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rabbits not drinking & lying in litter box

22 11:19:14

Question
We rescued two black, brother rabbits about six months ago from the humane society. They seem to like their new home. They cuddle comfortably with us, and also run and hop around the house. Their coats are shiny, they appear completely healthy. We've noticed two problems though. First, they do not drink at all from their water bottle. They get plenty of fresh fruits and vegtables and must be getting their water from that, but is that enough? How can we get them to drink water from a bottle or dish when they show no interest? Second, no matter what other bedding we put in their cage, they love to lay in their litter box. Is this healthy? Can we discourage this behavior? And since they have white feet they have turned yellow (even though we bathe them often)- can we get their fur back to white? thank you for any help.

Answer
Do they drink from a water bowl?  Some rabbits don't know how to use a water bottle and it takes them a while to figure it out.  If they weren't getting enough water, they would not be acting so normal.  It is possible to get water from fruits and veggies, but, they should have another source of water.

Some rabbits like the litterbox.  The cage floor is sometimes hard on their feet.  You could try putting a towel or a piece of plywood in the cage to see if they will sit on that instead.  It won't hurt them to sit in the litterbox, just discolor their feet as you have found.  You could try putting hay in the litterbox so there is an extra barrier between them and the litter.

The only thing I have seen return their fur to the right color is to wait for their next shed.  No amount of washing will get that color out.

Kim