Very thirsty bunny

Question
I have a pet bunny that I have raised from the time he was 2 days old. He is about 3 months old now and drinks a lot of water. Is this normal? He drinks about a medium sized bottle of water a day. He is kept inside the house so he is not in the heat or anything.

Answer
Dear Robin,

Normal water intake for a mammale is about 90-100ml per kilogram of body mass per day.  So measure out the water you give him, weigh your bunny, and see if his intake is excessive.

A young, growing bunny has a faster metabolism than an adult, so this might contribute to what appears to be "excessive" drinking.  As long as the urine is dark and concentrated, it's not likely to be something dire, such as renal disease (which would be uncommon in such a young bunny, unless he ate something that was nephrotoxic--damaging ot the kidneys).

Excessive urination and excessive drinking in any mammal *can* be a sign of disease such as renal (kidney) disease, or even diabetes.  Occasionally, a rabbit with painful molar problems (e.g., spurs) will drink excessively to soothe the pain of the sore mouth.  If your bunny has not had a deep oral exam to check for molar spurs, now might be a good time.  Please read:

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

Dental problems don't usually show up in a bunny this young, but if he has a severe malocclusion (misalignment) of the teeth, it's not impossible.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps.

Dana