How do I tell if only 1 out of 2 bunnies is drinking?

[Ksom]

How do you tell if one rabbit is not drinking if you have a bonded pair?

I often see Jim drinking (mainly after a run) but it occurred to me yesterday that I can't remember the last time I saw Rosie drink. Is there a certain time of day rabbits mainly drink that I should watch out for? Could she just not like drinking in public?

Also there are sometimes some half-size poos in the litter tray, but I don't know who's done what.

So should I separate the rabbits? And if so, how? Because Rosie went mental when I put her in the carry case and Jim wasn't in with her, biting the bars and ramming against them. I ended up taking Jim along to the vet too, just to get her to calm down. I think they're really close and I don't want to mess with their bond...

Sorry if that's an obvious one, I'm new to bunnies!
Thanks x

 

[majorv]

Other than separating them or watching them 24/7 it would be hard to know. You could take the water away unless you can watch them, but that's not really a good solution. I'm not sure it's something to be concerned just yet.

 

[Tauntz]

Here's what I did when I had to monitor my Hope. My bunny girls enjoy their xpen together so I went to Tractor Supply & purchased a roll of their hardware cloth & the cable ties. I attached the hardware cloth to the xpen using the cable ties on the backside dividing the xpen in two. As I unrolled the hardware cloth to my xpen entrance I had a little bit extra & since I didn't have the tools I needed I brought the end of the roll out of the xpen & then closed the xpen. It divided the xpen in half so each bunny had their side of the xpen & could still be close to each other as well as still see each other. I had extra food/water dishes & litter pans so each bun had access to their own. I was able to monitor each buns eating/drinking & litter use! Worked great! They are now back together in their undivided xpen but it is easy for me to setup again should I need it!

 

[BabyMiyo]

If they have a cage they sleep in at night, just lock them in there for a day keeping the two separated by a simple wired cage divider, and of course with two different water bottles. Or you could keep one in the cage and one out, where they can still see each other.

Or it could simply be a matter of providing different drinking implements. Your bun may be having trouble working that particular bottle mechanism, so she doesn't use it as much as she should. Try putting in a bowl of water, or a bottle with a different water dispensing mechanism to see if she likes that better.

 

[Ksom]

Thanks for all the replies.

They are in an X-pen and I do have 2 of things, so I could do that. How long did you keep them separate? And did it upset them?

Rosie has used the bottle before, it's just since last week when I moved their enclosure for Christmas - Mum wanted her dining room back! So they're in my brother's old bedroom now, I don't think she likes the change much, Jim loves it, lots of exploring. I added a bowl of water anyway just in case she prefers that.

It's because Rosie has mystery bald spots that every little thing is worrying me now.

Thanks again, Kx

 

[Tauntz]

I separated them in their xpen for quite awhile. Don't remember exactly how long but guessing around a month. I wanted to continue to monitor each bunny's poop to make sure they were both doing okay & not needing to return to the vet.

They weren't the happiest of buns being in the same xpen separated with the hardware cloth but they did okay. Mostly they flopped down next to each other with the hardware cloth keeping them separated. They could still see & smell each other but couldn't touch due to the tiny openings in the hardware cloth. I didn't have any problems & the buns were not too upset with the arrangement. Faith realized Hope wasn't well & I think she knew I was trying to do everything to make her well again so they could be together.

I also think this is probably the best way to be able to separate two buns with the least upsets for everybun. I'm interested in other replies from members perhaps with an even better arrangement but so far this worked well for my buns when they needed it. It's also quick for me to set up again should I need to.

Hope your bunnies do well. Keep us updated.

 

[zombiesue]

It's pretty normal to take bonded rabbits to the vet together when only one needs to be seen. I took all three before they were bonded, even, to use it as a bonding experience, and next time I go, I will take all three again So don't think you're strange for having to do that. I'd just plan on taking them both next time, unless something prevents you from doing so.

I think that Tauntz really has a good idea with the hardware cloth for the xpen. It's well-known to be stressful for bonded rabbits to be separated, but in cases where they needed to be (a good example would be spaying and neutering on young rabbits, they need to be separated to heal) I've heard of success with cage dividers or side-by-side cages. It seems to keep them bonded and reassure one another that they're okay.

As for the bald patches, are you sure it's not just a molt? How long have you had the rabbits?

 

[Imbrium]

For what it's worth, some bunnies naturally drink a lot more than others - when my girls were young and I still used a water bottle instead of bowls, I could tell from the next room which bunny was drinking because Nala would get aggressive with the bottle and chomp on it. Overall, Gaz seemed to drink 3-4 times as much water as Nala (Gaz also ate a lot more leafy greens; picky little Nala didn't eat much veggies at all) even though their weights were very similar - the difference seemed so significant that I got paranoid enough to take them both to the vet for urinalyses. $70 or so later, I found out that both girls were perfectly healthy. A healthy rabbit will drink however much water they feel they need to, and that amount can differ significantly from rabbit to rabbit even when they're similar sizes and have similar veggie intakes.

Imo, separating them to monitor water consumption is pointless since comparing one rabbit's water intake to another rabbit's will NOT tell you if one of them is drinking an excessive amount or isn't drinking enough. The only way to determine if their water intake is a sign of a health problem is to compare a bunny's current intake to their past/previous intake (in other words, a sudden increase or decrease in water consumption relative to that particular bunny's "normal" amount would indicate that something might be wrong); even then, you have to take into account the water they get through leafy green veggies (especially if they're fed to the bunny while still damp from being washed). If you don't know how much she typically drinks when healthy, then you don't have a "control" to compare her current intake to and the data (about water intake) obtained by separating and monitoring is meaningless.

Oh, and if you do a "tent test" to check for dehydration (pull up the skin between her shoulder blades to see if it goes back into place pretty quickly), that could confirm that there's an issue but can't confirm the absence of any issues.

As for the half-sized poops... they're not necessarily indicative of an issue, but they could be. Some of it depends on the quantity/frequency of odd poops and whether the bunny's poop goes back to normal pretty quickly. While it may not end up mattering, it certainly can't hurt to determine which bunny the abnormal poops are coming from so that if you continue to see them, you know which bunny is having issues. In other words, while I think it's pointless to separate them to monitor water intake, I actually think it would be a very good idea to separate them for poop-monitoring purposes. I recommend using Tauntz' suggestions about how to separate them .

Guide to bunny poops

[Btw, you always want to take both bunns to the vet together if they're bonded even if the second bunny doesn't "need" to go - if one comes home to the other smelling like "weird vet's office" it can definitely upset their bond... perhaps Rosie knew that when she coerced you into bringing Jim along .]

Edit: by the way, have you had the bald patches checked out by your vet to rule out mites as a possible cause? (I don't remember off-hand if you've got a separate thread somewhere about the bald spots.)

 

[lovelops]

I would put then in different pens and monitor them to see WHO is drinking. I had the same problem with my two Agouti's until I had them in different cages and then I could determine who was the water hog (her brother Chico) and who was not getting all the water she needed (chica) now that have them in different cages, I can tell who drank X amount of water and who I think might be getting dehydrated and I need to give some water in a syringe to... I can also tell now who likes what food and know what their individual tastes are for food...

 

[Ksom]

I love this forum, suddenly I'm all reassured! That guide to bunny poops is great - small poops = stress of moving rooms over Xmas, simple Plus I did feel like I was doing something wrong sending them both to the vet, good to know that's not the case.

Rosie is only about 2/3 the size of Jim - I hadn't taken that into account or the leafy veg, which they get quite a lot of. Maybe Rosie does just need less.

My Mum suggested I set up the video camera at the water bottle, because Rosie might not like being watched. She runs around more when I'm not in the room. I can't really bring myself to separate them yet...

I mentioned the bald patches when I introduced myself I think I called the thread "Hello from Scotland" and I think you replied, Imbruim. She's been seen by the vet twice (different vets, first was really just for a nail trim)and told it's not mites. Jim doesn't groom her either.

Thanks for the reassurance,
Kx

 

[Imbrium]

If it's not over-grooming and your vet is stumped as far as potential medical causes, then I recommend checking out this article about Dr. Dana Krempels. She's got a PhD in Biology and 35 years of experience as a rabbit owner, among other impressive credentials, and she answers questions for free through a website (link is in the article). If you submit a question and let her know what's been ruled out, she may be able to come up with other possibilities for you (and/or your vet) to consider.

 

[Ksom]

Thanks for the link. I've had a look at that website and if the man at the rescue centre doesn't come up with anything (I emailed to ask if it has happened before) I'll give her a go.

There's already a thread about bald patches - it says mites are hard to see, is that just with the naked eye? The vet looked at Rosie's fur under a microscope... My Mum keeps saying the vet wasn't worried about it so I shouldn't worry either.

Hopefully David at the rescue centre will say something to put my mind at rest, maybe it's just a Rosie thing! She doesn't seem bothered by it at least.

Kx

 

[Imbrium]

If he couldn't see them with a microscope, then I assume she'd be mite-free