Do rabbits drink a lot of water

Water, coffee, milk, soda, tea, juice, sports drinks, beer, wine — the list of what people drink can be overwhelming. With the numerous drinks likely available in your home, you might be tempted to share this beverage bounty with your rabbit. Resist the temptation! Just because rabbits drink something doesn’t mean that it’s good for them.

Banned Drinks For Bunnies

The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center website includes an article about people foods that could harm pets. Included in the list are alcohol, coffee, chocolate, caffeine, citrus, grapes, milk, and xylitol. Additionally, it’s known that rabbits shouldn’t consume a lot of sugars, salts, or fats. When you think about it, that eliminates all drinks except water.

Water Reigns

Yes, water is your bunny’s best drink. This makes sense because, just like many mammals, rabbits are made up of about 73 percent water. Water is needed for the body to function. Rabbits need water for the same reasons people and other mammals do. Those reasons include ridding the body of wastes, regulating temperature, and lubricating and cushioning joints.

Without water, death can occur in a few days. Rabbits deprived of water stop eating after three days, as noted in the book “Ferrets, Rabbits, And Rodents Clinical Medicine And Surgery.” The book also states that rabbits have a high water intake compared to other animals, giving the example that a rabbit weighing 4.6 pounds drinks as much per day as a 22-pound dog. That’s almost 5 times as much water, so rabbits truly enjoy water.

Hidden Water For Rabbits

Drinking water is crucial to rabbit health, but rabbits also get some water from food they eat, especially fresh vegetables and fruit. This means that if your rabbit is acting normally and his or her drinking habits haven’t changed, don’t panic if your pal doesn’t seem to be drinking the recommended amount of water, which is 1.5 to 5 ounces per 2.2 pounds (50 to 150 mL/kg) of body weight.

Water Bottle Or Water Bowl?

Whether you provide clean, fresh water to your rabbit in a bottle or bowl is your choice. This topic sparks discussion, including on the website Reddit. Why the fuss? Because while properly maintained bottles keep water cleaner than properly maintained bowls, the bottles require more work by the bunny to get the water. Rabbits are messy though, and sometimes shun water in a dirty bowl. For this reason, many people who share their life with rabbits opt to provide both water bottles and water bowls. For bowls, choose those that can’t be tipped over by your rabbit.

Whatever water container you choose, maintaining it is vital to your rabbit’s health. Water needs to be changed daily, and the bowl or bottle cleaned regularly with hot, soapy water. Biofilm develops on bottles or bowls that aren’t cleaned. This can lead to growth of bacteria that cause illness.

Which Water For Your Rabbit?

These days, water comes in many forms: tap, bottled, filtered, distilled, reverse osmosis, well water, soft, de-ionized water, alkaline water, etc. The rule of thumb is to give your rabbits water that you drink. If you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t offer it to your rabbit. If your rabbit has any medical conditions, consult your veterinarian first before offering any of the less common forms of water like alkaline.

Some forms of water are actually unsafe to drink. This includes distilled water, water from a hose, puddle water, and pool water. While a little bit of distilled water is OK, long-term use can cause health problems. Drinking from a hose is unsafe unless the hose is rated as safe for drinking. This is because many hoses contain lead, which gets into water that flows through it. Also, water sits in hoses and can breed bacteria. Water in puddles or other standing water found outdoors can potentially cause illness if contaminated. The protozoa Giardia is commonly found in outdoor water sources and causes intestinal problems. Pool water is treated with chlorine and other chemicals that can be harmful to rabbits if ingested.

Hold the Intervention

​Don't jump to conclusions just yet. Environmental changes can cause cause rabbits' drinking habits to vary. It's getting warmer out there. Even if your rabbit doesn't spend a lot of time outdoors, warmer temperatures can cause her to drink more than usual to stay cool. Conversely, with the air conditioning running, she may actually be a little chillier than she's used to indoors. Cold rabbits burn more calories to keep warm, meaning their bodies cue them to eat a little extra, and in turn drink a little extra, too. 

Is she getting less fresh veggies than normal? Fresh foods, especially celery, cucumber, melons, and lettuces, are mostly composed of water. If she's not receiving as much hydration from food, she may feel a little more parched than usual. Experiment with her diet and see if her drinking habits vary when she's given various fresh snacks. As long as her poops don't become too soft and she's still eating enough hay (about the size of her body per day), it's no big deal for your rabbit to get a lot of her hydration from veggies. 

​Speaking of hay, a new type of hay and renewed enthusiasm for some high-fiber snacking can cause rabbits to drink a little extra. This is nothing to worry about either. A new type of pellets or changing the amount of pellets given daily can ​have a similar result.

​Aside from temperature and food, are there any other changes in the household? Rabbits may ​throw back a few extra ounces a day if stressed. Anything from the loss of a pal to new smells or sounds in the home can cause anxiety in rabbits. If nothing else has changed, pain or illness may be the root cause of excessive thirst. 

​Is it time to dig deeper?

​Once changes to the diet or environment are ruled out, it's time to look into alternative explanations. Rabbits may ​favor the water bottle when they are in pain. This could be a result of anything from an injury to a tooth issue, and should be investigated by an exotic vet. Be sure to tell them when you noticed the ​increase in thirst, as well as if you've noticed any other changes in behavior, eating habits, bathroom routine, or weight.

Just like us, rabbits' bodies change as they age. Organs might not work quite as well as they used to. Bladder stones, kidney failure, a pancreatic tumor, or liver disease can all cause the water dish to receive extra attention. Although rare, diabetes will make your rabbit drink more. Diabetes (or diabetes-like symptoms) is most common in rabbits that aren't fed a proper diet. An obese rabbit showing symptoms of diabetes can control or even reverse the condition with some lifestyle changes.

​Excessive thirst isn't a problem in itself, but rather a possible symptom of a bigger issue. Never withhold

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