Drinking a lot

Hiya,

It's my first time posting on this forum. I have kept rabbits for 9 years now and I have 11 at the moment.

I have one little boy who is 7 months old and I have never seen a rabbit that drinks so much. He pees a lot, which you would expect. He is eating and pooing normally. I am wondering if there may be a problem. Even in the coldest of weather, he drinks about 3 times what the others do.

I know some drink more than others but I am wondering if rabbits drink excessively when there is something in particular wrong? :?

Please help if you can, if only to put my mind at ease.

Hiya! Welcome to RU What does your Bun have in the way of food? If he does not have any fresh veg/grass then he will drink more. The normal fluid intake for a bun is 50-100ml/kg/24hrs. If he is drinking a lot more than this I would advise you get your Vet to check him over. He may have been effected by a parasitite called Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (EC) The parasite, once in the bun, sheds spores which migrate to other organs such as the kidneys/brain/heart. IF his renal function is impared he will drink/wee more. IF it were due to EC a course of Panacur would be required plus antibiotics if infection is present. All 'in contact' buns would need the Panacur too as the spores from EC will be excreted in infected Buns wee. Some Buns will not show any symptoms of EC infection. Others may develop neurological symptoms ..eg 'head tilt' or kidney problems. Unless the parasite is killed off by treatment the infected Bun will continue to be at risk and will also contaminate his/her environment and therefore any other rabbits who have access to it.
A Vet-check would be the best way to put your mind at rest and to get any necessary treatment for your Bun. Janex

He's on SupaRabbit Excel and fresh veg. I think we'll be having a trip to the vet. Thanks for your help.

It's possible he might have had, or still have a fever. I guess when body temperature rises, rabbits, just like humans, try to drink more water to bring the temperature back down to normal. Just a suggestion, hope he's okay now.

Maa drinks excessively too, but it's through boredom, or not exactly boredom but she does it to amuse herself when she can't come out of her hutch.

Hi, I heard Zoe sneeze once or twice a while ago - not often though, then she drank loads and loads for about 2 days (I thought the bottle was leaking) so I think she had a sore throat and a bit of cold, it could be a number of things, if it's prolonged best check it out. Hope everything is ok.