Water is vital for a rabbit to be sustained in their health. It is a really important part of their diet along with a hay, veggies, fruit and specialist rabbit food. If they don’t get water to drink they will get thirsty and their health will begin to deteriorate. They will start to attract diseases and get urinary problems that will be detrimental to their overall state of being. So it is important that water is available for them to drink all of the time without fail. By putting out a water bottle refreshed with fresh water for them, they can drink from it anytime they feel they need to. Just like us humans need access to fresh water from the tap to quench our thirst.
How Much Water Should Rabbits Drink?
Rabbits need to drink about 50-100 ml of water each and every day. It is important to monitor your rabbit to make sure that they are drinking enough water so when you are filling up your rabbit’s water bottle, take a regular measure before you attach the water bottle to the cage at the start of the day and then at the end of the day when you check it. This way, you can monitor your rabbit’s water intake closely. It is quite easy for the rabbit to neglect drinking enough and as mentioned before, this is when health problems occur.
If they won’t drink from a water bottle they may prefer to drink from an open dish. If they do so, have a low bowl which is heavy enough so that your bunny cannot push it around like having a plastic bowl would. A dish is particularly beneficial for a rabbit that has sore mouth or tooth problems as it is painful for them to suck on a water bottle nozzle.
For further reading check out this article, ‘my rabbit is not drinking water’