Your Pet Rabbit's Water Supply
The most important part of feeding your rabbit isn't food at all, but rather water. Rabbits will not eat if they do not drink.
When you purchase your pet rabbit, be sure to ask what kind of water he or she is use to. My rabbits are on well water and are not acclimated to a municipal water supply. I recommend that buyers purchase a bottle of spring water and then gradually switch them over to their tap water. Filtered water is an acceptable substitution. If the rabbit is already on a water supply like yours, you don't have to do anything special.
Why all the fuss? Rabbits do not tolerate changes very well, so anything you can do to make transitionals smoother and more incremental is worth it.
When I travel with my rabbits, I take my own water supply with me. Believe me, I wouldn't bother if I didn't think it was worthwhile.
Now that we've settled what kind of water to give your rabbit, let's talk about how to offer that water. Your two basic choices are water bottle and crock.
There are benefits and downsides to each. Let's talk about the water bottle first.
There is no doubt that the water bottle takes up less of the cage room than a crock does. Also, the water is protected from contamination from the bunny himself. Also, you can provide a whole quart of water to your rabbit easily.
The downside is that bottles can sometimes leak, even if they never have before. Also, bottles are harder to clean, which can lead to a bacteria or fungal build-up that you are not aware of. And, it's more hassle to take down a bottle, clean it out, refill it and rehang it than it is to use a crock.
Crocks are easy to wash and easy to refill. Since the water bottle or crock should be washed daily, that's a big deal. In fact, if you have two water crocks, you can alternate and just slip one into the dishwasher each day (if it grosses you out to wash your rabbit dishes with yours, just prewash the crock and then run it through the dishwasher for that extra bit of sanitizing that the dishwasher offers).
The down side to crocks is that the rabbit may tip over the crock (the crocks I recommend are really heavy - that's what you are looking for, heavy with straight sides). Your pet bunny can step on them, urinate in them, or kick litter into them. But since it is so easy to clean them, this may or not be a problem for you, depending on how often you visit your rabbit's cage. They also take up more cage space and do not hold a quart of water (but usually more than your rabbit will drink during the day or night).
I have an automatic watering system in my barn, but I use crocks for those rabbit cages that are not attached to the system (some temporary cages) and for litters so they don't have to compete for the one fount. When I travel, I use miniature water bottles. I'm not crazy about them and may start looking for a travel crock to change over to.
You can read more about rabbit food and feeding at Precious Pet Rabbits.
Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information and Rabbit Fun
When you purchase your pet rabbit, be sure to ask what kind of water he or she is use to. My rabbits are on well water and are not acclimated to a municipal water supply. I recommend that buyers purchase a bottle of spring water and then gradually switch them over to their tap water. Filtered water is an acceptable substitution. If the rabbit is already on a water supply like yours, you don't have to do anything special.
Why all the fuss? Rabbits do not tolerate changes very well, so anything you can do to make transitionals smoother and more incremental is worth it.
When I travel with my rabbits, I take my own water supply with me. Believe me, I wouldn't bother if I didn't think it was worthwhile.
Now that we've settled what kind of water to give your rabbit, let's talk about how to offer that water. Your two basic choices are water bottle and crock.
There are benefits and downsides to each. Let's talk about the water bottle first.
There is no doubt that the water bottle takes up less of the cage room than a crock does. Also, the water is protected from contamination from the bunny himself. Also, you can provide a whole quart of water to your rabbit easily.
The downside is that bottles can sometimes leak, even if they never have before. Also, bottles are harder to clean, which can lead to a bacteria or fungal build-up that you are not aware of. And, it's more hassle to take down a bottle, clean it out, refill it and rehang it than it is to use a crock.
Crocks are easy to wash and easy to refill. Since the water bottle or crock should be washed daily, that's a big deal. In fact, if you have two water crocks, you can alternate and just slip one into the dishwasher each day (if it grosses you out to wash your rabbit dishes with yours, just prewash the crock and then run it through the dishwasher for that extra bit of sanitizing that the dishwasher offers).
The down side to crocks is that the rabbit may tip over the crock (the crocks I recommend are really heavy - that's what you are looking for, heavy with straight sides). Your pet bunny can step on them, urinate in them, or kick litter into them. But since it is so easy to clean them, this may or not be a problem for you, depending on how often you visit your rabbit's cage. They also take up more cage space and do not hold a quart of water (but usually more than your rabbit will drink during the day or night).
I have an automatic watering system in my barn, but I use crocks for those rabbit cages that are not attached to the system (some temporary cages) and for litters so they don't have to compete for the one fount. When I travel, I use miniature water bottles. I'm not crazy about them and may start looking for a travel crock to change over to.
You can read more about rabbit food and feeding at Precious Pet Rabbits.
Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information and Rabbit Fun
posted by Laurie Stroupe at 12:09 AM
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