Bosse not drinking..?

[Svandis]

Bosse hasn’t been drinking much lately. When I think about it I think that was what triggered/caused his blockage some weeks ago. After his blockage he started drinking his usual amount again (half a bottle or more a day). A week ago his drinking started slowing down again and I was scared he would get another blockage. He still had his appetite though. I syringe-fed him water for a few days, and he then started drinking a little, but only a little once a day. He has a bowl of water and a waterbottle that are both changed every day. He won’t touch the bowl (he’s used to the bottle), and he will only drink a tiny bit from the bottle.. To get some water in him I have upped his veggies and lowered his pellets. He still gets crazy happy around feeding time and is active as  usual. He is pooping and peeing as usual aswell. I’m just at a loss as to why he isn’t drinking! Do you guys have any idea what it could be? And I know I should probably get him to the vet, and I will do that if he doesn’t start drinking regularly very soon. 

[Sarita]

He’s probably getting plenty from his veggies. It’s really more of a concern if they are drinking more water than less water.

None of my rabbits drink much water at all.

[Svandis]

I’m just worried because the last time this happened he got so dehydrated that he coulnd’t pass poop through his system, he stopped eating and he got really ill. He is drinking VERY little. I could be overly worried as well though. It is just that I didn’t change anything in his diet and where he would usually drink more than half a bottle he is now only drinking 1/10th or less..

[Deleted User]

I would say if you’re really worried about him not getting enough water I would make sure to wet down his veggies real good. I end up wetting my veggies down so much there is a puddle of water on the bottom of my bun’s veggie bowl. It’s Skipper’s favorite when this happens because the water tastes like her veggies. I hope Bosse is feeling better and remembers to drink.

[Svandis]

Thanks so much for the advice Skipper, gonna try it out for his breakfast tomorrow and thanks for the well wishes.

[Roberta]

How is Bosse doing now, has he started to drink normally again ?

[LittlePuffyTail]

You could try adding a bit of apple juice to his water to see if that encourages him to drink more. And/or you could try soaking his pellets in a bit of water so it becomes like a porridge. If he will eat them that way, he can get a bit of extra hydration.

[Svandis]

He is a tiny bit more every day, so I think he is doing better. Still not drinking a whole lot though. I will get some apple juice tomorrow and try that out it should probably be sugar-free right?

[Svandis]

He is drinking a tiny bit more*

[Roberta]

Definitely sugar free… Is he having many vege’s with high water content at the moment? I know mine go through stages. They have been gobbling their greens and drinking less and at other times they drink more and have less interest in their salad.

[Svandis]

Yeah he has plenty of watery veggies we didn’t get the apple juice after all since we felt it wasn’t all that necessary any more. The last two days his drinking has picked up and he is still active, so we think maybe it was just a phase. He got some string poops when he was in the middle of it, but it has cleared out. Have been grooming him more than usual the last two weeks to clear it out.

[Svandis]

I just thought of something. He is about 10 months old now, could it be that he just doesn’t need as much water now that he is practically an adult bun, since he has stopped growing?

[Deleted User]

I noticed that the more water I have the veggies drenched in and the more veggies the bun gets the less likely the buns are to drink from their bowl. I was astonished by how much water Ian (the new foster) drank when I first got him. But after a few days of him being with us and getting more veggies and having them drenched in water, his water intake from his bowl decreased.

[Roberta]

My Foster Pascal is a water hound… Could be because he has a bowl and a bottle for drinking where at the rescue they only had bottles. He also pee’s like a race horse but that could be because he prefers his play pen litter tray to the in cage one and holds it in. LOL he comes jumping out in the morning straight into the box for a huge pee, same in the afternoon when I get home. He uses the little one sometimes but nowhere near as often. Piglet, Pepper and the girls aren’t much interested in water at all. They always drink more in Winter but in Summer their water consumption drops by 2/3. They all get two salads a day, nice and wet with at least one high water content veg.

[Author]

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