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My lionhead hasn't drunk water for months

Zarla

Zarla

Alpha Buck
Stakki is 5 years old and about six months ago, he stopped drinking any water. Tried a bowl instead of a bottle, tried putting a bit of fruit juice in it to tempt him, but he wasn't having any of it.

Still plenty of urine in his trays and he's very lively and eating lots of greens every day.

I have syringe fed him once with about two centimetres of water out of desperation on a very hot day, although he wasn't crashed out or anything. He is very hands on and seemed OK with being fed like that, but should I continue with the syringe feeding or leave him to get water from his greens?

Any help very welcome.
 
As he is eating plenty of greens he will be getting all the water he needs from those.

None of my rabbits have ever drunk water either and all had greens and grass daily.

The only time they did drink was when they had tummy issues.
 
Welcome to RU Zarla:wave:

As Stakki is eating lots of greens I expect this is giving him the water content he needs. With him appearing healthy & doing wee in his tray I don't feel there is any need to do anything. Of course make sure the fresh supply of water is still there (he maybe has a little when you're not around) & mention it next time you are at the vets.

Did you start doing any different 6 months ago? Change in accommodation or diet for example
 
Does he have a bottle or a bowl? You might find he drinks more out of a bowl as general bunnies prefer bowls over bottles (in my experience)
 
Thanks for the help, guys!

It's a relief to hear that Lily's rabbits have never drunk water and are fine and thriving. I'll definitely keep the bottle topped up with fresh water in case he changes his mind.

I've had three other lionheads as pets and they all drank quite a lot of water. Stakki did too until this year, when he just started drinking less and less.

JoeyandBoo - there weren't any changes to his accommodation or anything. He is mainly a house rabbit and has a lovely, friendly temperament.
 
Last edited:
My Olly hardly drinks at all.. Just a little bit in the morning after his pellets, sometimes. He gets lots of wet greens and herbs though, so is fine :)
 
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