rabbits and drinking

[marymoocow]

Hi, Our 2 rabbits arrived on Wednesday, and have settled in really well. I'm a bit worried about how little they seem to be drinking. They have access to a bottle 24hrs, but not much of the water ever seems to go. I have checked that the bottle is working.
Could anyone advise please as i've never had bunnies before.

How old are they??
When we got our two (about 8 weeks old) they didn't drink for a while from the bottle and i was concerned as you are. I gave them a small bowl with a little water in and they drank from this ok. I left the bottle there for them and in a few weeks i noticed they were drinking from the bottle so took the bowl away.

My rabbit is about 6 and much prefers a bowl. I don't think it's a problem.

Oh, I thought this was a "Can you drink wine when looking after a rabbit?" thread?

Me too

sorry to disappoint with such a boring thread. Interesting concept though!
Any way back to the question. They are 8 months and 1 and half. Have tried a bowl as well but they are still not taking much. They just sniffed the bowl but that was about it.

perhaps they are just in their settling in stage?
mine were peculiar for a couple of days and then were similar age to yours when i got them.
have now settled in nicely and love to drink from the water bottle

try and find out what bottle they are used to using.... mine dont drink out of the ones with the ball in the end

I found with our rabbits they would not use a bottle and love a bowl. But again perhaps yours are just settling in? If it carries on much longer you should get some advice from a vet as water intake is really important to rabs but they are sneaky things they drink sometimes and you cant tell!

I had the same problem with our R. Found out that the position of the bottle was important. When I tilted it a bit, and hold it with elastic bands, he started to drink a lot from it. It appeared, that the water would not go through if the bottle was standing upright. With the elastic bands, he has the flexibility to shake the bottle when drinking and the problem is now solved.

All my rabbits have these bottles and had no problems with them - super easy to clean!!

Thanks for the replies. The bottle is the one that the rehoming place used. Have wondered about the position, and have been trying to fiddle with it, but to no avail. Rabbits seem really alert though one week on, and are eating really well.

If they are getting a fair bit of veg you might find they don't actually need to drink much (as getting sufficient water from the veg). Same applies if they are grazing on grass. I have 2 pairs of rabbits, one pair drain their water bottle each day, the other pair usually manage a couple of inches only. If they are alert and healthy a week on, eating plenty of hay, I wouldn't worry. Like the others have said, put a bowl in there too.

thanks. They do eat loads of veg and hay so think that might be it. they're very lively so hopefully ok