Can’t keep water bowl clean

Hi all

When we got our bun I gave him a water bottle which he used fine, but I was recommended to not use bottles but instead fill up a water bowl every day.

I’ve been diligently doing this but every day I find that he has filled up the bowl with strands of hay, ripped up newspaper and so on. I’m clearing out the bowl every day but wondering if anyone has any suggestions to get my little chap to stop filling the bowl with hay and newspaper.

joepatr said:

Hi all

When we got our bun I gave him a water bottle which he used fine, but I was recommended to not use bottles but instead fill up a water bowl every day.

I’ve been diligently doing this but every day I find that he has filled up the bowl with strands of hay, ripped up newspaper and so on. I’m clearing out the bowl every day but wondering if anyone has any suggestions to get my little chap to stop filling the bowl with hay and newspaper.

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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pet-Bowl...109302?hash=item2d05a330f6:g:-skAAOSwkz1eXwH6

Possibly try only keeping his hay away from his water bowl (or at least far enough that it’s harder for him to get it in his water). I don’t know if you’re using hay as bedding (as well as newspaper I’m assuming), in which case this may be more difficult so I’d possibly recommend changing to using blankets instead to provide warmth, providing your bunny isn’t too much of a digger and won’t ingest the blanket - in which case don’t do this as it may be dangerous. I’d also say maybe to reassess where your bunny gets it feeding hay. The best option I’ve found is using a large sized cat litter tray and filling it half with hay and half with litter. The hay should be replenished twice a day and should amount to roughly the rabbit’s body size as this is around how much they should consume per day. If you leave hay as bedding or outside of the litter tray I’ve found that it confuses the rabbit and creates bad litter habits as well as a mess. Hopefully this is useful.