Which drink for my rabbit?

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And yes! The rabbit, like all living beings, needs to drink. That is why it is essential to give him water every day and even several times a day if his bowl is empty.

01 – The container

First of all, to put the water in your rabbit, you need a container. For this purpose three categories of container offer to you: Fountains, bottles and bowls.

Fountains have the advantage of being very simple and take up less space than a bowl. However, they must be cleaned and dried very carefully if you do not want bacteria to proliferate and develop, which could affect your rabbit.

As far as feeding bottles are concerned, cleaning should be done as well as for water fountains. Furthermore, I for one strongly advise against the use of these objects because they lead to an unnatural and very uncomfortable position for the rabbit, which often not only has difficulty drinking but can also have consequences on its spine.

The last and best option is the ceramic bowl that can be used as a container. These have the advantage of being simple to clean, easy to access and above all heavy so that your rabbit cannot spill it. Ideally, the bowl should be placed away from the litter tray and rack so that it is not unnecessarily soiled.

02 – Water with little limescale

In order to hydrate your rabbit I advise you to use tap water. Avoid water from the refrigerator, which is often too cold for the rabbit. However, if ever your tap water is too hard, it may be wise to take tap water filtered with a specific filter or to buy mineral water low in calcium such as Volvic or Grand Barbier (available in France but I don’t know for other countries).

It is very important to avoid too much calcium in rabbits because it can cause urinary problems and kidney stones.

03 – Any other drinks?

All other drinks should be banned from the rabbit’s diet, especially fruit juices, milk, coffee, tea, sodas…etc. and also the “detox” drinks that can be found in pet shops far too rich for a rabbit.

The only exception to this rule is to hydrate a sick rabbit. Indeed, there is a little trick to help a sick rabbit stay hydrated, which consists in pouring a few drops of a fruit juice (100% pure juice) low in sugar into its water.

Just like a dog, the rabbit represents a long-term commitment. Today rabbits live on average about ten years. Moreover, for some time now, veterinarians have noticed that with the progress of medicine and the improvement of the living conditions of these animals, more and more of them are able to live up to 15 years. It is important to take this information into account before deciding to adopt a rabbit.