Rabbit not drinking

[AmaliaLuhtalla]

So, I have an eight year old Flemish giant rabbit, and am slightly concerned for him. He has not touched his water bottle in three days, he is an outdoor bunny and lately it has been very hot out. Today it was almost in the 90s, so he must need water. I've tried adding a bowl of water in his cage but he hasn't touched that either. I do have frozen pop bottles in his cage to help cool things down but that can't be enough to beat this summer heat, and the bunny hasn't even lost his winter coat yet, so shouldn't he be drinking a lot of water? What do I do?

 

[ronott1]

I inherited a bunny from my Daughter when she moved out. He stopped eating and drinking last summer and I thought it was going to be the end for him. I bought him some pro biotic gummies and fed him kale twice a day because that was all he would eat. after about 5 days he perked up and is fine now.

 

[BantamLover21]

Is he acting normally otherwise (eating, droppings normal, etc.)? Has the water in the bottle gone down at all? Does he get any leafy vegetables each day? I would be concerned if he isn't drinking anything; rabbits can't survive long without water, especially in the heat. If he is getting some leafy vegetables, they could be supplying him with enough water, though.

It could be old age and his "time" coming, but rabbits can live longer than 8 years, so it may not be that. I would take him out and inspect his entire body for swelling and other abnormalities. Keep the water bowl in with him, too. If he seems lethargic at all, try to syringe some water into him. Otherwise, offer wet greens, like parsley, romaine lettuce, plantain, raspberry leaves, or kale. If he isn't used to eating greens, this may upset his stomach, so keep an eye out for diarrhea or other digestive problems.

 

[AmaliaLuhtalla]

I am feeding him more grass than I had been in the past, I read that 80% of a rabbits diet should be grasses and hay, so I've been trying to give him more of those. Other than that nothing in his diet has changed, he eats pellets, corn, alphalpha bricks and grass. He is eating and pooping regularly, it's just there's no water intake.

 

[AmaliaLuhtalla]

Oh, and I do handle him daily, I get him out and let him hop around on a leash for about an hour a day, so far I have not noticed any abnormalities, and he's not losing any weight. His behavior is normal as well.

 

[BantamLover21]

Are you feeding him more wet grass or dry grass (hay)?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mine get grass daily, lots, and they still drink a lot of water daily.

 

[Finnisher]

If he is being very lethargic and you are certain he is not drinking water then you should try to make him drink with a syringe. Give him a syringe of 100% juice no added sugar and see if it sparks his interest. Take a look at this site: http://www.vrra.org/forcefeeding.htm