How much water do bunnies drink?

[wytche]

I'm a little concerned. Dexta has a water bottle and it doesn't seem to empty very much. How much water should he be drinking? I know he can use it because he only had a water bottle in the pet store and I've seen him at it.

 

[missyscove]

Water consumption will vary a lot from rabbit to rabbit and also depends on things like climate and the rest of the diet.
Some rabbits do drink more out of a crock, so you might try offering both a crock and a bottle and seeing if that changes things.

 

[WhiteCharlie]

Yeah you should try offering both. He might prefer the crock. Charlie doesn't like the crock at all, likes it a lot when we put really cold water in the bottle and drinks the most water when it's cold. Also, we change the water quite often, at least twice a day, so he doesn't really get a chance to empty the bottle. Just play around with it, our bun is quite picky. He likes things in specific ways. Good luck! :bunnydance:

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Gus drinks less water in the winter than in the summer. Plus bunnies get liquid from fresh greens and grass, so they don't drink as much water when they're getting lots of that.

As long as he has access to fresh water, he'll drink it if he's thirsty enough.

Hope that helps!

Rue

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

You should make sure the water bottle is working. Sometimes they don't work and the rabbit doesn't get any water. Gently tap the ball with your finger. If your finger gets a bit wet, then it is working. If not, you need to figure out what is wrong with it. Air in the tube can cause it not to work, so shaking it a bit can help.
Giving your rabbit a bowl can help. I find that my rabbits like to drink from a bowl rather than a bottle. You can get ones that attach to the cage bars so can't be spilled as easily.

The amount a rabbit will drink depends on the rabbit. Some drink more that others even if on the same diet. Some can go through a full bottle in a day or so while the same amount can last others a couple days.

Figuring out how much your rabbit drinks in a day is useful. If he usually drinks half the bottle in a day, then him drinking much more or less can be reason for concern.

Rabbits can drink more or less depending on the weather and diet. Hot weather means they will drink more than in cooler weather. If they eat lots of veggies, they get water from that so will drink less.

 

[wytche]

Thanks everyone. As it's winter here it's quite cold and Dexta is eating fresh green veggies like broccoli and bok choy as well as straw and regular rabbit food. The bottle is working because it has a water drop at the end of it most of the time. I'll get him a crock today just in case.

 

[tamsin]

Anywhere between 50ml and 250ml would be normal for an average size rabbit. Wild rabbits pretty much get all their water from grass so when rabbits are veg a diet with high water content they drink very little at all.

 

[wytche]

I bought a crock today. Dexta loves it and is drinking very well from it. I'll leave the bottle for him as well, but something tells me the crock is a winner.

Thanks for your advice