How Do Rabbits Drink Water? 6 Questions Answered

How do rabbits drink water? In the wild, rabbits generally drink water in the rivers, lakes, and ponds near their habitats. However, these water sources are contaminated by chemicals and substances that can generate diseases and illnesses in rabbits.

At home, rabbits being your pet can drink from bowls. This container is a better option than water bottles for rabbits because the spout of bottles can easily clog up. If you use bowls, it won’t be blocked, although this container can get spilled or knocked over.

If you have just adopted a rabbit, you must have a good understanding of its essential needs. One thing is for sure; water is a vital requirement and rabbits must access plenty of fresh water every time.

In this article, we are going to learn about water and rabbits. We will expound on this matter for you to gain a better understanding.

Let’s answer 6 of the common questions usually asked by rabbit owners like you!

#1. How Much Water Do Rabbits Drink In A Day?

Rabbits drink water often to decrease the risk of dehydration. It has been estimated that rabbits’ water consumption every day is double the amount compared to food intake.

So if you notice that your pet is not drinking enough water, then you should be alarmed.

Furthermore, a bunny that does not drink the right amount of water can cause kidney failure.

That is why you have to be keen and observe your pet’s behavior so that you can immediately take action if there are problems.

#2. Is Tap Water Safe For Rabbits?

Tap water is generally safe for humans and animals to drink. However, there are certain areas in which tap water is contaminated and not safe to drink.

Some of these places have water that contains strong chemicals like chlorine, which is not suitable for rabbits.

If you are not sure whether your tap water is okay to drink or not, you can be cautious and put a water filter in your sink. Furthermore, running the tap water for a long time can reduce the contaminants present in the liquid.

If you notice that chlorine is the only problem, you can let the chlorine evaporate by leaving the water in an open jug or container.

By then, you can eliminate this chemical, making the water safe for your rabbits to consume. 

#3. Water Bowl Or Water Bottle?

How do rabbits drink water? On the top part, you already know that a water bowl and a water bottle are both options that your rabbit has. There are many debates among rabbit owners about what is the best container for rabbits when drinking water.

Here is the comparison:

• Water bowl

This container allows the rabbit to drink in its natural position. It is easier to clean and fill the bowel.

However, the problem will occur if your pet will tip the bowl up since bunnies are playful. Bowels being fairly inexpensive are easy to replace in case of breakage.

As a piece of advice, if you are going to use a water bowl, find a heavy type even if it is empty to decrease the chances of spilling water quickly.

• Water bottle

On the other hand, a water bottle can excellently hold water and there are minimum chances of water wastage but using a bottle push rabbits to drink in an unnatural position.

However, a closed container will not let the water evaporate and you do not have to worry about maintaining the required water level.

Nonetheless, Bottles tend to leak and malfunction, causing a little amount of water to come out of the container.

#4. How Long Can Rabbits Go Without Water?

As we talked about earlier, rabbits need to have a significant amount of water, as much as twice their food intake.

If there is no water for your pet to drink, the problem will immediately start within a few hours without it.

By the time it reached 24 hours, rabbits can get seriously ill. It is alarming, especially if you have a lot of rabbits at home.

That is why you should not neglect this matter if you wish to have healthy and robust rabbits.

#5. What Are The Benefits Of Water To Rabbits?

Water is undoubtedly an essential liquid to humans and animals. It keeps every cell of the body alive, and it is a significant part that consists of the blood.

Rabbits surely cannot live without water in their system.

• Rabbits can move bowels smoothly

We all know that significant water intake can make the digestive system work properly. The food that is ingested by rabbits will be moist, allowing its free movement inside the body system.

If it is dry, it will cause a blockage in your pet’s gut that can lead to severe problems in the future.

When the ingested food sits in the large intestine for a long time, there is a need for more water to be drawn out of the colon into the bloodstream.

Because of this, the dehydration will be more severe. That is why you have to let your pet drink lots of water.

Flushes out excessive calcium

Too much calcium is dangerous for the health of rabbits like urinary and bladder stones. Unlike us humans, rabbits tend to absorb all of the calcium found in their food.

However, too little calcium can also cause bunnies to have dental diseases.

Water is the perfect solution for this kind of problem. This liquid will make sure that your pet will flush out the excess calcium, which is not needed in the rabbits’ bodies indicating that rabbits can not go long without water.

However, the level of calcium will be dictated by the amount of food intake during diet meals.

#6. How Can You Tell If A Rabbit Is Dehydrated?

Do you want to know what will happen if your beloved furry friend does not drink the right amount of water?

Well, tune in because we are going to enumerate the symptoms of dehydration.

When we talk about dehydration in rabbits, we should not treat this as a regular matter.

It is because this happening is very serious and should be avoided at all costs. These are the identifiers for a dehydrated rabbit:

• Teeth and oral problems
• High fever
• Weight loss
• Discomfort
• Dark and awful smell in urine
• Dry skin which loses flexibility

If you see that your pet is experiencing these symptoms, do not waste time, and immediately bring it to the nearest local veterinarian.

Conclusion

How do rabbits drink water? There are various ways how rabbits drink water. We hope that we gave you a good insight into how to manage the water needs of your rabbit and the container that you should use through this article.

Rabbits need to have a fair amount of water intake to make their body work properly.

If you see symptoms of dehydration, bring your pet to the veterinarian for immediate care. Also, keep in mind that without water in just a day can lead rabbits to have serious illnesses that can lead to death.

Good luck, and I hope you got important information from this article!