Whether you’ve come across a rabbit nest by accident or have pet bunnies, new-born baby rabbits require special care and attention.
In most situations, their mother is the best judge, but if you need to aid with the care of a young rabbit, we are here to help.
Yes, baby rabbits do drink water. At around three to four weeks of age, baby bunnies will begin to sip water. While they are young, you can offer them a shallow dish of water to sip from.
Babies often look to their moms to show them how to drink from a water bottle. As they become older, you may need to lower the water bottle or build a little slope to make it simpler for them to reach.
If you want to learn more about your pet bunny baby’s drinking requirements, keep reading!
Do Baby Bunnies Need Water?
Baby rabbits require a constant supply of fresh water. After the first several weeks have gone, they will begin to drink.
A baby rabbit’s only source of nutrition will be its mother’s milk in the beginning. The young rabbit will start drinking water after a few weeks.
It’s important to keep an eye on this, especially when the baby bunnies start seeking for water and may try to eat the mother rabbit’s food.
If the baby bunnies are starting to approach the mother’s water bottle, it’s probably time to add another bottle to the mix. This will keep everyone hydrated, ensuring that the mother’s water supplies are not jeopardised at this time.
Can You Give Baby Rabbits Water?
Yes, you can give baby bunnies water. In most cases, a mother rabbit teaches her offspring how to drink from a water bottle.
You could possibly throw in a little dish of water if you want to. Expect wet infants since they will dance in it by falling in and shaking themselves out.
Keep in mind that you don’t want it to be too deep for them to drown. Make sure you’re meeting your baby bunny’s drinking requirements.
Do Wild Baby Rabbits Drink Water?
With the number of wild rabbits in urban areas rising, the chances of finding a nest of young bunnies are higher than ever. Unfortunately, abandoned nests are not always abandoned.
Wild young bunnies that have been taken from their nests by people are unlikely to survive without the assistance of a veterinarian or a trained wildlife rehabilitator.
Any new-born wild rabbit should have continual access to hay, water, and fresh greens similar to what it would consume in the wild. Greens and hay are eaten by even the tiniest rabbits.
As a result, if you’re caring for a wild new-born bunny, make sure he has access to fresh water at all times. In a tiny, shallow dish, you may feed him water.
How Do I Make A Baby Rabbit Drink Water?
A tiny bottle can be used to make a new-born rabbit drink water. To properly meet your bunny’s drinking requirements, follow these steps:
- Put the bottle’s teat in the bunny’s mouth.
- Carefully place the teat of the bottle in the mouth of the baby rabbit to feed it.
- To get the teat between the bunny’s side teeth, tilt it slightly rearward. It is important to note that the teat cannot be inserted squarely between their front teeth.
- Slide the teat around to the front once it is nestled between the side teeth.
- Squeeze the bottle gently to release a little amount of formula.
- The young bunnies should begin sucking within a few minutes.
Continue to feed the baby with this formula twice a day for three to four days, with the last feed around sunset, as the mother would.
Put a small flat container lid of water and a small flat container lid of the formula in the hutch when the bunnies are four days old or older.
Keep an eye on the bunny babies to observe how they’re progressing. They should start eating the formula and drinking the water on their own.
Check for dampness in the hutch. Replace any spilt formula to ensure that they are consuming the recommended quantity.
In the evening and morning, refill the formula and water bottles. Make sure the rabbits don’t get too much formula.
Do not place a deep-water dish in the rabbit enclosure, since the bunnies may drown.
How Do I Know If My Baby Rabbit Is Dehydrated?
The following are the symptoms of your baby rabbit being dehydrated:
1. Dark Urine
Rabbits’ dark urine, like ours, is an obvious indicator of dehydration. It might be difficult to distinguish the color of your rabbit’s pee since red urine can be mistaken for black urine.
By smelling the difference between normal and black urine, you can identify which is which. The smell of ammonia is greater in dark urine induced by dehydration.
Check to verify if the water in your rabbit’s bowl is still fresh. When rabbits don’t like the smell of water, they can sometimes refuse to drink.
2. Wrinkled Skin
Another indication of dehydration is wrinkled skin. Dehydration may be detected by carefully removing a little piece of skin from the back of your baby rabbit’s neck. If the skin stays in place for a few seconds, it’s a sign that your rabbit is dehydrated.
Check whether your baby rabbit’s feces is normal or watery if it has access to a regular supply of water. Your rabbit’s refusal to drink fluids might be caused by diarrhea or digestive problems.
3. Fever
Fever with dehydration is a significant problem that should be treated by a veterinarian. If your rabbit gets a fever, regardless of whether or not he or she is dehydrated, take him or her to the veterinarian.
4. Lethargy
Rabbits, like humans, feel lethargic and have reduced energy levels when they are dehydrated.
Check to see whether your rabbit’s water is still safe to drink. Keep in mind that your rabbit’s water should resemble the water you would drink.
If it seems to be filthy, some rabbits may be hesitant to drink it due to the odour.
5. Lack Of Appetite
A loss of appetite is another typical sign of dehydration. Lack of appetite is often accompanied by lethargy, indicating that your rabbit lacks the energy to eat.
Your rabbit’s lack of appetite is highly hazardous, and it should be rushed to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
If a rabbit goes twelve hours without eating, it can develop gastrointestinal stasis. This may lead to organ failure and death if not treated right after.
What Are The Benefits Of Baby Rabbits Drinking Water?
The benefits of baby rabbits drinking water are:
1. Hydration
The need to stay hydrated will always be a factor in why new-born bunnies drink water.
This is a normal part of life, but it’s important to consider why a young rabbit might prefer to drink from the water bottle rather than the mother rabbit’s milk supply. This is a change that takes a few weeks to complete.
Because the new-born rabbits must live, the shift will happen faster with bigger litters.
If you observe this, it’s a good idea to get the water bottle ready and make sure the new-born bunnies have somewhere to drink.
They will be sustained by water, which will play a key part in their development. If they don’t, they’ll start becoming sick, and some will die!
Take your time to pick a suitable water bottle for young bunnies that you can quickly set up.
2. Physical Development
You’ll need to pay attention to your baby bunnies growth trends.
The usual baby rabbit will grow quickly, which is a normal aspect of their physical development. This will only happen if they are given enough milk at the start and enough water as they develop.
If not, the new-born rabbit will rapidly get sick. This occurs frequently, and it is not a pleasant sight to behold even in the best of situations. Your objective should be to spend time learning about what the new-born rabbit’s body needs to grow.
This will include a constant supply of fresh water for the young bunnies to drink whenever they need it.
3. Independence
When it comes to new-born bunnies drinking water, this is a distinct benefit.
They’ll have to learn to be self-sufficient shortly because that’s what would happen in the wild. After the young bunnies have grown up, they will go their own way.
As a result, they’ll need to learn how to obtain food as quickly as possible. Taking a drink from the water bottle at home is a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Should Baby Rabbits Drink?
Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) or goat milk, which may be purchased at pet stores or even a local veterinarian’s office, should be offered to baby rabbits.
How Does A Wild Bunny Get Water?
The bulk of the water consumed by wild rabbits comes from dew and the plants they eat.
How Long Can Rabbits Go Without Water?
A rabbit cannot go longer than twenty four hours without drinking.
Final Words
After a few weeks of sipping milk from their mother rabbit, baby bunnies are more than eager to take a glass of water. If a water source is close, they will take a drink as soon as they are able to move about.
This is simple to do at home, and you can even control the sort of water the young rabbit drinks!
This is great, and you should concentrate on it as much as possible. Ascertain that the water is pure and suitable for the rabbit.
Drop down your queries and doubts regarding your baby bunny and we will answer them soon!
