Sitting in water

[Minilopbun]

My rabbit just tipped his water bowl over and water spilled all over he floor of his cage. I went as soon as I heard it to wipe it up but he was sitting in the water. I've heard bad stories about how if rabbits sit in pee their skin gets really irritated and although that's only if it's constantly happening will water cause that same issue? Or any other issues??? I'm worried hell tip it over when I'm not there to clean it up right away. I'm thinking of going back to a water bottle but he seems to drink more like this.

 

[JBun]

Urine is acidic, so that is why it's not good for rabbit skin. The biggest problems with water soaked fur is hypothermia in winter and flystrike in summer. If it's not cold and you don't have flies yet, then you should be good to just towel dry the fur as much as possible.

I would suggest getting a heavier crock or one that attaches to the side of the cage, so that it can't be tipped.

 

[Bonsai]

As someone who had to regularly clean my rabbit's bum, water is much less a problem than urine/feces. The reason rabbits get urine scald is because urine is acidic; prolonged contact with the skin irritates it and can cause issues. Water shouldn't be too much of a problem, I'd only worry about him getting cold. Rabbits get wet for all sort of reasons, be it caught out in the rain or, yes, tipping the water bowl. Just towel dry him really well and if he'll tolerate it, you could put a hair dryer on LOW and keep it away from direct skin to dry it a bit more. He should be okay, though!

I would look into finding a way to secure his water bowl to his cage as well to reduce the chance of future tippage. There are some bolted options and you could also try figuring out some way to put strong wire to secure it to his case so that he can access it, but he cannot tip it. Also! You may look into getting a HEAVY bowl for him to drink out of. Walmart has some thick, heavy ceramic bowls and I always get those for my rabbits. They are labeled as dog bowls but I use them for rabbits. They're sturdy, heavy, and hard to tip! My mini rex mix is a brat and likes to flip her food bowl willy-nilly. Now she can only push it around. Much better alternative than cleaning up all that nonsense, haha.

 

[Minilopbun]

Thank you for your replies it's not too hot and it's not cold either so I guess I shouldn't worry as of now! He doesn't use a cage when we are home and I'm done with college in a few days so I'll look into getting a heavy bowl for when he is free-roam at home. Thanks so much!