Full water bottle + no water coming out = frantic thirsty rabbits

[rickerra]

I feel bad. Neither of my does had access to water for a full day yesterday. And one of them is nursing a litter. I'm such a newb at this it didn't dawn on me until the evening.

Their water bottles on their cages were completely full... and I didn't realize that the water levels were not going down (consumed) all day.

Here's what I think happened. I filled the bottles full and with the drinking straws pointed up (bottle upside down) I give them a squeeze to create some vacuum in the bottle... then flip them right side up and put them on the cage. This helps keep them from dripping.

I think I squeezed too hard and the vacuum suction in the bottle held the ball in the straw up inside the bottle at the opening from lid to straw. Then when I flipped them right side up, the ball didn't drop down to the end of the drinking straw. This prevented any water from coming out of the bottle... no matter if the rabbit licked it or not.

This happened to two of my bottles at the same time. When I realized this problem, I fixed it quickly and both does went crazy on the bottles. I gave my nursing doe a dish of water too... which she switched to so she could drink faster.

This morning, both does seemed okay and "normal"... and I saw wiggling in the nest box. So... I'm crossing my fingers everything is okay.

Hope this can serve as a warning to others! Make sure the ball in the drinking straw of your water bottles falls to the tip.

 

[jessica117]

One other thing that can affect it is if the bottle is not completely upright or leaning to the back, left or right. Leaning to far to the back (away from the cage) seems to be the worst for it. I have to be really careful when hanging new bottles so that I get the support wire just the right length.

 

[hoodat]

I doubt one day was enough to do them harm unless the temps were very high but it's certainly something to remember for the future. I make it a habit to look at the water bottles several ties a day to see that they are going down. I'd rather have them drip a bit than not work.

 

[Lizzie098]

I would not do that any more, easpecially if its hot around your area. I never squeeze the bottle before I tip it up-side-down, and yes it drips for a few minutes but it stops. I hope your rabbits are ok though! Best of luck!

 

[dewey]

Glad they were ok. Anyone that's nursed human babies can attest to the need for water on demand.

Thought I'd mention that bottles with the brass push valves avoid the hassles of ball bottles, and they do not leak.

 

[rickerra]

Thanks all. I've been watching the does and the litter. They seem to be fine. It wasn't a hot day as they live in my garage which is usually in the 50's, temp wise.

I was refilling the bottles and played around with them to see what the issue was.
I tried varying degrees of the squeeze and flip method.

>A big squeeze creates a lot of vacuum/suction in the bottle... and as such doesn't leak. The ball in the straw does drop to the tip but when you tap it with your finger, nothing much comes out. Even after repeat jiggling of the ball. I think this is what happened to me.

>A mild squeeze creates a little vacuum in the bottle... and also helps prevent drips. The ball does drop to the tip... and when you tap the ball, it does let out a drop at a time on your finger. It doesn't flow... but rather just drop at a time. I imagine that would be annoying to drink from

>No squeeze... just fill and flip... initially leaks a tad, but I noticed it does slow and stop after a while. When you tap the ball, it flows down your finger... way more than a drop or two.

So I think I'll cease the squeeze and flip... and see how much drips end up in my under-cage waste drawers. Like Hoodat said, I'd rather them leak and work well and not leak and work poorly.

Cheers!