Why is my new rabbit drinking her wee?

pumpkin6 · Sep 1, 2017

Hi, I'm new to this site, so hello all.
I have had my 2 newest bunnies for 4 days now. They both drink so much compared to my other 4 bunnies. But I have also noticed that one of them is drinking her sisters wee! Any ideas as to why she would do this? Thanks

Skavatar · Sep 1, 2017

Probably doesn't know the difference between urine and water? Or lacking in some minerals/vitamins?

More information would help, like age of bunnies, what they're being fed, type of cage, litter box training, etc.

pumpkin6 · Sep 2, 2017

They are around 3-4 months old. Both Rex bunnies, very affectionate and calm. They eat lots of hay and some pellets. They have grass, parsley and greens daily. They are house bunnies, they have an indoor hutch and the run of the lounge for at least 6 hours a day. ( supervised). I've had rabbits as pets for most of my life, and have 4 other rabbits at the moment, compared to them, they seem to drink so much. I've never noticed any of my other rabbits drink wee, and this one does it a few times a day! I've looked online for answers, but all I've found so far is some people say if a rabbit was neglected they can sometimes drink wee to survive, but as she is so young and a healthy size, weight, active and friendly I can see no obvious signs that she has ever been neglected. Just a little puzzled as to why she would do it.

Aki · Sep 2, 2017

I had never heard of this problem so I just did a search on the best French rabbit forum and found an article about it. It appeared to be something some rabbits do and it doesn't seem to indicate any problem. Apparently, some rabbits are neat freaks and will lick the pee of the floor when it's not in the litterbox to clean it up and others seem to just be lazy and drink pee if it's closer than the water bowl when they are thirsty. Some rabbits begin to do that suddenly without any apparent reason and keep doing it for months or years or forever. From what people were saying, it's a mystery ^^. As you probably know, drinking a lot might be a sign of a health issue (like a kidney failure) but considering both of the rabbits are doing it... some rabbits drink more than others - my doe drinks a lot more than any other rabbit I've ever had and... I've had her for 8 years, so she's not ill, she just drinks a lot... Maybe it's a rex thing? Some dog breeds are known to drink more than others so maybe it's true for bunnies as well? I've never owned one so I don't know.

pumpkin6 · Sep 2, 2017

Thank you, Aki, really useful information. It could be a Rex thing, it's the first time I've had them so don't have experience of drinking habits with them. Like you said, as they are young it's doubtful that it's kidney issues. I will just mention it to the vet at their next check up, just to make sure. Maybe my wee drinking bunny is just extra tidy?!