My 12-week-old mini rex rabbit isn't drinking water. Should I worry?

A rabbit that is not eating or drinking should be seen by an exotic species veterinarian as soon as possible. She is at risk of developing dehydration and GI stasis which can lead to death. Until your appointment, you can try offering fresh, dark, leafy greens (kale, collards, etc) and other palatable greens, like cilantro, parsley, carrot top greens, to encourage her to eat. You can also soak rabbit pellets in water to make a slurry and carefully feed that to your rabbit via a syringe (baby dosing syringes can be bought in drug stores and discount stores). Make sure fresh Timothy hay and water is available. Carefully syringe feeding an electrolye replacement solution, like Pedialyte, can help with dehydration. http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-health/gi-stasis-in-rabbits-a-deadly-condition/

If Bugsy is eating and drinking ok, and acting normally, and using his litter box normally, he is probably ok. If he is not eating well, or urinating blood, or drooling, he likely has something going on and needs to see a vet.

A rabbit as young as Orro should still be with his mother. Bunnies should not be separated until they are at least 8 weeks of age. They will start nibbling solid food at 2 weeks of age but still require mother's milk and nursing. Orro should be examined by a veterinarian experienced in treating rabbits to make sue there is no illness or injury. Follow this link for information regarding the care of domestic bunnies: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html

Hi there! Storm can drink out of a water bowl no problem. I have two rabbits, and even when we are camping they drink out of their water bowls. I find this is cleaner and easier than dealing with dripper bottles that always leak. The key is you need a very heavy, crockery-type bowl that can't be dumped over--this works best. And make sure you change the water at least every other day. Have fun--buns are the best! PS if you insist on using the bottle, he will absolutely figure it out sooner or later :).

You may want to consider putting a bowl of water in his cage and see if he will drink from that as well. Also the ball in those bottles can become difficult to push back and may not seem broken but may be too tough for the bunnies tongue to manipulate. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

You rabbit might be suffering from gut stasis, a common condition in rabbits of all ages, you will need to take him to the vet ASAP in order to get it treated, if it is only a mild stasis, medical treatment should be successful.

I think the bunny looks fine. Just because it is smaller does not mean it is not healthy. You can add goat milk (regular, not low fat) to the kitten milk replacer and a pinch of acidophilus (aka Probiotic) to the formula to promote healthy gut flora. Formulas vary depending on region. Avoid Esbilac and any puppy formulas. FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY and let them have free choice alfalfa hay. At 3-6 weeks of age they should be eating about 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings a day) but it may be LESS depending on size of rabbit so they little one may only eat 8-12cc. That is OK. Hope this helps.