Problems with my rabbit not drinking water!

[knail86]

I have been giving my rabbit tons of romaine lettuce, kale and parsley, daily. She eats pellets well but yesterday I noticed she wasnt drinking her water? W hat does this mean? Please Help

 

[LakeCondo]

Are you providing water in a bowl or bottle? Some don't like the bottle & drink less from a bottle. Sometimes the problem is that the bottle is at the wrong height for the rabbit's size.

And how much greens is a ton? 2,000 lbs is way too much, lol. She may be getting most of her liquids from the greens.

Has she recently been switched from one source of water to another? Sometimes this bothers rabbits.

If none of the above helps, I would add a pinch of sugar & a little vinegar to the water & see if that helps.

 

[Kipcha]

How old is your bun? You mentioned you got her from a feed store for Easter, right? Then I would estimate around 9-11 weeks, if that. Since it came from a feed store, I would say that there is a pretty safe assumption that the mother did not get veggies while pregnant/nursing and therefore the babies digestive system will not be able to handle the veggies.

I would cut them off cold turkey right now and wait till a minimum of 4 months old before trying them again. They will more likely then not cause digestive upset and put your little ones life at risk. Also, for when you do start feeding veggies again, Kale isn't something I would recommend feeding every day as it isn't the best to feed in really large amounts.

Is she getting hay? If not, get her on alfalfa hay asap. What types of pellets are you feeding?

Do you give her water from a bottle or a bowl?

I'm not sure I would recommend vinegar in the water, all my rabbits hate the smell of it and I would think that would dissuade drinking... But that's just my guys, I suppose.

 

[qtipthebun]

Qtip loves a little apple cider vinegar in her water.

I had a problem with her not drinking when I go home. Have you changed the source that you get her water from? Like tap v. fridge? Or bottled v. tap? Or kitchen sink v. bathroom sink?

Q will only drink from the bathroom faucet in my apartment. So when I go home, I have to bottle water from my bathroom faucet for her.

Good luck.

 

[knail86]

I just changed the bottle from a 32 0z. LM animal farm bottle to a 64 oz petsmart brand bottle, shes been eating allot of veggies and pellets, mabe she could be getting most of her water from veggies. I put a bowl out and she drank from that.

 

[qtipthebun]

Maybe she doesn't like the new bottle? Try putting a dab of banana on the part where she licks.

 

[Mink]

What type of ball does the bottle have? Is it resistant to being pushed on?

My bunny wasn't drinking much at first, but I did some troubleshooting - The bottle I gave him had a Spring-Loaded ball and he wasn't strong enough to push it a lot. I switched him to a loose, not-spring-ball bottle and he has been drinking plenty!

 

[BunMommaD]

Our cookie inceased his water intake by at least double when we switched from a bottle to a bowl... Also if you add a tiny bit of juice to the water it could help them be interested! But if he is eating alot of veggies that are wet when served he is getting a good bit of hydration from that too