Drinking a lot of water?

[Patchrabbit]

Hi,

I've got a Mini Lop thats about 12 weeks old now, so far she's been great.
Has a good diet of hay and pellets, also gets lots of grass.

Recently I've noticed she seems to be drinking quite a lot,
she's got a 320ml bottle (standard size) and if I fill it up in the evening it can be nearly empty the following day.

Is this normal? Some people seem to mention possible kidney / liver problems etc. She has just been to the vets in the last couple of weeks for Myxi and VHD injections also.

Any helps appreciated!

 

[stephers162]

I don't know how much they're supposed to drink each day exactly but Pi weighs about 2kg and he drinks about 3/4 of one of those bottles a day. And to my knowledge he's perfectly healthy! xx

 

[Amy104]

Is she indoors or out? For some reason my indoors buns have always seemed to drink more than outdoor ones. Possibly due to the difference in temp?

 

[SuzieBlue]

Hi, my mini-lop is 11 months now, and he's always drunk a lot - I also have a chinchilla so at first I was a bit worried as the chin doesn't drink anywhere near that much and it took a bit of getting used to, but Nermal is perfectly healthy with a good diet.
It sounds like your bunny is normal!

 

[milly100]

If I was you I would take your bunny to the vets if she is drinking alot of water. My bunny was a big drinker and I just presumed that she was thirsty but I later on found out that it was due to health problems and now these problems have been sorted she is drinking much less.

 

[Patchrabbit]

Thanks for the replies!

Patch is an outdoor bun, so she spends a lot of time running around scoffing grass. Don't know if that has anything to do with it. Everything else is normal, good appetite, active and seems happy.

 

[thumps_]

I'm a bit surprised she's drinking so much when her staple diet is grass. Most buns drink very little when on grass. I'd get her checked over.

 

[lilbun]

I too am surprised that your bunny drinks alot of water if if she eats lots of grass though it would be normal if she was on a mainly dry diet.
I would offer water in a bowl firstly so that she never runs out and secondly to rule out a leaky bottle as the actual problem.
As well as kidney and liver problems, there are other possible medical causes of excessive thirst (polydipsia). Some rabbits will drink heavily in response to pain as well (eg as a result of dental or gut problems). If she continues to drink lots I would get her checked out by a vet xx

 

[BeatrixPotter]

If you are worried please get your bun checked. My bridge bun Mopsy had diabetes insipidus which is very rare in buns and she used to drink a lot. Just before she went to the bridge she was drinking about 2 litres a day.

What is your buns weeing like? Mopsy weed loads and I had to change the litter tray 2x a day.

I'm not suggesting that your bun has what Mopsy had but I would get the vets to check him over to make sure everything is normal.

 

[Patchrabbit]

I've been keeping an eye on her over the last few days. I notice she drinks more when she hasn't been let out on the grass and her overall consumption has gone down in general. I'll continue to monitor her intake though.

 

[thumps_]

Yes, wild buns get all their fluid requirements from dew, fresh grass/plants/ & roots. They MUST have hay in captivity to get enough fiber to keep their gut going & to keep their teeth in trim. Because hay is so dry, they need to drink, & even more so if they have dried feed too.
I'm sorry I don't know how much a bun normally drinks cos mine drinks warm water from a bowl, & is a house bun. - I only know how much he wees!
I truly hope your problem is solved.
I'd been wondering what the outcome was for you. Thank you for posting.

 

[Michelleox]

If you are worried then it's ALWAYS best to check with the vet.

I find if buns are only getting hay and pellets they will drink more than if they are on grass as they get some water from the grass. Same with veg. Does your bun have lots veg or have you reduced the amount he has?

 

[Patchrabbit]

I don't give her veg yet as the last two times I tried her poos were quite runny. I was told by the vet to wait till about 7 months to introduce veg into her diet. She's mostly on hay and pellets for food. Usually she gets out for an hour and eats grass (and all my parsley :roll, but not when the weather is bad since she hates to get wet.

 

[Patchrabbit]

My o/h got her out this morning and said her bottle was totally empty, meaning she's drunk an entire 320ml bottle in less than 24 hours. That can't be right as she was out and on the grass for over an hour yesterday. I'm taking her to the vets today, thankfully they have open surgeries so I don't have to make an appointment.

 

[Patchrabbit]

Been to the vets, diagnosed a case of cystitis. Thank goodness it's not something worse! Vet gave me a week's worth of baytril to clear it up and said to bring her back if it doesn't go away within a week or two.

 

[thumps_]

I'm so pleased that it is something which is easily treated, & not something like liver trouble. Please let us know how it goes.