Water Bottle Help

[assen]

Hi, I finally had time to go out and get a water bottle for my bunny, and I was wondering how to make him start drinking from it? I dont think he realizes its water and he can drink it, because he still goes to the bowl to drink when its out of the cage, any tips to train ihm with this?

Thanks

 

[Pipp]

I usually just put the water bowl under the water bottle and give the bottle a bit of a squeeze every once in awhile.

Most of my guys prefer a bowl, but a few of them also like throwing their bowls, so they get very heavy crocks.

I'm about to look into the type of bowl you can affix to the bars of a pen, not sure how that's going to work.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

I hate bottles as they always leak, now I use bowls and they never have trouble finding it. They shouldn't have trouble finding a bottle, maybe juggle it a bit as Sas suggested. I think they know it and are just playing dumb to chum you, haha.

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Some people suggest putting a drop of something sweet on the end of the nozzle to entice them to drink.

It is probably best to put the bottle in the same place that the bowl was and don't take the bowl out, but leave it empty. That way, the bunny will attempt to get water but realize the bowl is empty and bump into the bottle which will let water out. Usually it's a quick process and doesn't take long, but keep an eye on your bunny to make sure he catches on.

Some people also choose to remove the bowl entirely and just leave the bottle in it's place. This seems to be successful too. Again, you just want to keep an eye out that they find it quickly and are able to drink after not too long.

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

assen wrote:

Hi, I finally had time to go out and get a water bottle for my bunny, and I was wondering how to make him start drinking from it? I dont think he realizes its water and he can drink it, because he still goes to the bowl to drink when its out of the cage, any tips to train ihm with this?

Thanks

sometimes,,our thinking takes a turn-after a disaster./.mine was withmy granddaughtersdwarf hamster--he was a happy little guy,and one day-i said where is the hamster-his water bottle is empty/dead/..so the problem was transparent bottle--no indicator of water level.//.upgrading this problem-i installed floating orange balls into all bottles,,and gave every critter a crock-full of water...sorry if my approach seems rude,,.rabbits drink from crocks isthe natural way to drink,,i would not try to train a rabbit to drink from only a bottle.//.some take to the bottle,but i believewater must be available in two ways....sincerely james waller:big wink: