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FORUM DIET & CARE Drinking more water than usual

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    • Bunnyph
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        My bunny (mini lop) is almost 4 months old. Today I noticed that he drank 2/3rds of his water bottle in one day. He always drinks only one third or less of his water bottle in a day and has never ever drank more than that. Usually he’ll go out twice a day into the yard to eat grass and some leafy greens but yesterday it was so windy that I didn’t let him go out. So instead I grabbed a handful of grass from the yard, washed it and gave it to him. Today he seemed really hungry that I think he almost choked on his pellets because he ate them too fast. So I let him go outside like usual, he ate some grass and a lot more leafy greens (maybe to compensate from not having any yesterday, and I ran out of veggies unfortunately). I was thinking maybe that’s why he drank more water than usual? I’m not actually so sure.. because even after he ate quite a bit of grass and greens today, he still seems to be drinking a lot more water than usual. He still eats his hay and his poo is normal. His activity levels also seem to be normal I think. He is peeing more though (makes sense) and it’s quite a clear colour. Any thoughts would be appreciated! 


      • Wick & Fable
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          Consistent clear pee is unusual for a rabbit and is indicative of a lot of water consumption. It could be in reaction to the grass which made him more thirsty than usual due to making him pee. There is always a chance of harmful chemicals and just gross stuff on grass that can affect a rabbit. If it still persists after you go back to normal veggies, I would go to the vet and see if he’s having mouth issues that he’s trying to lubricate with water.

          Do you feed him parsley? Parsley makes some rabbits pee a ton, so they drink a ton to compensate.

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • mschoonover11
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            When my bun was almost 4 months he drank 3-4 bowls of water a day! Giving him veggies really helped so make sure to give them to him very day

            I’m a new bunny owner and I’m not quite sure about the clear pee but all I know is that it’s pretty unusual and if it keeps happening, really make sure you take him to the vet ASAP! Like Wick said, see if he’s still doing these things after you give him veggies again. Sometimes when rabbit eat just hay, it makes them very thirsty. I’ve experienced this a lot with Toby, but again, veggies are a life saver for this issue.


          • _Elouise_
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              I would also continue to monitor his water consumption. An increase in consumption as well as in urine output could coincide with kidney failure, diabetes, UTI, and even E Cuniculi. Not saying any of this to scare you but if you suddenly notice a big increase I would closely monitor and if he doesn’t seem to go back down to his normal amount and/or is peeing a lot more it wouldn’t hurt to bring him into the vet and have them check everything out! More than likely none of the above is the reason, but it’s  important to always monitor those things closely <g class="gr_ gr_2746 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="2746" data-gr-id="2746">because</g> rabbits hardly every show symptoms of illness until its too late. <br>


            • Bunnyph
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                I don’t feed him parsley but I gave him his vegetables yesterday and today and I noticed his pee is the normal colour now. But he still keeps drinking a lot of water for some reason… I think he has drank over 150ml in the last 20 hours. Considering he’s only 4 months old and 1.7lb (760 grams), I feel like it’s just odd. And it happened suddenly. For now, he’s acting the same, his poo is okay and jumping around like usual. I did notice today that his tummy was making noises but maybe it was him just digesting his veggies. Other than that, he seems fine.. might take him to a vet if he continues to drink more water like that. 

                I hope he doesn’t have any kidney issues etc. How long should I closely monitor him before taking him to the vet?


              • Bunnyph
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                  Posted By mschoonover11 on 2/20/2018 1:21 PM

                  When my bun was almost 4 months he drank 3-4 bowls of water a day! Giving him veggies really helped so make sure to give them to him very day

                  I’m a new bunny owner and I’m not quite sure about the clear pee but all I know is that it’s pretty unusual and if it keeps happening, really make sure you take him to the vet ASAP! Like Wick said, see if he’s still doing these things after you give him veggies again. Sometimes when rabbit eat just hay, it makes them very thirsty. I’ve experienced this a lot with Toby, but again, veggies are a life saver for this issue.

                  Congratulations on being a new bunny owner! 

                  Do you know why your bun was drinking more water when he was around 4 months old? And I gave my bun a lot of veggies yesterday and they still had water on them. He didn’t drink water much for a few hours after the veggies but then suddenly he drank a lot again. Do you know by any chance whether rabbits will start drinking more water if they are about to shed their fur?


                • mschoonover11
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                    Thanks Tilly!
                    I did ask someone why my bun was drinking more water when he was younger, and they said it was because I hadn’t introduced veggies to him yet. After introducing veggies, he stopped drinking all the amounts of water he used to drink. But since you said you gave him veggies, it’s a bit odd that he’s still drinking all of this water. I’m crossing my fingers that your bun doesn’t have any sort of kidney issue. Oh wait a second. You live in Australia! This isn’t an experienced answer, but it definitely is a logical answer. Maybe your rabbit is drinking all of this water because of the heat! Even though rabbits have veggies, when the weather is very hot, they will still drink a ton of water. I live in the US, and it’s super cold here right now. But Australia! That’s HOT! Is he an indoor or outdoor bun? Either way, Australia is very hot, so that’s the only thing I can think of. About the shedding fur, that doesn’t have anything to do with it. Toby is currently shedding, and he’s not drinking a lot of water. But again, I hope your bun is healthy, but if you want, you can take him to the vet anyway. It’s always good for a rabbit to see their vet, even if they’re not sick. Hope this helps

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                FORUM DIET & CARE Drinking more water than usual