Too much water?

[elemenoperica]

How do I know if my buns are drinking too much water… or rather, how much is normal?

Both of my buns are fixed and eat Oxbox T (timothy) pellets, fresh greens, and unlimited timothy hay everyday. My 5-pound female seems to drink an awful lot of water, but I don’t know what is normal. I’d say she goes through her large water bottle every 3-4 days. Is that typical? Should I be worried?

[BunnyMuffin]

I think not getting enough water would be more of a concern than getting too much. I have 2 bunnies (4.5 and 6 lbs) and they go through a large bottle in about 2 days. So assuming our definition of “large” is about the same, that sounds pretty normal. But I personally can’t think of anything bad that can happen from drinking too much water.

[Beka27]

The average is between 2 & 4 ounces a day, but some drink more, some less. Water consumption increases with my two during the warmer months, it slows down in winter. The more hay they eat, the more water they drink.

My definition of the “large” bottle is the 32 ounce petstore bottle. So 32 ounces split over 4 days equals… 8 ounces each day. Divided by two bunnies (assuming they are drinking equal amounts, this will not always be the case), that comes to 4 ounces per bun, per day. That sounds to be about right.

It’s good to know “normal” for your bunny, so if something becomes abnormal (they suddenly double or triple their water intake) you know that it might be something to watch out for.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Drinking amount varies from bunny to bunny. Always have fresh water available. But the most important thing, as Beka said, is to know what’s normal for your bunny. Changes in water consumption can indicate a problem. But drinking more or less then another rabbit is no big deal They all drink different amounts and this can depend on how dry the air is, how many wet veggies they eat, how much hay they eat, pellets etc. It’s a good thing your noticing what they are drinking and just keep an eye out for changes!

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