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my rabbit drinks water a lot, is that too much?

22 9:57:31

Question
hi, I'm Erine and I had my bunny rabbit Latte for about a month. She loves to drink water; sometimes she can drink half of the drinking bottle per day, once she drank all. is that normal? Maybe its because I live in Taiwan, a country in Asia. I noticed that after Latte drink about half of the bottle or more, her droppings became long instead of being little dry balls. Is that bad? thanks!!

Answer
Dear Erine,

First, be sure that the water bottle isn't leaking.  That's a very common source of the "mystery drinking" that some rabbits seem to do.  Also, it is better and safer for her to have a heavy ceramic bowl for water (be sure the glaze is lead free!), as the position of drinking is more natural, and you can better monitor her intake.  You just need to wash the bowl daily and give her fresh water every day.

If she really is drinking excessively, there are three possible reasons that are most common:

1.  The weather is very hot, and she's trying to cool down.
2.  She has molar spurs causing pain, and she is drinking to soothe the pain.
3.  She has renal (kidney) disease (more likely if she is also urinating excessively)

If you suspect #2, then a good rabbit vet can look deep into the mouth to check for spurs and file them as is done for horses.  Please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

If you suspect #3, then a good rabbit vet can draw blood to check for abnormal values of creatinine and B.U.N., as well as some other indicators.  Renal disease is not curable if chronic, but it can be managed with care.

To find a good rabbit vet, use the international listings linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana