Why rabbit is not drinking water?

Answer 1

have you forgotten to feed it lately? Is it refusing its food? If it is refusing its food which makes it hungry maybe you are not feeding it the right food. Are you only feeding it fresh and clean water? No juice, no dirty water? I am not sure what you mean by your question...

Answer 2

If he does not drink, make sure the water is fresh (no goo on the bottom of the bowl etc) and try mixing with it some unsweetened apple juice to encourage him to try swallowing some. If he still does not touch it for a day and especially if he does not at as well, please call your local rabbit-savvy veterinarian : it is a sure sign he is unwell and needs medical attention.

You can try giving him some pedialyte with a plastic eye dropper (glass ones can be bitten and break) this MIGHT stimulate his appetite. Also there are electrolytes you can put in his water that will mask the flavor of flourides, chlorine and hard minerals. A vet is always a good idea if you can afford it but as said above, you are spinning your wheels (and racking up a huge bill) with a vet that doesn't know rabbits. Keep in mind that going to a vet will be stressful on your bunny especially with all of the dog and cat smells and sounds.

Answer 3

First answer: Give your rabbit fresh water, it may be stale. It may have a weird taste your rabbit doesn't like, try adding a small amount of strawberry jello to give it a sweet taste and an interesting smell to encourage intake.

Disagreement about jello: use apple juice instead. Do not give your rabbit jello powder or anything with processed sugar in it at all. Do not give your rabbit foods made for humans. If you want to sweeten the water because you think your rabbit isn't drinking enough, you should use fruit juice like plain, 100% pure apple juice. Don't even use Grape Juice, because it's more sugary than apple juice. Sugar is not a natural part of a rabbit's diet and it can disrupt the digestive system, leading to gas, GI stasis, and a painful death. Don't put too much juice in the water. 1 part juice to 7 parts water should be fine.

You should also talk to your vet about this because strangers on the internet do not know about your rabbit's individual health history, so we can't say what's good or bad for your rabbit.

More information about why your rabbit might not be drinking water:

Rabbits get some water from their daily "salad" (fresh leafy greens), because fresh plants have water inside them, and some days this may be enough for your rabbit so you may not see her drinking water.

Why it's important to encourage water drinking:

Rabbits may not want to drink much water. They'll drink enough so they aren't dehydrated, but unless you encourage them, they might not drink any more, but this isn't good enough -- for two good reasons!

1. Rabbits that don't drink much water are more susceptible to digestive problems. When everything in the gut is wet, it tends to keep moving, but when everything gets dry, it can clump and stop moving: this can lead to GI stasis, which is very painful and deadly.

2. Rabbits that don't drink much water are also more susceptible to urinary problems, like bladder sludge or bladder stones. These can be very painful illnesses for your rabbit, and also very costly to fix at the vet's; they can also lead to death.

Ways to encourage water drinking:

In an emergency, or under direction of your vet, you can try putting some apple juice in the water, as described above.

Make sure the water is clean and fresh. Stale or dirty water isn't very attractive and your rabbit will drink only as little as possible to avoid dehydration.

• If you use bowls, wash it out with hot, soapy water every day, and replace with cold fresh water. If you notice the surface of the water is covered in fur and hay and other debris, rinse it out and fill with fresh water.
• If you use bottles, you may have to change the water daily, if you notice algae growing. If not, you can change it every few days. Use a bottle brush, with a tiny bottle brush for the drinking spout, and use hot soap and water.

Serve the rabbit's daily salad (dark, leafy greens) sopping wet, that way the rabbit will take in more water.

Give your rabbit 24/7 access to fresh hay. Rabbits that eat lots of hay tend to drink lots of water, too. Put piles of hay in the litter box as well as by the water bowl/bottle.

Give your rabbit more than one water source: a bowl AND bottle, and put them in different areas in the rabbit's habitat.

Choose dishes (bowl/bottle) that are the right size for the rabbit. The bottle should have a large drinking tube (not like one for a mouse). The bowl should not be so tall that the rabbit has trouble reaching over the edge. If you find the bowl or bottle empty, choose a larger size. The rabbit should have constant 100% access to fresh water, 24/7.

Answer 4

first answer: Maybe your rabbit isn't feeling well. Tell your Mum or Dad that he/she isn't drinking and ask them to take your rabbit to the vets.

more information: If your rabbit isn't drinking water, this is a serious sign that your rabbit is sick. Look for other signs of illness, and make an appointment with the vet immediately. See the related questions below for more details and links.

Answer 5

Try giving clean timothy hay, bread crust, cheerios if he still won't eat he could be catching mucoid enteritis or something similar. Take to a vet to save rabbit.

Answer 6

Did you first get the dog? Maybe the dog is still little strange to the new suroundings around him/her