Drinking Lots of Water

[bobbyv]

Hi,



Beans, our Netherland Dwarf, has been drinking a lot of water lately. He just got over a bout of gastric stasis 2 weeks ago, but his overall behavior has been really good. His weight is a little high for a dwarf (3.9 pounds), so our vet told us to eliminate any treats for the time being and stick mostly to unlimited timothy hay and leafy veggies.

We have a small crock of water for him and normally he'll drink between a quarter to a half of it overnight. The last few nights, he's had the entire crock emptied and drinks a lot more throughout the day also. I have noticed that he's started peeing in a couple different spots other than his corner litter.

Could something be going on here?



I appreciate any advice.



Thanks,



BobbyV

 

[kirbyultra]

I'll let the Infirmary mods say and explain things more accurately but I went through a battery of tests with my rabbit who was a crazy water drinker since the day I brought her home. You'd think she lived in the Sahara all her life. She enjoys slurping water as soon as I put the dish down. When she was first with me she would down like 7 crocks full of water a day if I let her and follow it up by urinating everywhere imaginable. At that volume, she just couldn't be bothered to use her litter box, which she does know how to do, but she just doesn't do it when I give her that much.

I took her to the vet to get her urine tested to make sure it was not an infection. Also got blood tested to make sure it wasn't a sign of kidney issues. When all that was ruled out, she got an x-ray done to make sure it wasn't bladder stones or calcification building up in the bladder. No, she had nothing wrong with her. She's just a behavioral drinker LOL Two different vets have told me that rabbits can drink an enormous amount of water and it could entirely be just individual preference, unlike a dog or cat who almost always indicates a medical issue when drinking that kind of volume.

It was safe for me to limit her water to a comfortable amount so that she didn't pee as much all over the room and since then her max water intake in a day is now down to 3 cups (about 4-5 crock fulls). Still pretty odd and high compared to my other rabbits, but she's fine.

All that said, because your rabbit has exhibited a change in water intake (versus my girl who has always been this way), I would err on the side of caution and get her checked out and tested.

 

[tonyshuman]

I would definitely check for a urinary tract infection. The increased water intake with the peeing in odd places are common signs of it.

Everything else Helen said is right. I would definitely get a blood test to make sure the kidneys are working correctly as well.

How old is he?

Another thing to consider if nothing else comes up positive is that it has been really hot. I know my guys have been drinking more.

 

[Haley]

I agree about having his urine tested just in case. It does sound like it could be a urinary tract infection. Have you been able to see the urine? Is it lighter or darker or anything?
One other thing I noticed is when my rabbits have GI issues, like gas, they tend to pee in weird places. Sometimes I think they have their bellies pressed up against the ground and just pee instead of getting up to go to their litter boxes. Have you checked his belly lately to be sure it doesnt feel distended?
Is he eating normally?

 

[bobbyv]

Thanks for the info. His pee doesn't really seem to be any different than before at times it wasa little darker, but this morning was fairly light colored. We actually have two PetLodge cages connected for his housing. We haveone cage lined with puppy pads and have a corner litter box which he normally uses. This cage also has his water and unlimted timothy hay. The other cage he uses for "sleeping/resting".

Again this morning, we noticed quite a bit of pee in the cage with the hay. He has been eating a lot more hay (fairly dry) lately since we have taken treats out of his diet. He mostly gets the hay and 1/4 cup of cilantro or kale.

We've been trying to limit his diet to this since his weight was 3.9 lbs. and normally dwarf males should be around 2.5 lbs.



Thanks again



BobbyV

 

[kirbyultra]

bobbyv wrote:

We've been trying to limit his diet to this since his weight was 3.9 lbs. and normally dwarf males should be around 2.5 lbs.

 

Thanks again

 

BobbyV

I would be careful using rules like that for weight. That 2.5 lb weight is for really purebred standard Nethie dwarf buns and a lot of pet bunnies labeled as dwarf are actually mixed many times over and thus their "breed" is possibly larger. He could be at a perfectly normal weight for a bunny of his build and size. You would have to judge for yourself if the bunny is overweight or not, though. It's hard for us to judge via pictures and such. It's best to be able to feel the bunny to determine if he is fat. From 3.9 to 2.5 is a very significant weight difference. You're talking about a 56% decrease in body weight and that could be very dangerous for a rabbit if it's not the right weight for him. In any event, 1.4 lb decrease for any small rabbit is significant enough that you should change the diet very gradually if you indeed want him to lose some weight.

 

[tonyshuman]

Like Helen said, some bunnies can be "dwarf" and be heavier than 2.5 lb. Not all "dwarf" bunnies carry the dwarfing gene, and these guys will max out around 4lb. We have one of those--Frida. The best way to tell if a bunny is fat by feeling their body condition and looking for fatty spots. Just like how women carry their weight on the hips and men carry theirs on their bellies, bunnies carry their weight on their underside--from the neck area downward.

However, a more hay-based diet than a pellet-based diet is good if his coat condition and body condition are good.