# How to get my rabbit to drink water out of a bowl?



## Bunnyloverxox (Oct 5, 2020)

My 1yo rabbit has always been taught to drink from a bottle and now he refuses to drink from a bowl!Does anyone have any advice because I have searched far and wide but I can't find something that works. I have tried putting the bowl under the bottle but he knocks over the bowl


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## Bunnyloverxox (Oct 5, 2020)

For anyone wondering this is his water setup


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## Merixie (Mar 4, 2018)

Use a large heavy ceramic bowl and put a bit of herbs or tasting to the water for one day, and your bunny will drink from the bowl. 

I can make the water have taste when it’s really warm outdoors just to encourage them to drink more. Myself have juice press, so I can press apple and use the apple juice into the water or I can do the easy way dump a bit of frozen berries, smash up the berries, let herbs like mint float or lemon balm float and so on. Depends on what your bunny will like for taste ☺

You can later that day take away the bottle and only let the bowl be in the cage. Bunnies won’t go without drinking when they are thirsty and will drink from the water source they have.


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## bunnygeek (Jul 24, 2018)

Definitely go for a larger water bowl, a good heavy one so it's harder to tip. And be patient


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Why can’t he carry on using a bottle?


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## Bunnyloverxox (Oct 5, 2020)

Lurcherlad said:


> Why can't he carry on using a bottle?


It is getting hard to clean and becoming moldy


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## Bunnyloverxox (Oct 5, 2020)

Merixie said:


> Use a large heavy ceramic bowl and put a bit of herbs or tasting to the water for one day, and your bunny will drink from the bowl.
> 
> I can make the water have taste when it's really warm outdoors just to encourage them to drink more. Myself have juice press, so I can press apple and use the apple juice into the water or I can do the easy way dump a bit of frozen berries, smash up the berries, let herbs like mint float or lemon balm float and so on. Depends on what your bunny will like for taste ☺
> 
> You can later that day take away the bottle and only let the bowl be in the cage. Bunnies won't go without drinking when they are thirsty and will drink from the water source they have.


Thank you!this definetly helped since he is crazy over apple juice!I am looking for a good bowl that can hold enough water.I have removed the bottle since her has actually been ignoring it since I put the bowl in.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Bunnyloverxox said:


> It is getting hard to clean and becoming moldy


Buy a bottle cleaning brush?

Maybe have 2 so one can be left in soak to ease cleaning?


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## Bunnyloverxox (Oct 5, 2020)

bunnygeek said:


> Definitely go for a larger water bowl, a good heavy one so it's harder to tip. And be patient


Thank you!He is very into tipping water so I'm looking for a sturdy bowl.While I wait I'm using a ramakin (I think that's how u spell it?)which I fill up twice a day!


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## Bunnyloverxox (Oct 5, 2020)

Lurcherlad said:


> Buy a bottle cleaning brush?
> 
> Maybe have 2 so one can be left in soak to ease cleaning?


Maybe but a bowl is more portable and I think he is dehydrated from not using his bottle


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## HowardC (Nov 2, 2020)

I never use bottles mine have pot bowls snd they use these well. I use filtered water too to its as fresh as possible for them. I did wonder if boiled water left to go cold is good for them?


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## DoricBun (Jun 17, 2020)

You get the ceramic bowls with carrots round the side, they have been the best for me.

I too used a bottle before, but I soon learnt that its an awkward head position for buns to get water, as naturally they would drink from ground based sources, like puddles etc, so water bowls are much better.


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## Corneal (Oct 30, 2018)

DoricBun said:


> You get the ceramic bowls with carrots round the side, they have been the best for me.
> 
> I too used a bottle before, but I soon learnt that its an awkward head position for buns to get water, as naturally they would drink from ground based sources, like puddles etc, so water bowls are much better.


What are you talking about? Rabbits in the wild do t drink from puddles or rivers, they get ALL their water from plants, mainly the roots they eat


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Corneal said:


> What are you talking about? Rabbits in the wild do t drink from puddles or rivers, they get ALL their water from plants, mainly the roots they eat


You are wrong, and rude.

Wild rabbits do drink.


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## DoricBun (Jun 17, 2020)

Corneal said:


> What are you talking about? Rabbits in the wild do t drink from puddles or rivers, they get ALL their water from plants, mainly the roots they eat


I said 'puddles etc' you added the rivers part all by yourself.

Ok, so to check if I was at fault on my post I searched 'Wild Rabbits Drinking Water' on Google and YouTube and it returned quite a few results, and yes there was mention that wild rabbits can get all the moisture from what they eat, but there was also supporting info from drinking from natural water sources, there are even videos on YouTube of a wild rabbit crossing a garden who stops off to drink water from a dog bowl, and another where a wild rabbit was drinking from a puddle in a car park.

Bottom line, we are all on here to learn and share our experience on our buns, I don't think I deserved that abrupt response.


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## HowardC (Nov 2, 2020)

DoricBun said:


> I said 'puddles etc' you added the rivers part all by yourself.
> 
> Ok, so to check if I was at fault on my post I searched 'Wild Rabbits Drinking Water' on Google and YouTube and it returned quite a few results, and yes there was mention that wild rabbits can get all the moisture from what they eat, but there was also supporting info from drinking from natural water sources, there are even videos on YouTube of a wild rabbit crossing a garden who stops off to drink water from a dog bowl, and another where a wild rabbit was drinking from a puddle in a car park.
> 
> Bottom line, we are all on here to learn and share our experience on our buns, I don't think I deserved that abrupt response.


We all care about our rabbits I think it is easy to word posts that sound rude unintentionally I'm sure. But yes rabbits do need water especially in hot weather.


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## Corneal (Oct 30, 2018)

Nonnie said:


> You are wrong, and rude.
> 
> Wild rabbits do drink.


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## Tiggers (May 27, 2014)

Would allowing you rabbit to continue drinking from a bottle not be the easiest, most hygienic and simplest solution. Bottles keep water fresh and uncontaminsted, but must themselves be cleaned and sterilised regularly. Wild rabbits will drink at will from wherever they can obtained fresh water, but cannot really be equated to a pet rabbit.


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## DoricBun (Jun 17, 2020)

Not sure why you keep on at this, that screen shot does not state anything, and goes somewhat off topic to my post. I never mentioned wild rabbits, all I said was that naturally they would prefer ground sources, due to the awkward head position to put their head up to drink from a bottle.

Also, your screenshot is from American beagler, which, at a glance seems to be a forum for people who use dogs to hunt and kill animals. So personally, I would not be interested in anything they have to say.


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## bunnygeek (Jul 24, 2018)

That American Beagler article is referring to a completely different species of wild rabbit in any case, not the European Wild Rabbit, which all domestic rabbits descend from, which is never going to find itself in desert conditions, which would be the case for wild rabbit species in Arizona for example *shrug*

I stopped using bottles years ago, my guys love their water bowls and will often go for long slurps, they're able to get far more water than the drip drip drip you get from bottles. They have three bowls to choose from, two in their shed and one in their aviary. 

Some bottles can be a choke risk if the spout falls off and the ball inside gets loose, and that metal spout will also freeze solid in cold temperatures.

To encourage the switch it will just take patience and time.


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