Boycotting Water

[Caitlin]

Hey,

My rabbit has mysteriously stopped drinking water. We went on vacation for a week and left him with his own area in the basement with lots of hay, pellets, escarole, chicory, and water. When we came back, hardly any water was touched. This is the 2nd day back from vacation and he still hasn't drank anything.

He's a brown Holland Lop and we've had him for almost a year (so he's maybe little over 1 year old). He still eats normally and seems to play/behave normally. He poops just as much but the amount he urinates has drastically reduced.

Before this, he used to drink at least half a bottle a day. On hotter days (which would be around now; we're in New York and July & August are the hottest months) he'd drink a full bottle a day at least. Now suddenly nothing.

Nothing else seems to have changed. The only unusual thing in his diet recently has been dry dog food---sometimes he'd grab some when he came out to play when we weren't looking, but they never made him sick before.

He's been outdoors and he does like to nibble on the grass and some of the plants in our backyard, but he's been doing that for months and it's never had any adverse effect on him. I'm thinking something obviously happened while we were away that week, but I can't figure out what. I've washed his bottle and filled it with clean water and still nothing. Why would a rabbit JUST stop drinking water?

 

[Flashy]

Maybe give him a bowl if you can.

I wonder if the water itself has changed. Did you take him on vacation with you?

My other thought was something wrong with his mouth if his diet has not changed to include more wet greens. Has his diet changed in any way? any new additions to it?

 

[Flashy]

And hey, welcome to the forum

 

[Happi Bun]

This may seem like a silly question, but is his water bottle working? When you hit the spout with your finger does water come out and bubbles go to the surface of the bottle?

How old is the water bottle? Sometimes older water bottles can stop working properly. I had it happen and had to purchase a new one. Dewey was having problems getting it started by himself. Bought a new different brand bottle and have no more problems.

Is he still eating?
Using the litter box?
Is his urine and stool normal?

Try putting a shallow bowl of fresh water down and see if he will drink out of that.

 

[Flashy]

Happibun has Such a good point. that should be the first thing to check.

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks Flashy. :]

I am pretty sure his water bottle is working, yes. I checked and water was coming out of it, but I'll check again. We purchased the bottle maybe around last October/November. Either way, though---while we were on vacation (We did not take him with us, no), we also left out 3 bowls of water in addition to his bottle, and he didn't drink out of those.

He is using the litter box, yep. His stool is normal, and he IS urinating---but a lot less because he's drinking a lot less.


His diet hasn't changed in any way, no. I know bunnies can get molar spurs, but if something was wrong with his mouth or teeth, would he still be eating hay and veggies just like normal?

 

[Maureen Las]

if the water was left while you were on vacation maybe he tasted it and it didn't taste fresh ???? :expressionless

dry dog food is pretty bad for a rabbit if he eats it regularly

I would go get some bottled water and try that just in case he is picking up some odor or element in the water that you aren't .

make sure it is cold bottled water.

Then if he doesn't drink that I would top off a few bowlsof water laced with apple juice and see if he drinks that ...
Maybe there is something wrong with the water supply that you cannot detect.

 

[Amy27]

I would soak his veggies in water for at least an hour. They will absorb some of the water and he will consume more water that way when eating them.

I would try to find the underlying cause as soaking the greens still doesn't solve your problem about why he stopped drinking, but is something you can do to try to get more water in him until you figure it out.

 

[Caitlin]

I would go get some bottled water and try that just in case he is picking up some odor or element in the water that you aren't .

make sure it is cold bottled water.

Then if he doesn't drink that I would top off a few bowls of water laced with apple juice and see if he drinks that ...

I'll try this, and I'm going to start soaking his veggies too. But I mean, we have 7 other cats and 2 dogs living in the house. Could there really be something wrong with our tap water that's ONLY harmful to rabbits?

I'm starting to get really worried. I noticed our rabbit was fatter upon returning from vacation (which wouldn't necessarily be strange seeing as how we did give him a LOT of hay and food), but I'm beginning to worry that maybe it isn't fat. Can rabbits become bloated from dehydration?

 

[Maureen Las]

Your tap water is probably fine if the other animals are fine
he probably stuffed himself while you were gone;; did you leave a ton of veggies for him???

Maybe he got all the water he needed from excess veggies???
If he was dehydrated it i would be hard to pinch his skin ; it would feel 'dry " rather than a roll of moist flesh
This is strange ; i have to admit .............:expressionless

 

[tonyshuman]

He could not be drinking because his tummy is upset from the feeding over the last week, but that would probably make him eat less too. Another thing to entice bunnies to drink more is to add a drop of vanilla flavoring to the water. It is strange though that it started so suddenly, and that leads me to worry there might be a urinary tract issue. It's possible that he knows drinking makes him pee more, and peeing hurts, so he doesn't want to drink so much. I mean, bunnies aren't terribly smart, but he could have definitely figured out that cause and effect. If it persists for a while, or you see any changes in urine other than volume, he should be seen by a vet.

 

[Caitlin]

How can I check his urine? We use Yesterday's News for his litter---how would I be able to notice differences in his urine if it all gets absorbed by the litter?

This is really upsetting me. But our family doesn't exactly have the most money, so we can't exactly afford a lot of expensive vet visits. Does anyone know if North Shore Animal League takes care of rabbits?

 

[Happi Bun]

I'm sorry you are upset, I understand how horribly frustrating not knowing must be. Hang in there! :hug:

How about trying a light colored towel? That way you can tell what color his urine is and the texture it has.

Keep an eye out for signs of dehydration; acting lethargic and/or his skin "stays up" when you gently pinch it. If this happens then he will definitely need to see a qualified vet ASAP to get some fluids.

 

[tonyshuman]

A light colored towel would work, and I would be looking for a white chalky substance or swirls of red blood that would be visible on Yesterday's News anyway. The white stuff would be quite sandy-looking in texture but white in color, and the blood would be red strings or swirls. Just take a look at the litter when you get a chance. Another option is the towel, like Happi Bun suggested, or white Carefresh Ultra. It's not cheap, and I don't like Carefresh for odor control or the way it clumps when wet, but it's good for when you're worried about stuff in the urine.

 

[Caitlin]

Well, I got lucky because he actually peed out of his litter box a couple times (He peed in his bowl, which he does occasionally; not sure why), and his urine doesn't look any different from normal.

What I don't understand is how he can still be acting happy and energetic when he's basically had nothing to drink other than veggies for days? No matter what the cause of this, shouldn't he be dehydrated by now? How long is a rabbit supposed to be able to go without water?

 

[Maureen Las]

he may be getting enough water from he veggies; several of mine barely drink anything , however you are noticing a change from the usual and that is significant

(unless he is getting way more veggies)

 

[tonyshuman]

:yeahthat:

I remember taking Tony in to the vet the first time and being worried that he didn't drink--he got all his water from veggies.

However, he did drink a lot before, so that worries me.

 

[Maureen Las]

tonyshuman wrote:

:yeahthat:

I remember taking Tony in to the vet the first time and being worried that he didn't drink--he got all his water from veggies.

However, he did drink a lot before, so that worries me.

Maybe he didn't get veggies before (like in a shelter?)..could that be it?

 

[tonyshuman]

Oh sorry I was talking about the OP's bunny, who did drink a lot before they went on vacation.

I don't know if Tony drank a lot at the shelter--he didn't get veggies there. I immediately put him on the HRS diet of tons of greens (not a gradual change like I was supposed to) when I got him, so he just didn't drink at all. I also only had a bowl and I now know (years later) that he prefers a bottle. :shrug: