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How do you teach a young rabbit to lick ball?

22 10:07:09

Question
He gets his chin and chest all wet when drinking from a bowl because he raises his head with his mouth full.  I switched to a bottle but instead of using his tongue he's trying to bite and chew the tube to get water.

Answer
Hi Tom,

several answers to this one.

First, he will figure it out, because like almost all water bottles, it drips and he is smart enough to know it's got water in it.

Second, rabbits discover and test things with their teeth and tongue and mouth (their mouth is like our hands) so him learning about how the water bottle feels and such is normal.  Plus, they are chewers and like to try to chew and nibble on things so this behavior isn't abnormal.

Third, he has to lear n how he wants to get water out of the bottle.  Everybody drinks a little different.  

Fourth, it is better to position a water bottle spout at his head level when he is sitting in his normal position.  You don't want to put it too low ot the ground, it's harder for them to drink it low.  It is better to be up at their face level, it will feel easier to drink from at that height.

Fifth, make sure nothing is below the bottle or blocking him to get into a good position to drink easily from the bottle.  That means his food bowl shouldn't be under the water bottle, and the space around it should be open so he can get to it easily without anything around it.

You can also tap the ball bearing, with him watching, and show him your finger with water on it. But definitely make sure it's at a proper height for him, because yo uwant him to be comfortable when drinking, as this will encourage him to drink more often and be better hydrated, which is extremely important in small animals that do not have a lot of body fluid volume, and can get dehydrated very quickly and go into shock and die.