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Struggling to get him to drink...please help

JamesandFals

JamesandFals

New Kit
Hello everyone,

I am having a problem with my rabbit, Whisky-Jack, he lost his mate very suddenly on monday and since then we have struggled to get him to drink. He is eating normally but doesn't seem to drink as much as he used to, in fact he barely drinks at all. If we take his bottle and hold it for him then he will have a small drink but he not very much. We have been giving him veg which has some juice in it to make sure he keeps hydrated but I am getting worried about him.

He still runs around the house and eats and is pooing normally but not peeing much as he isn't drinking.

I know that his behaviour would change as he is still waiting on her coming home but does anyone know how I can get him drinking normally again?

I am sorry if I have talked in circles, I just don't know how to get him to drink.

Thanks

Fals
 
Is it possible that he has never drunk very much as it was his mate emptying to bottle and doing all the drinking ? Maybe you weren't aware of it before with two buns together nthat one was drinking much more than the other. You could give him leafy greens, just as you are, to give him some hydration, but it sounds like he might be getting enough fluids already to me. I'm not as expert as many others here, but maybe he is already fulfilling his needs as if he is eating ok and taking all the food he needs then maybe he is also taking all the water he needs ? Are you sure the bottle is working ok and not seized up ? Have you tried putting a small bowl of water out for him instead of the bottle ?
 
Charys said:
Is it possible that he has never drunk very much as it was his mate emptying to bottle and doing all the drinking ? Maybe you weren't aware of it before with two buns together nthat one was drinking much more than the other. You could give him leafy greens, just as you are, to give him some hydration, but it sounds like he might be getting enough fluids already to me. I'm not as expert as many others here, but maybe he is already fulfilling his needs as if he is eating ok and taking all the food he needs then maybe he is also taking all the water he needs ? Are you sure the bottle is working ok and not seized up ? Have you tried putting a small bowl of water out for him instead of the bottle ?
Click to expand...

I was wondering this too. Did you see him drink a lot before or was there just a lot of water gone?
 
Thank you for your replies.

Charys - We have tried the bowls of water but he tends to push them out of his cage or if he can't he lifts them up so everything pours out. The bottle is working, I keep checking it just in case but its definately working. He did always drink quite a bit, from the day we got him he has always drank a good amount. His mate and him only successfully bonded 8 weeks ago, it had taken us months, so we became quite familiar with both their eating and drinking habits before they went in the same hutch together.

Cats - this is what I have been doing, he prefers cabbage so I have been running it under the water before I give it to him.

Maybe I am worrying about nothing, I will keep monitoring him though.
 
Keep monitoring him. Does everything else seem normal? If he is eating normally and seems lively it could just be that he is drinking as much as he needs
 
my rabbit only drank water recently and she is 11 months old the vet said as she was on a veg only diet she was getting her fluid from that ,she only learnt what a water bottle was for when she went in to boarding but still only drinks small amounts once a week if that
 
Try putting a "small crockery type bowl" of water in the corner of the cage.
I use to dip a Green bean in water before feeding it too my bun, and she loved a piece of soft pear :wave:
 
Last edited:
put the water bowl on a bigger bowl, or cheap plastic dog bowl, then when he tips it up it won't go everywhere, just in the bowl underneath.

when i needed to get bisc and matt to drink more a while back, i actually put their herbs in the bowl of water, and left the stalks sticking out. they had to pull them out to eat them, and some were in the water so they drank it to reach the leaves. worked well for them. otherwise, just don't dry off the veggies as much after you have washed them.
 
Thank you to everyone who has replied to this thread, they have all been very helpful tips and suggestions.

He has began to drink a little more but he will only drink out of his mates bowl, I am guessing this is his way of showing how much he misses her, he will not drink out of bottles and is not knocking this bowl away as he had done with all the others...my living room was a wreck.

I am sorry if it seems I am panicking over small things but with the shock of losing my other bun, I just couldn't bear to lose him too.

Thank you again for your replies.
 
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