8 yr old bunny drinking lots one day and none the next.

Question
hello, i have an 8 year old flemmish giant cross he has started to drink a whole bottle of water one day and no water the next day, he does the same with his mature rabbit pellets eating the whole bowl on the days he drinks his water and none on the days that he drinks nothing this has been going on, on and off for the last couple of weeks before this he would drink a quater of a bottle approx a day. he gets fresh veggies in the evening and will always eat these i am worried he may have kidney problems or if it could be anything else. Thank you

Answer
Dear Kim,

Excessive drinking coupled with excessive urination of lots of clear, dilute urine can be a sign of kidney problems.  But the fact that he then skips a whole day of drinking at all is a bit odd.  Some bunnies with painful molar spurs will drink a lot to soothe the sores in their mouth.

I'd recommend you have your bunny thoroughly checked by an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who will do a good overall exam, including the teeth, and bloodwork to check the function of kidneys, liver, and other systems.  This will either set your mind at ease, or at least tell you if there is something that needs treatment.

I hope this helps.

Dana