Drinking own urine?

[Disney]

I was sitting inside the rabbit pen and then i heard a slurping sound from under the hutch.
A doe had just peed, turned over and was drinking her own urine.. not jut a few licks, she was drinking for 15seconds.
There is a big tray full of water so it's not a thirst problem.
The first time i've seen this.. googled it but couldn't find any answers.

Anyone have an idea what this behavior could mean?

 

[MaggieJ]

I've never heard of this happening... but if I were to make a wild guess, I'd say she is short of something in her diet. Possibly salt. What do you feed her?

 

[trinityoaks]

Am I the only one who thought of Bear Grylls at reading the subject line?

 

[ZRabbits]

I have to agree with MaggieJ about something missing from your doe's diet. Sounds like she is trying to suppliment her diet through her urine. My Polish did that when he was younger and was housed with our Siamese Sable. Realized that the Siamese Sable was hogging the food and My Polish wasn't getting the amount of pellets he needed so his diet was lacking. Is she housed with others?

Karen

 

[Disney]

Hmm, she lives in a colony, but she is the boss of everyone so she doesn't get left out and eats whatever she wants, she even pushes others aside and steals from them.
She has 7week old kits though but they are weaned long ago.

This is the feed ingredients

nutrient - Function - Quantity
Crude protein - build and maintain muscle - 15.9%
Crude fat - energy, skin and coat - 2.9%
Crude ash - Minerals and trace elements - 7.4%
Crude fiber - digestion and stimulation - 16.8%
Methionine - 0.32%
Phosphorus - Bone and teeth - 0.55%
Vitamin A - Eyesight and mucous - 10100 IU / kg
Vitamin D3 - Muscles, Pregnancy and lactation - 1000 IU / kg
Vitamin E - Muscles, Pregnancy and lactation - 40 mg / kg
Copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate (Cu) - 10 mg / kg

Please let me know if the proportions to these nutritions are right.. i have no understanding of it.

 

[ZRabbits]

This is what I feed my buns. Looks good to me. In mine though I see salt, but in yours no salt?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... &ProdTab=2

Karen

 

[MaggieJ]

Disney, that is a nutritional breakdown, not an ingredients list. You may need to visit the manufacturer's website or email them to get the actual ingredients. In the meantime, I suggest you get a red trace mineral salt block (or even just the pet spools, but you get less for your money). The whole colony will benefit from it IF there are mineral or salt deficiencies in the feed. And in any case it will do no harm and will only cost a couple of dollars. I'd be interested in hearing a follow-up on this.

 

[Disney]

Disney, that is a nutritional breakdown, not an ingredients list. You may need to visit the manufacturer's website or email them to get the actual ingredients. In the meantime, I suggest you get a red trace mineral salt block (or even just the pet spools, but you get less for your money). The whole colony will benefit from it IF there are mineral or salt deficiencies in the feed. And in any case it will do no harm and will only cost a couple of dollars. I'd be interested in hearing a follow-up on this.

Oh sry, i think i'm going to consider to change my feed to Science Selective which is the most popular rabbit feed around here, Hope Farms as second. I feed Besterfood but not for long anymore.

Thankyou for the Mineral input, i will toss one in the colony
But not sure if i will see any changes afterwards.. pee drinking is not something you can watch for on a daily basis. :?
I'll do my best though.

 

[MaggieJ]

But not sure if i will see any changes afterwards.. pee drinking is not something you can watch for on a daily basis. :?
I'll do my best though.

LOL. Very true... It would be a very weird stakeout. Maybe just notice if they nibble on the mineral salt block.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It may be a lack of iron. Supposedly part of the reason veal calves are chained in their stalls is to prevent them from drinking their own urine. Allegedly the reason their flesh is so pale is due to anemia, and they will drink their urine in their quest for it. This may be ARA propaganda- I think it came from John Robbin's book Diet for a New America which I read twenty-plus years ago.

Still, it couldn't hurt to give some extra iron. I know spinach has high levels, and I am willing to bet the Queen of Weeds (that would be MaggieJ! ) will know more weeds or plants that contain lots of iron.

 

[MaggieJ]

Oh-oh... My reputation is at stake here and I don't know the answer.

Any of the dark leafy greens should contain a lot of iron. Dandelions, chicory, chard, spinach and so forth. In any case, there would be iron in the trace mineral salt blocks.

 

[3mina]

Your reputation is safe MaggieJ. I'd rather deal with an expert who can say 'I don't know, here are possibilties' than somebody who can't admit they might not have THE ANSWER.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Didn't mean to put you on the spot, MaggieJ!

List of top Ten Iron containing foods:

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/artic ... f-iron.php

Good luck getting the bunnehs to eat liver! :lol: It lists lots of herbs- dried which of course ups the percentage because they lack water, but I would offer them fresh. It also lists dried apricots, which I bet the rabbits would enjoy. It lists pumpkin and squash seeds, as well as sunflower seeds which we know are safe.

 

[MaggieJ]

You have to be careful giving herbs to rabbits because so many of them have medicinal properties. This applies particularly to pregnant or nursing does. Mint and sage, for instance, may cause a doe to lose her milk or even abort. For rabbits, I would stick to the dark leafy greens and the pumpkin, squash and sunflower seeds.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

How about Basil, Dill, Oregano and Thyme? It lists Parsley as an herb too, and we know that one is safe.

 

[Disney]

Hihi i just bought a salt mineral thingy and couldn't help myself from tasting it and it's good actually
I expected the rabbits to be all over it when i gave it to them but no, they seem to ingore it at first but i think they will go for it eventually.

Squash seeds we normally have in house but not at the moment, will ask my mom to get some when she does groceries at the Turks
pumpkin, we never have and probably never will so :roll:
apricot, will add to the shopping list when mom does groceries

Sunflower seeds.. we normally have the salted ones, does it matter what kind the rabbits are allowed to have?
And do i just peel something like 50 seeds and serve it with their pellets in the tray? Thought 50 would be too less for a colony of 5 does and 4 kits.. i probably have to get a bag of already peeled seeds, will also ask my mom to get this for me :lol:

Talking about Iron intake, i myself also lack iron due to my disease and was told to look out for iron supplements, but i never really payed attention to it. So now i know all of these products containing iron, i will probably use them myself together with the rabbits

About the herbs.. i didn't know mint and sage could cause abortion, good to know.. but would it be a 'stupid' idea to give it to a doe when she is expecting an unwanted litter? I have had a lot of these 'oops' litter due to my rabbits escaping and this is maybe something that might come to use when another 'accident' happens. Sorry if this sounds cruel but i was getting so desperate to call a vet and ask for a high dosis of oxytocin shot for abortion. If natural herbs do the same trick, then i would prefer to use natural products instead of a medical shot.

 

[AnnClaire]

Disney,

The only thing I would recommend changing is the sunflower seeds ... rather than salted cooked human consumption ones, try the Black Oil Sunflower Seeds sold for bird feed. They have plenty of oils and are fed raw with the shell on. The bunnies will either shell them or eat shell and all. Be a little spare on feeding them as they are very fattening But, they are very good in the winter as a "hot" food supplement - meaning they will help the rabbits generate plenty of body warmth even during the coldest times.

You might also want to put a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a gallon of water once a week ... it will provide some additional nutrients and minerals and they will appreciate the taste change.

 

[Piper]

It may be a lack of iron. Supposedly part of the reason veal calves are chained in their stalls is to prevent them from drinking their own urine. Allegedly the reason their flesh is so pale is due to anemia, and they will drink their urine in their quest for it. This may be ARA propaganda- I think it came from John Robbin's book Diet for a New America which I read twenty-plus years ago.
Still, it couldn't hurt to give some extra iron.

I was told that because calves will try to suck on anything, that they can suck on another calves drying umbilical cord and disembowelment the other calf. I know it is hard to have babies together, because they grow at different rates. I had a 5 week old goose, step on an 1 week old and kill it, I imagine that different sized calves can be somewhat like that too.
For iron, is there anything wrong with molasses?

 

[MaggieJ]

Not sure, MSD. You like research... You could check the medicinal uses for people and go from there. :twisted: If it is not recommended for pregnant/nursing women, I would avoid giving it to a pregnant/nursing rabbit.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Not sure, MSD. You like research... You could check the medicinal uses for people and go from there. :twisted:

Are we playing "hot potato"? I was trying to pass the buck back to you! :mrgreen: