Hi guys. I am worried because Daisy isn't drinking very much water or eating much hay. She has never really done much of either, but ti's starting to worry me about the water. She eats her veggies and pellets everyday, but the level of her water hardly ever moves. We have 2 water dishes in her cage, and we have also tried a water bottle. Neither have showed any difference in water intake. If there is something else I can do please let me know!
Hi there :wave:
I'd also say no need to worry too much. If you are concerned, you can try feeding Daisy vegetables that are still wet with water. And make sure the water and dishes are always clean. Alternatively you could also add a tiny amount (a few drops) of unsweetened juice (apple or carrot) to the water. Though I wouldn't do this regularly. Only until you notice Daisy drinking more, after which you could return to plain water and hopefully she'll still love drinking it
Saying all of this though and not wanting to worry you, Mozart stopped drinking water completely for a period of time. I noticed he was very dehydrated (I tested his skin turgor) and he had other symptoms too like lethargy. It turns out he was in kidney failure (the cause is still unknown). He's back to his healthy self now though.
By how much has Daisy's water intake decreased? And have you also seen a decrease in urine?
I found this on bunniesindeed.net which you can try to check for dehydration (it really does work):
" Signs of dehydration in rabbits include poor skin turgor: lightly pinch a bit of skin that is normally taut, and gently pull it up into a little tent. When you let go, it should snap back into place with no wrinkles or folds. If the bunny is dehydrated, the skin will take several seconds to fall back into place (this is called “poor skin turgor”). "
No need to worry too much unless there are signs of dehydration. Just something to watch out for.
sending good vibes to you and Daisy!
