours are outside buns so constantly switching them back and forth between heated ones (for cool weather) and not is a pain but they like the normal water bottles. Anyway, I think it'd be even more confusing to have a dish only half of the year.

 

[ldoerr]

When I had my rabbitry I had all but 2 rabbits on water bottles. They always did fine and were never thirsty.

 

[Blue eyes]

ldoerr wrote:

When I had my rabbitry I had all but 2 rabbits on water bottles. They always did fine and were never thirsty.

That's rather difficult to say. Those of who have switched from a bottle to a bowl noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of water our buns would drink. Apparently, then, they were not before drinking as much water as they would otherwise have.

Feeding water from a bottle isn't going to kill them, we've just observed that they do indeed drink more from a bowl.

 

[lauratunes12]

We gave Faith both when we got her, because we didn't know what she was used to. Then, for room's sake in her tiny cage, she got a water bottle once we saw her drinking from both. Now that she's in her NIC, she has a bowl because we couldn't figure how to hook up the bottle to that kind of paneling.

 

[lauratunes12]

Blue eyes wrote:

ldoerr wrote:

When I had my rabbitry I had all but 2 rabbits on water bottles. They always did fine and were never thirsty.

That's rather difficult to say. Those of who have switched from a bottle to a bowl noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of water our buns would drink. Apparently, then, they were not before drinking as much water as they would otherwise have.

Feeding water from a bottle isn't going to kill them, we've just observed that they do indeed drink more from a bowl.

Faith does drink a lot more from her bowl. The first time we put it down for her(actually when we thought she had GI stasis) she drank half of an about 4 inch across and 3 inch deep bowl. She would hardly drink 1/8th of the bottle.

 

[ldoerr]

When I used bottles the rabbits would drain at least 1/2-1 full bottle (32oz size) in a day, sometimes more. I think that a lot has to do with what bottle you use and the individual rabbit. My rabbits are both now on bowls. Beauty still barley drinks any water no matter if it is from a bottle or a bowl. Shiny Things drinks about 10oz of water a day. They both have 20oz bowls for their water. I really do think that bottles can be just as good as bowls. For one thing they are more sanitary. With the bowls I have to dump the water AT LEAST 1x per day because it fills with all sorts of junk and gets grouse. I never had that problem with the bottles. Also bottles tend to hold more water than bowls (at least with the ones I have used). I would not discourage people from using bottles. I think that some rabbits will drink more from a bottle than a bowl.

 

[napagirl]

Thanks for all the replies..

Dimi just doesn't like the bottle, and that seems to be the end of that! She is doing great with the bowl, not tipping, not dirtying up with litter or food. She won't go near the bottle, though I fill it and have it up.

I do notice more urine in the litter now that I've switched. Again, that makes me feel badly, as I don't want to think I was depriving her of water :-( But she is doing well now, and I have a lead to a vet that is very rabbit experienced, and she will have spay soon..