Drinking of water and reduced hay intake

[Sox]

Just curious about other rabbits. I've had Sox for 6 months now and he is around 8 months of age. This is Sox's first summer with me.

I noticed that his hay intake is kinda lessened unlike winter (it is not very hot summer) and I haven't changed the type of hay but did buy it from a different shop (smellsand looks fresher though). I have however increased the amount of green vegies I fee her.

Also noticed he doesn't drink any water during the hot day but goes crazy with water in the early morning and at night (as his sucking from the bottle wakes me up and I can tell by the measurement on the bottle). Temperature is around 30 - 40 degrees and her hutch is inside the house with a fan sitting outside the hutch. Sometimes she also has a bottle of frozen water in her hutch to help cool things down.

I'm not worried, just curious if this is a norm with other rabbits.

 

[Pipp]

Isn't 40 degrees really hot? :shock: You've got the right idea about keeping the air moving.

Hay-wise, what smells fresher and greener to us isn't always true for the rabbits. My guys tend to go for the brown bits over the green leaves. (There's a great article on hay in the Library that mentions humans shouldn't pick the hay, the horse should).

More veggies (or pellets) means less hay, that goes for my whole crew.

I think my rabbits seem to have set times for drinking -- or they would if they weren't dependent on my erratic schedule.

The big hay eaters are the big drinkers.


sas :bunnydance:

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

funny how the seasons cycle,,earth tips back giving the lower hemisphere their summer,..great barrier reefs are dying,,global change,northern ice cap,greenland melting,,..of course you mean celcius / 40 degrees,-hot-(australia),ice bottle is great,,fan probably helps too,,definately keep-the bunhydrayted,offer water in bottle and bowl,,lots of hay--wet greens,,maybe a wet rag,..the earth is going to tip forward again soon--hang on,,..i am near seattle wash.usa--in july last year-09-it was 112-114 degrees farenhiet/death valley california was 119--what a day we had--the-second -hottest spot in the u.s.a.,..sincerely james waller:wave::rose:you can pet her with wet hands-on the ears,body...

 

[NorthernAutumn]

You can likely increase the water intake by changing to a bowl or crock.
My buns will absolutely inhale a bowl of water, but are much slower about emptying a bottle.

Obviously, in such high temperatures hydration is paramount. If your bun baby isn't drinking enough water for your liking, you can also spike it with a little bit of vanilla, or low sugar cranberry/or apple juice.

Here is a great Lagomorph Library Article, from the Rabbit Health Section:Heat Stress