In addition to hay and feed, a rabbit needs to drink a lot of water every day, so these three things should always be within reach. If your rabbit does not eat hay or feed, or does not drink water, it is time to worry. At oneCOMO we always recommend that, in the event of any anomaly detected in the behavior of your animal, take him to the vet. However, from here we will also indicate the possible causes that your rabbit has stopped drinking water.
If you want to know why doesn’t my rabbit drink water, don’t miss this oneHOWTO article. However, we already anticipate that the main reason is usually that you do not know how to drink water from the trough.
Why My Rabbit Doesn’t Want To Drink Water – Main Causes
When a rabbit does not want to drink water, it can be due to these main reasons:
- He is sick: When a rabbit is sick, in addition to stopping drinking and eating, it will have other types of strange behaviors, such as being very still, having its eyes closed or making noises of pain. In more serious situations, you could lose your hair, have loose stools or diarrhea, have breathing problems or watery eyes, among others. If you detect strange behavior in your animal, it is best to go to the vet as soon as possible. If you think your rabbit may be sick, you may also be interested in this other oneHOWTO article on What are the most common diseases in domestic rabbits.
- Is very oldIf, in addition to the fact that your rabbit does not drink water, lately it has been a bit quieter than usual and it is not a kitten, it is very likely that it is simply getting older. Like people, when a rabbit reaches old age, the animal will be less and less active, so it will not need to eat a lot or drink as much water. However, you should be monitoring it to make sure that every day you eat and drink a little. If necessary, you could provide water through syringes.
- The water is dirty: It may also be the case that, for some reason, the water is dirty or has a bad taste. This happens especially when we are forced to mix a medicine (such as vitamins) in the water. If your rabbit notices an unusual taste, he may want to stop drinking water. If so, you will need to find another way to administer his medicine.
- Does not know how to drink water from the trough: Although it seems strange, it is more common than it seems. You will be able to realize this when the rabbit is healthy in all other aspects, that is, your rabbit eats but does not drink water. In the next section, we will discuss this problem in more detail.
- The drinking fountain is broken: it may also be the case that there is a problem in the sprue, for example that the ball that controls the drip has become clogged due to its oxidation. In these cases, it will be enough for you to check if there really is a problem in the drinker and, if so, you will have to buy a new one.
My rabbit does not know how to drink from the trough
Many times, when we find that our rabbit does not drink water, it may only be because he does not know how to drink from the trough. This occurs when they have prematurely separated from the mother or another group of rabbits. Keep in mind that rabbits, like other animals, learn by imitation. In this way, if he has not been able to spend a minimum of time with his mother, he will not have learned to drink from the trough.
Rabbits need to drink a lot of water, so it is important to keep them well hydrated. If you have detected in time that your rabbit does not drink water, it is best that, temporarily, put water in a container similar to food so you can drink. Don’t worry though, because over time the rabbit will end up learning on its own how to drink water from the trough. Even so, in the next section we will explain some tricks to teach your rabbit to drink water from the trough.
In the same way, providing hay to rabbits is essential, since it occupies 80% of their diet. Here you can learn a lot about what rabbits eat to know what food to offer them so that they are healthy. If you also notice that he also does not eat hay, this other oneHOWTO article about Why my rabbit does not eat hay may also help you.
My rabbit does not drink water, how to make him drink?
Before you can answer this question, you must find out why your rabbit doesn’t drink water And, once you know it or have a slight idea, you will have to keep these tips in mind:
- If your rabbit is very young and does not know how to drink water by itself, you should teach you how to do it.
- Sometimes, it will be enough that, with your finger and in front of your pet, you squeeze and release the nozzle of the waterer to see that water is coming out of there. You could even bring your wet finger closer to him so he can smell and lick it. Later, if you see that he does not approach the drinking fountain, bring him a little closer. Sometimes it’s just that lose your fear of the container, which may be totally unknown to you.
- If you still see that your rabbit does not drink water, you can go to the vet for this to advise you the best for your case.
Anyway, if it is not a matter of illness that the vet has ruled out, don’t worry, because if in the end he cannot drink from the vertical trough, he can always do so from a flatter container, from which it will be much more natural. and easy to drink.
Now that you know why my rabbit does not drink water, you may also be interested in this other oneHOWTO article on How to care for a domestic rabbit.
If you want to read more articles similar to Why doesn’t my rabbit drink water, we recommend that you enter our category of Pets.