My rabbit has stopped drinking from his water bottle! Help!

[youngjedi32002]

We moved our rabbit into an outdoor hutch about a month ago. He was in a cage in the playroom and very happy with the daily attention he got from the kids. They would take him out and play with him in a playpen on an almost daily basis! But as the weather started getting nicer, the kids were outside more and he seemed very lonely. He is a very friendly rabbit! So, we got him a wonderful hutch, with 2 floors, 3 rooms, a really nice hutch! He seems so much happier. I am out back a lot with the dog and the chickens. The kids are around a lot. He gets to go into the playpen outdoors, very stimulating and exciting! The move went great, he is very happy, but he has stopped drinking from his water bottle completely! True, he gets a lot more fresh veggies and a lot of lettuce these days but I know he still needs water! I don't know what happened. It is the same water bottle, at the same height. I am completely confused. I give him a dish of water and that has gone pretty well. He has only tipped it one time. I worry about him though, especially with summer coming. I don't want him to get dehydrated. i have heard that rabbits dehydrate quickly. Any advice? I need some help to understand/do something about this!!!

 

[Alicia G]

Well would cut back on the veggies for sure, especially the lettuce. When I had a rabbit do that I completely stopped giving her veggies and put a bit of Agave nectar in with her water( maple syrup works too). Once she started to drink I stopped giving her the agave nectar and fed her veggies again, but less of it of course.
Hope that helps

 

[youngjedi32002]

Quote:
Helps a lot! I am thrilled to get any feedback on this! I will definitely do that. Maybe I have overdone it a bit with the veggies. I will cut back and add some maple syrup (I have that on hand) to his water and see how it goes! Thanks a bunch!!!

 

[dewey]

Since he drinks from the crock just fine, I'd keep giving him water in that, and triple check to be sure the bottle is functioning right or that the spout isn't being blocked by a cage wire. Had that happen before. If the bottle is working right, first thing after that I'd check his mouth to be sure there's no issues there.

 

[youngjedi32002]

The bottle is working fine. That's the first thing I checked! I will check his mouth but he hasn't been acting odd and he has been eating completely normally. But I will look! Better to be safe than sorry! I will continue to provide him multiple water choices but it is so much easier to tell how much he is drinking when I can measure it better! i am a little picky in that way that I like to know how much everyone is eating and drinking and take mental notes of all!

 

[bobwhitelover]

Quote:
DO NOT give rabbits lettuce it gives them diereah and makes them sick!! I own a small rabbitry and never give my rabbits lettuce because it makes them sick.

 

[krcote]

Quote:
DO NOT give rabbits lettuce it gives them diereah and makes them sick!! I own a small rabbitry and never give my rabbits lettuce because it makes them sick.

Lettuce in moderation will not cause any sort of life threatening diarrhea in rabbits.

 

[bobwhitelover]

Quote:
DO NOT give rabbits lettuce it gives them diereah and makes them sick!! I own a small rabbitry and never give my rabbits lettuce because it makes them sick.

Lettuce in moderation will not cause any sort of life threatening diarrhea in rabbits.

How much do you know about rabbits? I have lost rabbits from giving them lettuce!!! So if her rabbit dies don't say i didn't tell you so.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Young rabbits need to be introduced to fresh foods very slowly. I would do that even with an adult rabbit that wasn't used to eating fresh foods. My adult rabbits have always eaten a wide range of fresh foods, in limited amounts, as well as having unlimited hay and pellets. My last rabbit lived until he was 13 years old.

I think where people get into trouble is going from no fresh food to a huge amount, all at once. That can even be a problem for livestock in the spring with lush pastures, after a long winter on dry hay and feeds. Going slowly and not overdoing it is important, so you don't disrupt their digestive system.

 

[youngjedi32002]

Well, don't everyone freak out! My rabbit gets fresh foods once a day and always has his pellets. He has always eaten this way and he is 3 years old. I didn't know too much lettuce is bad, so thanks for that info, and all I meant when I said he was getting lots of lettuce was that he was getting lettuce more often for his daily share, mainly because that is what I had around in abundance! I haven't had it for the past couple weeks and he has eaten carrots and celery. And lots of Timothy Hay always. I was directed to feed him this way from the people who gave him to me, and from websites where I researched. (I had had a rabbit for a pet years ago but wanted to brush up!) The people who gave him to me loved him very much and cared for him very well, as he is neutered and has been to the vet. I thank you for the new info though! I come here seeking knowledge and never, ever do I get let down!!