Strange noises drinking, and more time drinking

[Don Merlin]

We’ve had our rabbits for several years, and she has always been a whisper quiet rabbit drinking her water.  Today, however, I heard an odd noise coming from her cage, and every time I look, she’s sitting at her water.  She normally drinks and walks away, but she is literally “hanging out at the water cooler”.  Kind of reminds me of “hugging the toilet”.  And she has been drinking more than usual, and when she does drink, there’s a very odd sound.  At first, I thought it was her feet scratching at something, but when I look, her feet aren’t doing anything.  I don’t know how she’s making the noise, only that she’s not made it before. Any ideas?

[Wick & Fable]

Is she eating more hay than usual? Hay eating typically impacts water drinking, since hay is the rabbit equivalent to saltine crackers essentially! Makes the mouth dry and makes them thirsty.

Is the sound in anyway similar to a human drinking water in an empty stomach? Sort of like gurgling sounds. One of my rabbits has full body sound experiences when she drinks that might just be the result of her posture or when she chooses to drink.

One way to assess if the increase in water consumption is problematic is if you see your rabbit is peeing clear. If it’s clear, it typically means they are drinking more water than they actually need. This can come from boredom or dental problems ( water can act like a lubricant to soothe mouth pain). Do any of these seem to be going on?

Are there any other changes from her aside from drinking?

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.

[Don Merlin]

She’s not eating more hay.  In fact, she doesn’t seem to be eating much of anything.  Also no poop in litter box yet today.

The sound doesn’t seem to be gurgling or stomach related, it seems to be something she’s doing in her mouth, almost like a grinding of teeth.  It’s very odd.  I just noticed that she does it even when she’s not drinking water (but she is staying close by the water dish).

Not sure what to do.

[Wick & Fable]

It sounds very much like a dental problem. Tooth grinding paired with lack of appetite are typical signs of dental pain, leading the rabbit to not eat, even though it needs to.

I highly recommend taking your rabbit to a rabbit vet to get her teeth, front and back, checked. If she is being deterred from eating due to this pain, she will only get worse unfortunately. Most likely, a dental grinding will be recommended under anesthesia, which is a very common procedure for rabbits.

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.

[DanaNM]

I agree it sounds very much like a dental problem, which can lead to stasis if they stop eating. Can you syringe feed her and/or offer her favorite soft greens? Or try offering some pellet mash. If she isn’t pooping she may already be in stasis, not eating or pooping for more than 12 hours is an emergency.

. . . 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.  

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