Rabbit drinks approximately a liter of water a day, should I be concerned?

[vek555]

He's a one-year-old mini lop, probably around 6 pounds. Does this indicate a problem and what should I do?

 

[LuluBunny]

I wish my bun would drink more water.

What's his diet like?

 

[audrinasmommy88]

Has your bun always drank that much or is this a new thing?

 

[Imbrium]

unless it's a sudden spike from his normal drinking habits, I don't think there's cause for concern. my two bunnies drink about a liter of water a day combined in addition to lots of damp leafy green veggies and your bunny is nearly as big weight-wise as both of my bunnies combined.

 

[ladysown]

a liter of water?

yeah, I'd be concerned.

Are you absolutely sure the water bottle isn't leaking?

Most my buns have a 16 oz water bottle. Most drink about 1/3-1/2 of that per day. I have ONE that will drink 3/4 of that.

 

[whitelop]

I would ask the same thing, is the bottle leaking?

My baby bun drinks a lot of water, but my big bun doesn't drink nearly that amount and she's a good water drinker!
If your bun has always done this, then its probably not a problem but if its new, then I would consult a vet!

 

[vek555]

He has always done this! At least, as far as I can remember. It's really weird.

He eats unlimited timothy hay and I also feed him 1/3 cup of Purina Rabbit Chow every day. My bottle is not leaking, and I do not live in a hot climate.

Btw since I posted this I've been watching it very closely and he actually drinks 2/3 of a liter every day - so 22 ounces or so. Not as much as I thought but still a LOT.

 

[ldoerr]

When I had my rabbitry I had all of my rabbits on 32oz bottles. The mini rex would on average drink 1/2 of that a day during good weather, when the weather was hot they would drain the whole bottle in a day. My californians would on average drink 3/4-1 bottle on the average day. In hot weather they would easily drink 2 bottles a day. I had to keep 2 bottles on their cages most of the year even. I do not think that drinking a liter of water a day is something to to be conscerned about especially if it is normal.

 

[Blue eyes]

My rabbits(I have 2) are about the same size as yours. I have 2 water bowls in their cage, each 20 oz. Sometimes they will go through both bowls over night. Other times they only go through one bowl. During the day, they may drink another 20 oz. So I don't think your bun is drinking too much.

I've also found that they drink much more water when they are eating lots and lots of hay.