• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Water bowl vs water bottle

S

snuff

New Kit
Hey everyone.

Our bunny has been home with us a few days now and he seems to be settling in very well. He is kept in an aviary with canaries and we have a bottle attached to both his hutch and the mesh of the aviary, but he doesn't seem to be drinking. I was thinking about putting down a water bowl for him, but wasn't sure if it would be ok because of the possibility of the birds doing their business in it. The bottles are cleaned each morning and so would the bowl, so what are your opinions on having a bowl down?
 
Mine prefer a bowl, I use a large one. Personally I wouldn't advise bunnies to share living space with birds though, they could be making him nervous and could pass on disease, they could injure him, or he could eat spilt seed and make himself ill.
 
Bowl... Neo had a bottle for a few months but it's so frustrating for them as they stand there for 10 mins getting a tiny amount of water, making a HUGE amount of noise, compared to a bowl.

Maybe your rabbit hates being in with the birds and is scared?

Do you have some pictures of the set up?
 
I agree, I wouldn't put them together.

Doughnut used to have a water bottle but she got frustrated with it as she couldn't get the water out quick enough. I changed to a bowl. A rabbit tends to drink more from a bowl which is good as it helps their digestion.
 
I use bowls, I think it is more natural and they are so easy to clean and refil. I do them at least once a day and they drink loads more than with water bottles.

I agree that I am not sure that keeping him in with canaries will really work. The one thing that has terrified every single one of my rabbits is movement above them. The natural instinct of predators swooping down on them is so strong. I used to have a completely fearless bun (I once caught him grooming the sub woofer from our surround sound whilst we were watching a battle scene from lord of the rings :shock:) and yet a helium balloon had him absolutely terrified :( as it was movement hovering above him.
 
Bowls are best as rabbit can we his lips and sate his thirst faster. It is more natural. Rabbits should not be kept with any other species (except other rabbits). Birds can pass on a potentially fatal disease called VHD and even if bunny is vaccinated he might still catch a mild version or become ill coming into contact with bird food and droppings.
 
I'd definately get him his own housing as soon as you can, being in with the birds is definately not ideal (health worries aside, I know that my buns get really freaked out by birds, even smallish ones).

With the water, I offered mine a water bottle when we first brought them home and they wanted nothing to do with it so they've had bowls ever since. :D
 
I took a rabbit off someone who had kept her in an aviary, she was in poor condition and she was such a beautiful rabbit, a Chinchilla Netherland Dwarf. It was heartbreaking really. The biggest problem is rabbits have poor immune systems and easily get ill and it is next to impossible (depending on what it is) to get them better. So they need a clean environment in order to remain healthy.
 
All my bunnies have preferred bowls.
They used to get frustrated with the bottle and also they used to leak alot.

One of my rabbits I adopted was brought up with a bottle and when I switched him to a bowl he drank so much more, but would always end up with a wet chin that did start getting a bit sore at one point, however after a week or so of getting used the water bowl he found a way to keep his chin dry after drinking
 
I'd pop a bowl under a table or similar that way he can have a bowl but any bird poops will hit the table not the water. Doesn't have to be a table you could pop something together with some wood scraps - he'll probably enjoy sitting on top too.

He'll also drink less if he's eating a lot of fresh foods eg grass or veggies.

I think you have to consider what exactly you think risks are with housing multiple animals. I don't know much about canaries but I think they are quite small and presumably spend most of their time off the ground, so it's very different to housing a rabbit with something like a chicken or a parrot, for example. They wouldn't pose a physical risk eg pecking. I think the rabbit is likely to adjust to the movement, it's not massively different to any rabbit in the garden that is going to see wild birds. I'd make sure he has plenty of hiding spots/cover whilst he adjusts.

Disease transfer would be the main issue, it might be worth discussing it with your vet as they may suggest preventatives such as wormers would be more important. They'd know if there any diseases that do cross in those two species.
 
Water bowls here. They have the large ceramic dog bowls so that they dont spill them.
 
Dust from bird feathers will also aggravate a rabbit's respiratory system which is very delicate and a respiratory condition may occur. Since Bird Breeder's Lung can occur in humans I would imagine it will affect rabbits too as they have such a small lung capacity and as someone else mentioned, delicate immune systems.
 
Thanks all for the replies,
regards to him being in the aviary, there are only a couple of canaries in there with him. the aviary is 16ft long, 10ft wide and around 5.5ft high so I'm hoping thats enough room for them all. He also has a chicken and a duck as neighbours (not in the aviary with him). we have a close friend thats a vet and he said it should be fine. How ever if it does cause a problem we will move him =).

He doesn't seemed stressed out at all by the canaries. He's quite happy on the turf eating his hay, but he does have hiding spaces if he needs to chill in peace. I have pictures of his habitat in the welcome section, its a work in progress but if I'm doing anything wrong I'd definitely like to know so I can rectify the problem.

We just went out and bought him a nice heavy bowl so we will use that along with the bottles. =)
 
snuff said:
Thanks all for the replies,
regards to him being in the aviary, there are only a couple of canaries in there with him. the aviary is 16ft long, 10ft wide and around 5.5ft high so I'm hoping thats enough room for them all. He also has a chicken and a duck as neighbours (not in the aviary with him). we have a close friend thats a vet and he said it should be fine. How ever if it does cause a problem we will move him =).

He doesn't seemed stressed out at all by the canaries. He's quite happy on the turf eating his hay, but he does have hiding spaces if he needs to chill in peace. I have pictures of his habitat in the welcome section, its a work in progress but if I'm doing anything wrong I'd definitely like to know so I can rectify the problem.

We just went out and bought him a nice heavy bowl so we will use that along with the bottles. =)
Click to expand...

i wouldn't wait until there is a possible problem to move him. i'd do that now. is the vet exotics? if not, i wouldn't take their advice on rabbit knowledge, friend or not. it's just worrying with things like bird poop and possible illness from being housed together. not worth the risk at all.

he would also be better with a friend of his own kind, as ideally they shouldn't be kept alone, especially outdoors. :wave:
 
He's actually an equine specialist, but he loves bunnies and he has a few him self.


biscandmatt1 said:
i wouldn't wait until there is a possible problem to move him. i'd do that now. is the vet exotics? if not, i wouldn't take their advice on rabbit knowledge, friend or not. it's just worrying with things like bird poop and possible illness from being housed together. not worth the risk at all.

he would also be better with a friend of his own kind, as ideally they shouldn't be kept alone, especially outdoors. :wave:
Click to expand...
 
Just looked at your pics, that's a nice big space for him :)

To those with concerns - what specific diseases or issues do you think there will be? I do think it's important to think specifics, that way you can address concerns on a point by point basis i.e. what's the disease, what's the mode of transmission for that disease etc.

Outside with a mesh aviary the ventilation is excellent, so I don't think dust is going to be an issue. I don't see how having two canaries in a space that size is any different to me having a pair of blue **** nesting above a aviary just on the other side of the mesh roof.

One thing I would say is watch the seed, he'll eat it but it's not the right food for a rabbit so having something under their feed bowls (or whatever canaries use) to catch any thrown out would stop him getting it. Pellets (rather than seed mixes) are the best food for rabbits, high fibre, low protein.
 
Thank you for taking a look at my pictures Tamsin, I'll definitely be making sure there isn't much bird seed on the floor. He's been having a nibble on the grass and seems to enjoy his food, I'll look into the pellets =)

As you can see he's got plenty of room and a nice variation of surfaces, turf, dirt, and concrete. If another rescue comes up I'd like to get him a friend and get them bonded once he has been neutered.

Tamsin said:
Just looked at your pics, that's a nice big space for him :)

To those with concerns - what specific diseases or issues do you think there will be? I do think it's important to think specifics, that way you can address concerns on a point by point basis i.e. what's the disease, what's the mode of transmission for that disease etc.

Outside with a mesh aviary the ventilation is excellent, so I don't think dust is going to be an issue. I don't see how having two canaries in a space that size is any different to me having a pair of blue **** nesting above a aviary just on the other side of the mesh roof.

One thing I would say is watch the seed, he'll eat it but it's not the right food for a rabbit so having something under their feed bowls (or whatever canaries use) to catch any thrown out would stop him getting it. Pellets (rather than seed mixes) are the best food for rabbits, high fibre, low protein.
Click to expand...
 
Yes, it's very nice to have the variation in floor textures, and have access to fresh grass. You might find that's part of the reason he doesn't drink much - he'll be getting a lot of water from eating grass.

Just a thought - is their mesh underneath? Bunnies are good diggers so just watch he doesn't dry tunnelling in the mud :lol:

A friend is a great idea, they do love to socialise. A neutered female makes the best match for a neutered male. I wouldn't think you'd have too much trouble finding a neutered girl in rescue :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dex179
Head tilt but it's not E Cuniculi - Help!
2 3 4
Replies
70
Views
2K
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
E
Rabbit attacked by fox
Replies
19
Views
457
bunny momma
bunny momma
CarelessSquid07
Choking on Water
Replies
7
Views
802
CarelessSquid07
CarelessSquid07
Back
Top