Rabbit Water Intake

[Happy Hollands]

How much water should the average bunny drink per pound per day?

 

[Hermelin]

My holland lop drinks 500 ml/day and he’s around 4 pounds. So if I go after him a bunny of 1 pound should drink around 125 ml/day. Which near towards what my netherland dwarf drinks in a day he drinks max 150 ml and weight around 740 grams. I think he often drinks around 100 ml/day to be a bit more real.

I use bowls so my measurement can be a bit of error. I know when Toste have a 500 ml bowl it will need to be filled up after a day. He have a 1.5 liter bowl which works a lot better with him.

But then it come down to how much veggies they eat and hay, the temperatures and movement

 

[Nuage]

Oreo drinks about 2 1/2 cups when it is warmer, and she drinks about 1 3/4- 2 cups. She is 5.5 pounds.

 

[Blue eyes]

But then it come down to how much veggies they eat and hay, the temperatures and movement

Agreed! It can vary greatly depending on those factors and the individual rabbit.

 

[Happy Hollands]

Thank you all! So ideally 1/4 to 1/2 cup per pound per day? I am starting to be more aware of the amount my rabbit's drink. I know each rabbit varies but it's good to have in the back of my mind!

How often do you guys change out the water source, and do you prefer a water bowl or bottle? I personally change the water source 2-3 times per day, and use a bowl as I believe it is more natural, less risk of malfunctioning, and makes me more likely to clean it out often.

 

[NYAngela]

I’m not sure how much my bunny weighs, we don’t have our first vet appointment until Nov. he’s a 3.5 mos old netherland dwarf. He drinks 1/2 cup per day. I measure how much I put in his bowl and what’s left. I change it every morning.

 

[Zee-Man]

I've an American Chinchilla. She drinks widely varied amounts of water. That is chiefly because she gets plenty of wild fodder. There are days when she will drink 250 ml and days when she will barely drop the level of her bottle.

 

[Happy Hollands]

One of my rabbits weighs 2.06 lbs and drinks a minimum of one cup per day of water. Is this normal then?

 

[Hermelin]

One of my rabbits weighs 2.06 lbs and drinks a minimum of one cup per day of water. Is this normal then?

Sounds normal

 

[Happy Hollands]

Sounds normal

Thanks for the confirmation

Some days she drinks up to 2 1/2 cups of water, she's very active and also eats more hay than any other rabbit I own! It probably varies depending on the weather, but I refill her water 2 to 4 times per day.

 

[JBun]

16 oz is kind of a lot for a little 2 lb bunny and doesn't seem normal to me. I would be worried there might be a possible health issue there. Does she maintain a good weight still, or any other signs of a possible health issue like creamy/gritty/gel like thick urine, wet bum, drooling, dropping food from her mouth, not eating her cecals, etc?

Do all of your other rabbits drink a lot as well, or just her? Generally water consumption is about 1 oz per lb of body weight, but that can vary a little depending on diet, ,environmental temp, and the individual rabbit. I would say 4 oz/lb max, but even that is getting to the point of being excessive. Over 8 oz/lb is a lot for a rabbit to be drinking.

 

[Happy Hollands]

16 oz is kind of a lot for a little 2 lb bunny and doesn't seem normal to me. I would be worried there might be a possible health issue there. Does she maintain a good weight still, or any other signs of a possible health issue like creamy/gritty/gel like thick urine, wet bum, drooling, dropping food from her mouth, not eating her cecals, etc?

Do all of your other rabbits drink a lot as well, or just her? Generally water consumption is about 1 oz per lb of body weight, but that can vary a little depending on diet, ,environmental temp, and the individual rabbit. I would say 4 oz/lb max, but even that is getting to the point of being excessive. Over 8 oz/lb is a lot for a rabbit to be drinking.

I'm pretty sure she spills most of it I just went off of what I refill daily... but I'm not worried as she has a very healthy diet and has got a clean bill of health from the vet recently!