New Rabbit Blues?

[CedarRidge]

Just picked up a 10 month old Silver Fox buck. We got him last Tuesday, and he seems to be about as skittish in his new digs as expected. He's obviously leery about us, as were our initial trio we got a year ago. So, I'm not concerned about that aspect of the transition. What I am concerned about his water intake. The first night he took half a bowl of water. The second he took less. The third even less. And today it appears none at all. But he is eating well (pellets/few greens/few sunflower seeds/oats/manna.) He is not in distress. He moves about normally, and scratches and grooms himself normally. Everything about him appears to be normal other than a noticeable reduction in water intake. Do rabbits take a while to adapt to new types of water? Chlorinated versus rainwater, Filtered vs nonfiltered? I'm not sure what type of water his old owners were using, but I do know of breeders using rainwater collection to water their rabbits. I also know that regionally, chlorination levels of tapwater vary (so much so I can taste the difference). Is this something the rabbit could just be getting used to? He was watered using a bowl at his old home, and I've got him on a bowl here.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Just picked up a 10 month old Silver Fox buck. We got him last Tuesday, and he seems to be about as skittish in his new digs as expected. He's obviously leery about us, as were our initial trio we got a year ago. So, I'm not concerned about that aspect of the transition. What I am concerned about his water intake. The first night he took half a bowl of water. The second he took less. The third even less. And today it appears none at all. But he is eating well (pellets/few greens/few sunflower seeds/oats/manna.) He is not in distress. He moves about normally, and scratches and grooms himself normally. Everything about him appears to be normal other than a noticeable reduction in water intake. Do rabbits take a while to adapt to new types of water? Chlorinated versus rainwater, Filtered vs nonfiltered? I'm not sure what type of water his old owners were using, but I do know of breeders using rainwater collection to water their rabbits. I also know that regionally, chlorination levels of tapwater vary (so much so I can taste the difference). Is this something the rabbit could just be getting used to? He was watered using a bowl at his old home, and I've got him on a bowl here.

Yes, some rabbits can be sensitive to changes in their water. Some breeders who travel to shows bring water from home for this reason. He'll probably get used to it, but you might try adding something to the water to disguise its taste for a while to make sure he gets enough to drink. I've heard some people add a tiny bit of apple juice. You might try this before he starts having problems, then slowly reduce the amount of of juice until you're back to plain water.

 

[Preitler]

If your water is chlorinitad it might help to boil it for some time before giving to this rabbit, that should remove a substancial part of the chlorine, adding cold normal water gradually over time to get him used to it.

On the other hand, water intake differs a lot with my rabbits, after the initial stress and getting greens he might just not need that much.

 

[tambayo]

Temperature and humidity can influence water needs. Plus what individuals need. Some rabbits here drink more (or play with it), others make their 1L drinkers last 4-5 days easily. In summer, even with greens they tend to drink a lot more then winter with just dry stuff to eat. As long as he is happy and eating well i wouldn't worry about it.