Forum

OUR FORUM IS UP BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF UPDATING AND FIXING THINGS.  SOME THINGS WILL LOOK WEIRD AND/OR NOT BE CORRECT. YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED.  We are not fully ready to answer questions in a timely manner as we are not officially open, but we will do our best. 

You may have received a 2-factor authentication (2FA) email from us on 4/21/2020. That was from us, but was premature as the login was not working at that time. 

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

What are we about?  Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately!  Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES 

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet.  It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

Forum DIET & CARE Bunny drinking too much water?

Viewing 9 reply threads
  • Author
    Messages

    • Ciel
      Participant
      38 posts Send Private Message

        Hello.

        My bunny is 2.5kg, and he’s getting through about 2 pints/1.1 litres of water a day.

        Is this normal? I’m worried it could indicate kidney failure or diabetes…. Could it? Or am I just worrying about nothing?

        EDIT: I did just get this bunny just last week in order to bond with my current bunny, who is also drinking about 2 pints of water, despite being 1.8kg….

        And they have been peeing everywhere, most probably territorial marking than anything else.

        They are kept apart for now, and for the next few weeks, and let out of their neighboured pens at separate times.


      • Azerane
        Moderator
        4688 posts Send Private Message

          While high water intake can be an indication of illness, especially if your current rabbit has suddenly started drinking more than normal, it’s not always an indicator of illness.

          What is their diet like? Do they get many leafy greens? Rabbits on a hay and pellet diet with few or no greens will naturally drink a lot of water because they’re not getting much from their diet. My pair get a big plate of leafy greens between them every day, but they still empty a dog bowl of water every day.


        • Ciel
          Participant
          38 posts Send Private Message

            Posted By Azerane on 10/24/2016 7:59 PM
            While high water intake can be an indication of illness, especially if your current rabbit has suddenly started drinking more than normal, it’s not always an indicator of illness.

            What is their diet like? Do they get many leafy greens? Rabbits on a hay and pellet diet with few or no greens will naturally drink a lot of water because they’re not getting much from their diet. My pair get a big plate of leafy greens between them every day, but they still empty a dog bowl of water every day.

            They get a handful of washed vegetables each (usually kale with some broccoli and assorted herbs), but their diet consists mainly of hay and pellets.

            So is this not something to be concerned about? 1.1 litres a day is quite a big amount…


          • Bam
            Moderator
            16836 posts Send Private Message

              He should drink half of that, 200 ml per kg/body weight. That’s if he only eats dry food, no fresh veg. With such a markedly excessive water consumption, I’d contact a vet.

              It’s not possible to say what’s going on without proper patient history and probably some tests, it can be anything ranging from minor to very grave.

              It’s really weird both bunnies are drinking such a lot. Some bunnies over-consume water when they are bored or very hungry.


            • Azerane
              Moderator
              4688 posts Send Private Message

                I don’t know how I missed the measurements in the first post But that is a lot. I’ve never measured how much my pair drink, but I doubt it’s much more than that between them.


              • Ciel
                Participant
                38 posts Send Private Message

                  Update!

                  So blood and urine test was done on Jon, and the urine was done on Lori.

                  Urine on both was fine – no diabetes!

                  Jon’s calcium in his blood was quite high, as was a product of a particular enzyme from the liver.

                  The vet told me that in rabbits, when they have high calcium levels their brain tells them they need to drink more in order to get rid of it, unless they gets stones.

                  We’re keeping him on hay and around 10 pellets a day and unlimited water for now. He needs a 2nd round of vaccinations in a few weeks, so maybe they’ll do the test again to see if it had changed.

                  I guess the shelter’s rabbit diets aren’t that great…..

                  Thoughts?


                • Bam
                  Moderator
                  16836 posts Send Private Message

                    If his calcium levels are high, maybe you should try to eliminate calcium from his diet? Some vegs are high in calcium. Kale are among those. Here is an article from the House Bunny Society on calcium and rabbits: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/calcium.html

                    What did they think has caused the elevated liver enzyme-product?

                    It does make sense that rabbits drink more if they have elevated calcium-levels since they expel excess calcium via the kidneys. Most mammals do that via the fecal route.

                    I think BB had a calcium-sensitive rabbit (Jack). I’ll ask her to take a look at your thread.


                  • Kimberley D
                    Participant
                    30 posts Send Private Message

                      If calcium levels are high take a look at this. It’s handy for still letting your bun have yummy greens without too much calcium.
                      http://www.rabbit.org/journal/3-5/calcium.html


                    • Ellie from The Netherlands
                      Participant
                      2512 posts Send Private Message

                        I’m also following this thread, Breintje has developed the same problem. The vet couldn’t find anything with him as well, so we’re also keeping him on hay and pellets. If we learn more, I’ll keep you updated.


                      • Beeble
                        Participant
                        12 posts Send Private Message

                          We adopted a bun in July from a great rescue. He drinks a ton of water. We had him evaluated by our vet and all tests came back normal. She told us he coukd just be a “recreational drinker.” Lol. In seriousness, our rabbit had been set free and had to fend for himself and was seriously wounded. Our vet believes he may just be worried he won’t have access to resources. Or just enjoys being a glutton now that he is living the good life.

                          We use a water crock/bowl and he does seem to drink much more out of it than a bottle. He also drinks from the far side of the bowl licking the side of thw bowl with each slurp, like he would have engaged a water bottle. This does result in a soggy dewlap sometimes though.

                          Over the course of a few months, he has slowed down on consumption a bit but still slurps way more than our other bun. Keep him monitored and slow down on high calcium veggies and see if he levels out! Good luck!

                      Viewing 9 reply threads
                      • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                      Forum DIET & CARE Bunny drinking too much water?