# Not Drinking! Any ideas?



## Rini (Jun 23, 2010)

Rini had recently been to the vets and got treatment for a broken toe. The toe was healing naturally and so she was taken off the medication. The meds had made her lose her appetite so she didnt eat much for a couple days, just a lil veg and hay. She also didnt drink much apart from one day when i saw her take a massive drink. 
Anyways, her appetite, since coming off the meds, has come back with a vengence and she is eating like a pig! But she hasnt touched her water. She drinks from a bottle and always has. She is having more veg now than normal and has a variety of different veg (eg. cucumber, cabbage, carrot, broccoli). 
Although returning back to her timid yet territorial behaviour (which is annoying >.<), she is healthy. 
I don't know whether she is just getting enough liquid from her veg and isnt interested in drinking or whether it's something else. I have, last night and today, squirted some water into her mouth with a suringe.
I dunno if I should try putting a water bowl in her cage instead of a bottle but she already has two bowls in there and another would cramp it abit :/
Or whether I should just leave it cause there's nothing wrong with it :/ I dunno :/ 

Any help?


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## Lollie1515 (Feb 9, 2010)

Could you not try some natualr fruit juice (pineapple always goes down a treat!) not too much as they are so high in natural sugars but maybe mixed with a little water may encourage her to drink


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## Rini (Jun 23, 2010)

hmm I was advised to give her pineapple to help her go to the toilet so I wouldnt want her to get a bad tummy :/ I would try juice but its just she isnt even going to her bottle so she wouldn't know it was tasty. I have a couple times fed her water with a suringe. She's probably not getting all of it but it's wetting her whistle 
I do think she is probably just getting enough water from the veg and I doubt she's forgot how to use a bottle. Some wild rabbit can go their whole lives without a drop to drink as they get enough water from the grass etc and the dew on the grass. I did check to see the nozzle was working alright and the water was coming out fine. Still dont know whether I should try a bowl but as I say, I dont think it's because she doesnt know how or doesn't want to use the bottle.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

I would put a small ammount of ribena in the bottle so when she does go for a lick she tastes that its special  I have but the juice in my guys tonight and they between them will drink a 1.1 ltr bottle by the morning! Maybe 2 water bottles because that way she has the option or plain or special  
I wouldnt worry too much. To check if she is dehydrated, pull up a pinch of skin with your fingers and let it go, if it springs back quick you are ok, if it stays up for a bit then she needs to drink more.

*Heidi*


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## Rini (Jun 23, 2010)

I haven't even seen her go to it :/ but she is still springy skinned. I might try but I do think it might just be the veg. I would like to see her drink tho lol she used to drink so much XD and wow, your buns drink alot of water XD jesus! lmao they must be peeing all day XD haha


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Mine cant resist weak ribena  x


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## Rini (Jun 23, 2010)

I was told to mix the gerbils meds with ribena when he needed medication XD I guess even animals like juice lol is it ok to leave the ribena water in for a while? Cause I dont change water every single day :/


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## Paws&Claws (Aug 29, 2009)

Rini said:


> I was told to mix the gerbils meds with ribena when he needed medication XD I guess even animals like juice lol is it ok to leave the ribena water in for a while? Cause I dont change water every single day :/




I strongly recommend that you change the water *everyday*!
Your rabbit needs fresh water each day, if you do not change the water everyday the bottle will turn icky and the rabbit will have to drink yucky water.... that it proberbly wont want to drink...
x


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## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

Rini said:


> I was told to mix the gerbils meds with ribena when he needed medication XD I guess even animals like juice lol is it ok to leave the ribena water in for a while? Cause I dont change water every single day :/


You should change water every day even if the bottle is still really full! Would you like to drink water or any drink for that matter thats been left out for a day or more? think of the nasties that would be in it, remember the water bottle isn't completely sealed so all sorts of germs get in through the spout. Especially in summer the water will start going green with algae very fast.

Try giving some water in a bowl, I kow you've said its probably the veg but isn't it worth a try? Even mine are drinking a lot in this heat despite how much veg they have throughout the day, I've even been giving small amounts of lettuce to make sure they get plenty of fluids in this heat and lettuce is generally bad for rabbits as it has too much water.


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## Rini (Jun 23, 2010)

I'll start changing it everyday but I would like to make a point that no matter what you may think or judge about me, if my rabbits water was getting algae in it I would not leave it in the cage >:[ I'm not a bad owner.
She's indoors (used to be outdoors) and the bottle stays nice and clear and the water doesnt get dirty. When a little bit of algae appears on the sides I clean the bottle with a bottle brush and inside the nozzle. 
It's also not hot here at the moment, heat is something I'm always worried about for my animals and I make decisions to help them through the heat. And of course I would be worried if she wasn't drinking lots if it was hot, and she appeared to be over heating. But it has been chilly recently. 
I might try the bowl idea but I only have a shallow little plastic bowl (which normally has pumpkin seeds in it) and thats why I havent tried as I think she will just knock it over or pick it up. Don't want her getting wet. She tends to throw things around especially if you move them or add new things. :/
She is having cucumber and other veg which contains alot of liquid. 

Thank you for your advice, I'm grateful you are all trying to help. Just please don't get the wrong idea, Rini is a hard rabbit to cope with and she's lucky she's got an owner who cares so much for her and her wellfare that even tho she is broke she is saving up for her to better her life... rather than buying stuff for herself which she desperately needs. My animals always come before my own wellfare.


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