Not drinking much....

The past couple of days Lola has barely touched her water (she has a bowl). She doesn't get many veggies as she has a very sensitive tummy (and I'm wondering if it is ceacal dysbiosis) so isn't taking any fluids on that way. (Annoyingly we are out of kale or I would give her some drenched in water tonight)

She was treated with Canaural at the start of this month as she had gunk in one ear and she let the vet have a really thorough look in her mouth at her teeth. She is still eating ok (if she even has a hint of anything dental going on eating pellets is the first to stop). Infact she seems to be eating extra hay. She is getting quite solid/chunky feeling, she is a single bunny so I think this contributes to her lack of exercise.

Her bumbles are looking a little dry this evening which confirms to me there is less of a water intake.

A few years ago she all of a sudden decided to stop drinking from her bottle. Me and OH both thought the other was giving her fresh, but neither of us were. We never got to the bottom of it and could only think she hurt herself on her bottle spout somehow to put her off. As soon as I realised we gave her a bowl and she has used that fine ever since.

Is lack of wanting water a sign of anything going on health wise?? It's baffling me a bit as she is eating ok which she stops as soon as she feels off normally.

Have you tried giving her bottled water rather than tap water. The taste of tap water varies a lot and I cant drink it myself !!

You could also try flavouring water with a peppermint tea or Fruit tea, eg Raspberry, Apple, Blackcurrant etc.

What is her urine output like ?

I stupidly forgot to check last night and didn't change her paper before bed. It had been used though. I have cleaned her out this morning and she immediately did two wees. One was very clear, the second was thicker. It looks like she has drunk a bit overnight as well.

I haven't thought about bottled water, that is a good idea. I also may have some peppermint tea in the cupboard!

newbabybuns said:

I stupidly forgot to check last night and didn't change her paper before bed. It had been used though. I have cleaned her out this morning and she immediately did two wees. One was very clear, the second was thicker. It looks like she has drunk a bit overnight as well.

I haven't thought about bottled water, that is a good idea. I also may have some peppermint tea in the cupboard!

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You shouldn't have to flavour water to encourage a rabbit to drink it. If she is thirsty, she should drink. There may be no problem, but I would suspect some mouth issue, of some sort.

I would have thought mouth too if she had stopped eating which is her normal thing, but everything else has been completely normal with her. I am really thinking the water maybe did smell/taste different. She is so sensitive to changes, if a bag of pellets is different we have had problems with her not eating them (which before I worked that out cost me loads in vet bills trying to find out what was wrong with her!!) I really should take it up with the manufacturer really, I have a bag here now that she refused to eat. I had to get the bus to another town to buy a new bag and she ate those straight away. I then split the bowl in half with each bag of them and she didn't even touch the half with the bag she had been fussy with, while she ate all the others from the other side!

She is eating pooping and some water looks like it is gone this evening. She is also done a nice big pee! She seems to be acting completely normally (although did just randomly snuggle up to her bowls in a DBF!!)