Fresh water is a must with bunnies. If you don’t give water to your bunny for one day, it can die.
It is important to have fresh water everywhere your bunny is, and you can even change it up to three times a day to keep it fresh.
Water helps regulate the bunny’s body temperature, maintain gut motility and helps with the removal of waste.
Rabbits consume 2-3 times more water than food… which sounds like a lot, but they get water from:
- drinking water
- grass
- hay – even dry food has some water in it
- chemical reactions in its body causes metabolic water
Warning
Water gained from dry food and metabolic processes only provide a very small amount of the daily water requirement.
Rabbits drink a lot more water on hot days, just like us, but their consumption can lower on cool/cold days or even on humid days. The temperature of the water can also affect how much they drink, if it’s too cold or too warm they wont touch it. Bunnies like tepid water (warm but not hot).
Bunnies can also drink more water than usual if they are moulting.
Don’t give your bunnies dirty or stale water. They won’t drink it, this can cause serious health issues. The dirt in bad water can build up in your bunny’s gut, or even harbour parasites, bacteria or germs. Always clean and disinfect their water bowl regularly, and make sure you rinse it with lots of fresh water and let it dry completely before refilling it.
Tip
If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t give it to your bunny.
They should drink about 10% of body weight in water each day, or roughly about 50-150ml/kg/day. While dehydrated rabbits need 240ml/kg/day or 10ml/kg/hr.
If your bunny is drinking an excessive amount of water and urinating frequently, there can be a serious health issue. Seek professional advice immediately.
Water bottles or a bowl?
Water bottles should be banned. Bunnies struggle getting enough water out of them. Bunnies are sippers, not lickers. Don’t give your bunny a water bottle, they are cruel.
Use a shallow bowl instead and keep it filled. Bunnies can’t reach down into a deep bowl once it becomes empty, so make sure it’s easy to get to. Imagine it like drinking from a puddle, not a swimming pool.
Getting your bunny to drink more water
- Make sure the water isn’t gross. Rabbits can be finicky about the taste of water.
- Check if they are eating a lot of fresh grass or lettuce, if so, they may not need to drink a lot of water.
- Keep in mind that rabbits are good at regulating their water intake and it may be a day that they don’t need to drink a lot, but if they don’t drink regularly see #4.
- Check the colour of your bunny’s urine, if it’s a dark brown it’s dehydrated and you may have to intervene with a syringe. Use honey or sugar water (don’t make it too sweet)
- Check if your bunny is in pain. There may be an issue in their mouth or gut. See a vet.
Tip
Some people put a tiny amount of apple cider vinegar in their bunny’s water, that way if the water source changes the flavour of it doesn’t.
Apple cider vinegar is a good source of vitamins and minerals. Just make sure it has the Mother in it.
It can take a long time for the bunny to get used to the taste of apple cider vinegar, some will like it others won’t.