Rabbit question

libbytn · 02-15-2012, 11:30 AM

My cousin has a 5 week old rabbit. She's worried he's not drinking much. she says his water "thing" works and he knows how to use it but she's only filling it up once or twice a month. Is that normal? He's inside--in a cage--and away from heat sources but still warm. Sorry I'm not a rabbit expert but thought I'd ask you guys. Advice?

Jadesmygirl · 02-15-2012, 12:06 PM

The water needs to be changed daily regardless of how much he drinks. Otherwise, bacteria will grow in water, potentially affecting the taste (particularly if it is plastic) and impacting whether he will drink it or not. It could also make him sick. If he is not drinking enough, that would be my best guess as to why. It will also be easier to monitor his intake if she is checking each day how much is gone, rather than refilling once a month.

DixieMom · 02-15-2012, 01:35 PM

If he's eating a lot of green stuff like lettuce (NOT nutritious enough to be anything but a treat) he won't drink as much water. I agree that the water needs to be changed daily. The bottle should be scrubbed with hot soapy water (and maybe a little bleach) once a week. She could also monitor his urine output. Rabbits often have a chalky sort of urine that is normal for them, but they do pee a lot. If he is not peeing at least several times a day and during the night, something is not right. But I can't imagine he would still be alive if he wasn't getting enough fluid for an extended period of time. My guess is that he's getting a lot of fluid from fresh food sources.

PS: You probably mean "five month old rabbit," not a "five week old rabbit," right? A five week old bunny would still be with its mom.

libbytn · 02-15-2012, 06:02 PM

Okay, had to go back and look at her Facebook post again. She is changing water every 2-3 days but said that at the rate he drinks she could fill it once a month and he'd be fine. In other words he's not drinking. She said he was 5 WEEKS so not sure how she got him. Knowing her she found it alone somewhere and took it home. I will ask her what she if feeding and get back to you. IN the meantime what should she be feeding him?

green.willow · 02-15-2012, 07:03 PM

We had a rabbit for eight years (RIP Boo-bunny). He drank very little. We made sure that he always had water available but I think more evaporated that was ever consumed. If the rabbit is peeing and pooping regularly, I'd guess he is okay.

Jadesmygirl · 02-16-2012, 04:32 PM

Rabbits start eating solids around 2 weeks, and are weaned much earlier than puppies or kitties, so 5 weeks is fine. He can have the same diet as any adult rabbit. We fed pellets, plenty of timothy hay, veggies and a little fruit. I am glad to hear she is changing the water more than once a month. Has she checked to make sure the water bottle is working right? I have had a few that don't. Maybe try a crock instead of the bottle.

This is a good site on feeding and also has some info on rabbits not drinking enough. Hope it helps.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

supertwist · 02-16-2012, 05:31 PM

A doe will usually wean her kits at 4 weeks, it's true, but their immune system isn't fully developed yet. We removed the kits from the doe at 5 weeks. We never let kits leave the rabbitry before 8 weeks, minimum.

Some breeds of rabbit drink more than others. Our Rex drink a lot, but the Thriantas drink very little. Adding a little apple cider vinegar to the water might help encourage more drinking, and it has the added benefit of making the pee less stinky. The water bottle needs to be cleaned and refilled at least every other day. A water dish should be cleaned and refilled daily.

Jess · 02-17-2012, 09:42 AM

I was going to suggest a dish instead of a bottle also.

I don't know of any rabbity's that would let a bun go that young either.
perhaps he is ill, or very stressed being pulled so young. Not to mention if someone takes one that young they might also be the type that has a tendency to fudge the truth. Perhaps he's even younger than 5 weeks or was fooled into believing he was older?

In any event a vet visit is in order to be sure he's not dehydrating or younger than he's believed or said to be.

libbytn · 03-02-2012, 08:58 AM

She sees him drinking so she knows the bottle works and that is he actually drinking. She's just worried he's not getting enough. She has dogs and as you know they can really drink alot. I think she was equating the rabbit drinking with how much her dogs drink.

soccer mom · 03-02-2012, 10:25 AM

A doe will only nurse the babies about 2 times per day. Maybe the rabbit is just into this routine. My daughters rabbits water bowls stay filled all day and in the morning they are almost empty. Maybe this one just has not developed his watering routine yet.

Chrystalstar · 03-03-2012, 06:55 AM

If he is only 5 weeks old, he is probly very tiny, and just going by body weight, isn't going to drink as much as a big bunny

Majolica · 03-03-2012, 12:49 PM

He may be fine, but she may want to offer him a bowl of water in addition to the water bottle. I have a Lion Head that doesn't like to drink out of his bottle during the summer for some reason. In the spring, fall and winter he has no problem drinking from his bottle, but decided he doesn't want to use it during the summer. It is just a habit for him. It is possible that this rabbit just doesn't like the water bottle enough to drink enough. However, not knowing what kind of rabbit he is, and therefore how big he is, he may just be small enough that he doesn't need a lot of water. She needs to make sure that he is receiving hay. Rabbits can get GI Stasis if they do not receive hay, which will cause them to stop eating and drinking.

SunnyHaf · 03-13-2012, 10:38 PM

I wouldn't clean anything for a rabbit with bleach. White vinegar is a natural cleaner and very safe to use.

Majolica · 03-15-2012, 04:55 PM

To be fair, bleach is pretty safe too. Years ago, before the internet, a very well known rabbit breeder advised us to add a SMALL amount of bleach to the rabbits water to keep everything clean and to keep any pathogens out of the water. None of our rabbits had any problems with it. In fact, I read that the University of Georgia determined that bleach can be used to disinfect well water.

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02-15-2012, 11:30 AM
libbytn Coming two Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,747	Rabbit question My cousin has a 5 week old rabbit. She's worried he's not drinking much. she says his water "thing" works and he knows how to use it but she's only filling it up once or twice a month. Is that normal? He's inside--in a cage--and away from heat sources but still warm. Sorry I'm not a rabbit expert but thought I'd ask you guys. Advice? __________________

02-15-2012, 12:06 PM
Jadesmygirl Greenbroke Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,286	The water needs to be changed daily regardless of how much he drinks. Otherwise, bacteria will grow in water, potentially affecting the taste (particularly if it is plastic) and impacting whether he will drink it or not. It could also make him sick. If he is not drinking enough, that would be my best guess as to why. It will also be easier to monitor his intake if she is checking each day how much is gone, rather than refilling once a month. __________________ You can lead a human to knowledge, but you can't make it think.

02-15-2012, 01:35 PM
DixieMom Coming two Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 1,597	If he's eating a lot of green stuff like lettuce (NOT nutritious enough to be anything but a treat) he won't drink as much water. I agree that the water needs to be changed daily. The bottle should be scrubbed with hot soapy water (and maybe a little bleach) once a week. She could also monitor his urine output. Rabbits often have a chalky sort of urine that is normal for them, but they do pee a lot. If he is not peeing at least several times a day and during the night, something is not right. But I can't imagine he would still be alive if he wasn't getting enough fluid for an extended period of time. My guess is that he's getting a lot of fluid from fresh food sources. PS: You probably mean "five month old rabbit," not a "five week old rabbit," right? A five week old bunny would still be with its mom. __________________ DixieMom Sweet Dixie, always a part of my heart

02-15-2012, 06:02 PM
libbytn Coming two Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,747	Okay, had to go back and look at her Facebook post again. She is changing water every 2-3 days but said that at the rate he drinks she could fill it once a month and he'd be fine. In other words he's not drinking. She said he was 5 WEEKS so not sure how she got him. Knowing her she found it alone somewhere and took it home. I will ask her what she if feeding and get back to you. IN the meantime what should she be feeding him? __________________

02-15-2012, 07:03 PM
green.willow Yearling Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: nowhere Posts: 527	We had a rabbit for eight years (RIP Boo-bunny). He drank very little. We made sure that he always had water available but I think more evaporated that was ever consumed. If the rabbit is peeing and pooping regularly, I'd guess he is okay.

02-16-2012, 04:32 PM
Jadesmygirl Greenbroke Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,286	Rabbits start eating solids around 2 weeks, and are weaned much earlier than puppies or kitties, so 5 weeks is fine. He can have the same diet as any adult rabbit. We fed pellets, plenty of timothy hay, veggies and a little fruit. I am glad to hear she is changing the water more than once a month. Has she checked to make sure the water bottle is working right? I have had a few that don't. Maybe try a crock instead of the bottle. This is a good site on feeding and also has some info on rabbits not drinking enough. Hope it helps. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html __________________ You can lead a human to knowledge, but you can't make it think.

02-16-2012, 05:31 PM
supertwist Yearling Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 989	A doe will usually wean her kits at 4 weeks, it's true, but their immune system isn't fully developed yet. We removed the kits from the doe at 5 weeks. We never let kits leave the rabbitry before 8 weeks, minimum. Some breeds of rabbit drink more than others. Our Rex drink a lot, but the Thriantas drink very little. Adding a little apple cider vinegar to the water might help encourage more drinking, and it has the added benefit of making the pee less stinky. The water bottle needs to be cleaned and refilled at least every other day. A water dish should be cleaned and refilled daily.

02-17-2012, 09:42 AM
Jess Weanling Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Minnesota Posts: 297	I was going to suggest a dish instead of a bottle also. I don't know of any rabbity's that would let a bun go that young either. perhaps he is ill, or very stressed being pulled so young. Not to mention if someone takes one that young they might also be the type that has a tendency to fudge the truth. Perhaps he's even younger than 5 weeks or was fooled into believing he was older? In any event a vet visit is in order to be sure he's not dehydrating or younger than he's believed or said to be.

03-02-2012, 08:58 AM
libbytn Coming two Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,747	She sees him drinking so she knows the bottle works and that is he actually drinking. She's just worried he's not getting enough. She has dogs and as you know they can really drink alot. I think she was equating the rabbit drinking with how much her dogs drink. __________________

03-02-2012, 10:25 AM
soccer mom Long Yearling Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Huber Heights OH Posts: 1,170	A doe will only nurse the babies about 2 times per day. Maybe the rabbit is just into this routine. My daughters rabbits water bowls stay filled all day and in the morning they are almost empty. Maybe this one just has not developed his watering routine yet. __________________

03-03-2012, 06:55 AM
Chrystalstar Long Yearling Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alberta Posts: 1,119	If he is only 5 weeks old, he is probly very tiny, and just going by body weight, isn't going to drink as much as a big bunny

03-03-2012, 12:49 PM
Majolica Weanling Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 254	He may be fine, but she may want to offer him a bowl of water in addition to the water bottle. I have a Lion Head that doesn't like to drink out of his bottle during the summer for some reason. In the spring, fall and winter he has no problem drinking from his bottle, but decided he doesn't want to use it during the summer. It is just a habit for him. It is possible that this rabbit just doesn't like the water bottle enough to drink enough. However, not knowing what kind of rabbit he is, and therefore how big he is, he may just be small enough that he doesn't need a lot of water. She needs to make sure that he is receiving hay. Rabbits can get GI Stasis if they do not receive hay, which will cause them to stop eating and drinking.

03-13-2012, 10:38 PM
SunnyHaf Newborn Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: BC Canada Posts: 8	I wouldn't clean anything for a rabbit with bleach. White vinegar is a natural cleaner and very safe to use. __________________

03-15-2012, 04:55 PM
Majolica Weanling Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 254	To be fair, bleach is pretty safe too. Years ago, before the internet, a very well known rabbit breeder advised us to add a SMALL amount of bleach to the rabbits water to keep everything clean and to keep any pathogens out of the water. None of our rabbits had any problems with it. In fact, I read that the University of Georgia determined that bleach can be used to disinfect well water.