Water bottle training??

[Roxie]

Roxie currenlty uses a water bowl but i am convinced it would be easier to water bottle train her. Anyone have any suggestions how to kick start it ?? Thanks
~Hannah rivateeyes and Roxie:rabbithop

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Put the bottle above the bowl and only have a little water in the bowl. They should eventually get it. Maybe put something tasty on the tip to intice them. I dont know what though:dunno. Good luck

 

[Roxie]

it looks basically like this with a flip top

~Hannah rivateeyes and Roxie :rabbithop

 

[~BunBuns~]

i think what korr_and_sophie said is a good idea.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Yep, if you just put one in the cage, they get it pretty quick. I'd just leave the bowl though for now til she gets used to using it.

I prefer bowls though, all the bottles I had leaked.:X Plus, bowls are easier to fill, clean imo.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Korr_and_Sophie wrote:

Maybe put something tasty on the tip to intice them.

A touch of honey on the tip.

Put some apple juice in place of waterin the bottle.

Rainbows!

 

[petkeeper]

I agree..they pick it up really quick. Just make sure you watch them to make sure they are getting enough.

 

[TinysSis]

It's cute to see how quickly babies pick up on the water bottle concept, probably because they see mama drinking from it all the time . . ^.^ You have little furries whose eyes are barely open, and they're standing up to get at the bottle ..

One thing that might help, besides the sweet stuff on/in the bottle, is to 'lick' the bottle tip with your finger. It makes an intriguing sound, which might make the bunny curious, and it gets the tip a little wet so they can smell the water. That might make them lick it, and from there they learn fast.

 

[bluebird]

Leave the bowl in untill you are positive she is drinking from it.Some of my older rabbits refuse too drink from the flip top water bottles.the old style with the balls in them i have never had a rabbit refuse too drink from.bluebird

 

[JimD]

I'd go with a bowl under the bottle.

You can add some vanilla to the water to temp them.

I prefer bottles.
Our fosterbun uses a bowl and he always seems to have something in it...toys, litter, poops,pellets, hay, HIS FEET! :?.
I'm going to work on switching him over.

 

[StinkyBunny101]

This is what worked for me. Once the water bottle is in the cage simply hold your bunny in front of it. Rub their nose on it a couple of times so they know water is coming out of it. Mine would lick their nose and then start licking the bottle. Just my .02

 

[TinysMom]

I was just feeding in the rabbitry and found one baby that will be 3 weeks old tomorrow - standing up to drink out of the water bottle. She's my most curious bunny in that litter so I'm not really surprised...

My point? I'm sure if a 3 week old can learn it - your rabbit can learn it too if you help them!

Peg

 

[Wee Wabbits]

This is kinda going off on a side note but just thought I'd mention that Oasis water bottles work very well. They don't leak and the lid screws on evenly and very easily. I love them. I haven't tried the flip top ones so don't know how they work but for all of you who are sick of drippy water bottles try these. -Steph

 

[Wee Wabbits]

Here's a link showing what they look like.

http://www.arcatapet.com/fullsize/1811.jpg

 

[missyscove]

The ones with the flip-tops are often the pin in tube kind rather than the ball bearing kind. My bunnies could only fugure out the ball bearing ones. Just a tip.

 

[JimD]

I put a bottle up for Buckley last night, and he took right to it.
Such a good bunnie!!

 

[naturestee]

Just as a note, not all rabbits can drink from water bottles. Mocha never has and never will. I tried multiple brands and styles. She figured them out but had a hard time getting enough water out. Then she would refuse to touch them, even if I had taken her water bowl out. This little princess demands a bowl!

 

[Gordon]

I got my two guys when they were four months old, and they had never seen a water bottle until I introduced it to them. They did ok with it, but it was cheap and it leaked, so I went back to what they were used to, which was tin cans fastened to the corners of their cages. Plus, they have a bowl nowadays, that they use in the hallway, and it's always funny to hear them sucking the water up.

 

[Roxie]

UPDATE: Roxie is kinda catching on i put peanut butter on the tip every day . The water bowl is under the bottle and she seems to like it i am keeping the bowl in though just to be safe
~Hannah rivateeyes and Roxie :rabbithop