Drinking tons of water??

[MauiWaui]

My Rolo has been drinking tons of water lately. Its not very hot here so I'm not sure if its because of summer heat. Usually he drinks one bowl of water a day (I fill it when I wake up). The bowl is maybe 6 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches high. Lately though he has been drinking lots of water. I fill it 4 or more times a day! I have 4 rabbits in total and he's the only one that drinks this much. 2 of my other rabbits are double the size of him and they still dont drink that much. Other than that he's been eating, pooping, peeing and playing like normal. Any thoughts of why he would drink this much? TIA

 

[JBun]

Usually with such an excessive increase in water consumption, it can indicate a medical problem, possibly with the kidney's. E. cuniculi can also be a cause of the kidney problems. It would be a good idea to get him checked by your vet asap, and get a few tests done, like a urinalysis to check for kidney function, and a blood test to check for e. cuniculi, to rule out these things as possible causes.

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/ChronicRenalLagomorph.htm

 

[Watermelons]

How old is this rabbit? is he neutered? has anything changed in his diet? are you giving him less or more of something? What type of environment is he kept in? Is this the wild one you picked up outside? was he ever vet checked prior? Has he ever been dewormed?
I want to rule out summer heat because (looking out the window) the weather on the island sucks...
He could have a medical issue, he could be doing secret bunny 500's when you're not looking.
Much more info is needed.

 

[MauiWaui]

Yes he is the bunny I found outside. He is not neutered yet. I am unsure of his age because he was found outside but he still hasn't had his testicles drop yet. I have a feeling he is around 3 1/2 months old. He's kept indoors and he's in a "storage cube" grid cage. His cage is 42" x 42". 2 weeks ago I had attached my spayed female bun's grid cage to his so that he has a friend to hang out with. They aren't in the same enclosure just 2 cages combined with a divider. (she's been beside his cage for a month). He occasionally binkies or chews on his cardboard hidey house but most of the time he is at the divider laying next to his girlfriend. I have changed his diet a little. He was eating hay, and fresh stuff (store bought and from outside). Then in May I switched him onto hay, fresh stuff and gradually pellets (oxbow young rabbit). Even with the pellets he was only drinking 1 bowl a day. He just started drinking a lot starting this week. He was vet checked a couple days after getting him (cause he had the tiny shriveled poop), he had been de-wormed and had a treatment of advantage as well. Yeah the heat is out of the question lol its quite chilly and damp here
if you need any more info let me know

 

[tonyshuman]

I recommend getting him checked out. With a young bunny, he may have a congenital defect in the kidneys. He also could have been exposed to some pesticide or something that damages the kidneys while he was living outside. If you can, get a good estimate on his water intake. Measure out water into a large pitcher, more than you think he'll need for the day, and use just that water. At the end of the day subtract that amount remaining in the pitcher so that you know how much you used to fill his bowl. A 12 or 24 hour period would be helpful. You can do the same on a different day for a bunny that doesn't drink a ton. Taking that info to the vet will help them see the magnitude of his drinking. Also, be sure he's not tipping it over. We have a strange rabbit that likes to sleep next to the water bowl, and often flops into the side of it, splashing a lot of water out (he's big so his flops make the bowl move around a lot).

 

[middlemuse]

How much water is excessive? I got my Ariabunny a 2 quart cat waterer a couple weeks ago after observing that she kept emptying her water bowls pretty regularly, and lately she'll go through 2/3 of it in 24 hours. But it has warmed up a lot, and she's molting, so I figured all the water must be a good thing.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We've had some that drink way more than others but there were no health issues, just different bunnies. Finn eats as much Orchard Grass as Serena and he's 1/3rd her size and he can out-poop any animal on earth size to size.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Ripley had this problem a month or two ago. I freaked out and took him into the vet. There was nothing visibly wrong and Ripley had recently already had blood work done a month before that. I realized a week or two before he'd started shedding a lot/molting. Sure enough, after he finally stopped shedding, it finally went away and he drinks a normal amount again now.

Not that it is a bad idea to take him into the vet (obviously I took my guy) but I don't know if it's necessary if he's molting or anything like that. Plus, he may be growing and things like that can impact it. If you're really worried about it however, it doesn't hurt-especially if you haven't had him in for a well check since getting him.

How much(many cups) does the dish hold? (A normal US customary Cup is 236mLs)
On average, a bunny should drink 50 to 150ml/kg of body weight.

Also, a bunny that's young and not being fed greens yet will likely drink extra water because they aren't getting as much moisture in their food; more dry hay and pellets requires more water.

 

[MauiWaui]

I actually just realized he is shedding heavily. Maybe that's why? He's been drinking a lot but not as much as usual. He stopped drinking so much after I let my doe stay with him. No clue if stress from not being able to interact with her would do it as well? I remeasured the bowl and it holds 410ml and I had to fill it 4 or more times a day. He's also a small bun not sure his weight but he is smaller than a 8 week old mini-lop. Ever since I let him stay with the doe he has been drinking only 2 cups a day. Ill wait it out since it seems he's getting better

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Yeah, my guess is that is has to do with the shedding. Ripley's molts are just like that-4 or 5 times the normal amount of water throughout and for a little bit after.

 

[tonyshuman]

That is a lot of water. I would still have him seen by a vet to rule out kidney disease. Most bunnies drink a cup or less of water a day. It is hard to say, though, due to size, diet variation (veggies add water to the diet), and climate differences. More water helps things move through the GI tract better, but it is still excessive. I only refill the water bowl because it has gotten dust, hay, etc in it, and I do that once or twice a day. I have an 8oz bowl and two 4lb bunnies (of middle-elderly age).