I switched out my bunny from using a water bottle to a bowl recently and I’m not sure how to really tell how much water he is drinking. I left the bottle in there just in case he doesn’t like the bowl and would rather that so at least he drinks some. He hasn’t drank out of it so I figured he likes the bowl better but how do I tell if he is drinking enough? It’s not empty every morning when I go to feed him and I’ll clean it out just so it is fresh but should it be empty or at least like halfway? I feel like he drank more water when it was just the bottle.
Is my bunny drinking enough water
- Thread starter Makaylaa
- Start date
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Water bowls are always preferred as they're more natural and better on their necks. If he's acting normal, he's most likely drinking enough. Mine doesn't drink that much water from his bowl because he always gets a ton of water from his veggies. I also rarely see him drinking. Offering fresh water and feeding the veggies soaked will help make sure he gets enough water. The bowl (depending on the size) won't be empty after one day, especially if water soaked veggies are provided. Can you attach a picture of the bowl? What (if any) vegetables are provided? Are they given wet?
This is his water bowl and veggies, it is organic spring mix. I don’t give them wet should I start to ?
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lavendertealatte
Well-Known Member
My bun actually prefers his water bottle ... he is so weird! Maybe because it is right where his hay is. He moves his neck in a weird position to drink from it. Should I force him to use a bowl?
I’ve heard bowls are better just so they don’t get dehydrated and there is bacteria in bottles. I’m new to this kinda stuff so I’m not sure if I’m giving the best advice but I think that you should try out the bowl again and see if he will drink out of it. what I did was put both the bowl and the bottle in his cage to see what he would drink and he stopped drinking out of the bottle completely. Eventually I think he will drink out of the bowl if there is nothing else there. Just like when I transitioned my bunny to healthier pellets he didn’t really care for it all that much but it was the only thing there so he has to eat it and now he always eats all of it.
somebunnylovesme
Well-Known Member
My rabbit uses a water bottle. He can drink out of a water bowl but he loves his bottle. He gets this glazed look in his eyes when he drinks from it.
With water bottles sometimes they don't fit properly onto the cage. My rabbit's water bottle is placed where he isn't tilting his head to drink and he has a wide mouth spout. Replacing fresh water into the bottle every day and don't have it in direct sun light it will be fine where there will be no bacteria growth. You can clean the bottle out with warm water vinegar and with a small scrub brush. Always check the tip of the spout for rust.
I had this discussion with a vet who was telling me my rabbit should be drinking out of a bowl because my rabbit will drink more. I asked vet how much water should my rabbit be drink. The vet told me 4 ounces and I told the vet that is what he drinks out a water bottle or a little more.
If I give my rabbit veggies in the morning (which he prefers) I find that he drinks less water. When I give him veggies at night he'll drink more water through the day.
Some people prefer a water bottle over a bowl because there is less dust, bugs, fur etc... going into the water and being ingested. Other people prefer a bowls because they feel its more natural. There are pros and cons to everything. At the end of the day, its what is working for your rabbit and what makes your rabbit happy.
With water bottles sometimes they don't fit properly onto the cage. My rabbit's water bottle is placed where he isn't tilting his head to drink and he has a wide mouth spout. Replacing fresh water into the bottle every day and don't have it in direct sun light it will be fine where there will be no bacteria growth. You can clean the bottle out with warm water vinegar and with a small scrub brush. Always check the tip of the spout for rust.
I had this discussion with a vet who was telling me my rabbit should be drinking out of a bowl because my rabbit will drink more. I asked vet how much water should my rabbit be drink. The vet told me 4 ounces and I told the vet that is what he drinks out a water bottle or a little more.
If I give my rabbit veggies in the morning (which he prefers) I find that he drinks less water. When I give him veggies at night he'll drink more water through the day.
Some people prefer a water bottle over a bowl because there is less dust, bugs, fur etc... going into the water and being ingested. Other people prefer a bowls because they feel its more natural. There are pros and cons to everything. At the end of the day, its what is working for your rabbit and what makes your rabbit happy.
SableSteel
Well-Known Member
I've heard that rabbits drink more when drinking out of a bowl vs a bottle, but I leave it up to personal preference for my buns. I give them a bowl and bottle and whichever one they never use gets taken away. Right now I have nine drinking out of bowls, and five drinking out of bottles. Bowls are nice get dirty quickly, so I prefer bottles (my bottles are wide mouth top fill so they're easy to fill and clean). All my bottles are just above neck height so they don't have to contort themselves to get a drink. As long as they're drinking water at all, I rarely worry about them drinking too little - dehydrated rabbits usually eat less, and thats an easier way for me to tell. My rabbits which are all about 4 lbs drink about 10 fl oz a day.
Okay thank you, he always loved a bottle but now he just uses the bowl. And awh you have so many bunnies, creds to you they come with a lot of responsibility. Is it hard to take care of that many bunnies? I had two and that was hard for me, sadly one recently passed away.
Thank you for the help
