Bottles or bowls?

There is new research evidence coming out to suggest that buns are less likely to drink as much water from a bottle as they from a bowl. I'll post the paper when it comes out, but it looks like the reason for this is that it takes a lot more energy to drink from a bottle, and in the wild, rabbits don't reach their heads up to drink, so it's an unnatural behaviour.

I know some buns (and owners) have a preference for one or the other, but I wonder why that is? I know some people prefer to use bottles, because bowls can be tipped - Standard crock bowls aren't nec. big or heavy enough to stop that - but those big dog bowls would be sturdy enough.

I'd be interested to hear you opinions/experiences on it, so I can feed that back. We're probably gonna cover this in the next magazine edition.

Poll is multiple choice

Both daisy and I prefer a bowl, it is easier to clean, doesnt get limescale buildup around the nib, and he just hates using a bottle.

I have short small heavy solid bowls that are difficult to tip.

I can't believe that someone has decided to do research in to this? isn't it obvious that bunnies prefer bowls because it'a a more natural way of drinking? or am I missing something?

I voted bowl

You are missing something...the research was done with the aim to prove exactly that, so that bowls can be recommended over bottles, and we may see an end to bottles being sold.

Of my 8 bunnies 5 have bowls and 3 have bottles. Artie is on a diuretic so drinks a lot as well as wees a lot so it's essential he has a bowl. The ones with bowls all drink more, thinking about it.

I've always offered both and with Esme she never drank from a bowl so I took it away. The three that have bottles only have bottles, but I've decided to make sure they have a bowl as well so if they feel very thirsty, perhaps through being unwell or in very hot weather, it will be easier for them to get plenty of fluids.

I'm not sure if Binky can even drink from a bottle. When he came here at first I'm ashamed to say he only had a bottle (that's what he was used to) and the second day he hadn't eaten his pellets. I also noticed the water bottle was full. I immediately got him a bowl of water and he drank for ages I felt so bad for him. Within a couple of hours he also ate the pellets, I think he just didn't want them as they were too dry when he couldn't also drink.

Mine all have large, heavy bowls which they can't tip up.
The outdoor buns have bottles attached to the runs but
only Hazel and Scamp seem to drink from it. I put them
in as a back up in case they do manage to tip up the bowls.

I spent £7 on a bottle the other day to see whether that leaks at all, its chewproof but i don't know if its leak proof yet.

I hate the bottles, one i had leaked everywhere and generally made a mess. Marsh also seemed to dislike it as he was constantly biting and yanking it. He has a waster bowl that attaches to the side of his cage, and i put it on top of his house where he spends a lot of time, and makes it not too high for him.

Chewy doesn't like bottles, he always tries to break them, I think it's because the water doesn't come out fast enough.
But he drinks from it anyway. He has a bottle in his indoor hutch, because with a bowl he makes a mess by putting his front paws in it.
He has a bowl outside though that he shares with my cat, so he has both and drinks from both.

My bun has a bowl because he is completely free all of the time. He doesn't know what a hutch is.

Jo xx

When the rabbits are out though they like drinking from a bowl.

i always used bottles when Bobby was a lone bun, apart from after she had her spey. It then hit me that as she was so weak after her spey, it must take an awful lot of energy to drink the water from the bottle. So I then used both, and she def prefered the bowl.

then after Bobby and carlo were bonded and they came back from the rescue, they refused to use the bottle, so i leave two big dog bowls of water out for them to drink, and they do drink about double the amount now

My trio have a couple of bowls, my outdoor pair have access to a bottle and a bowl. (The bottle was easier to prevent freezing up overnight in the winter than a bowl). The bottle is rarely touched, the bowl needs re-filling daily.

I prefer bowls, they are so much easier to keep clean and I use the big heavy crock dog bowls which have never been over turned (Famous last words.Tomorrow I'll have water everywhere!!!!)

I prefer bottles because my rabbits are so messy. Jelly would tip a bowl over, and a big bowl just gets full of hay and then they wont drink out of it, so i have to use a bottle.
Domino hates bottles, he pulls at the spout and gets frustrated. In the summer they get a bowl too as i worry that they wont get enough water, but they just get it so messy it isnt practical.

My free-range buns have a heavy dog bowl so it doesnt get flung. My two hutch-n-run combo buns have bottles.

I have never found a bottle that doesn't leak, even the supposed 'leak-free' ones! The bunnies are free range and are happy to drink from a bowl. The piggies however do not seem to understand the concept of drinking from a bowl and have to have a bottle.... drip drip drip!

Okayy I voted one bottle and one for bowl because Thistle loves drinking from the bottle, even though he drinks more than Luna...I started putting a bowl down as well the other week because - well we had a nice spare bowl I bought ages ago and I thought I should use it. Since I put that down, Luna drinks from that and not from the bottle...and she seems to drink more now.

Jay wrote:You are missing something...the research was done with the aim to prove exactly that, so that bowls can be recommended over bottles, and we may see an end to bottles being sold.

Hmmmmmm well that's told me then............again

Funnily enough I just started giving my two a bowl this week because they seemed to be ignoring the bottles all of a sudden. Both are used, but I'm starting to think they prefer the bowl, definitely. I worry a little because I know you have to be careful with chickens and water and the bowls I use for the buns just seem so deep in comparison to what the chooks have.

I prefer bowls because they're easier to fill when I'm still asleep in the mornings and easier to clean.

I initially tried Josephine out with a bottle, she barely drunk from it, so I switched to a bowl and her water intake increased. Since bruce has come along he occasionally knocks it over, although not frequently. So in the summer I fill two bowls, both to make sure they have enough water and also to make sure that if they knock one bowl over when I'm out they still have another bowl's left.

I might try putting bowls in their cages as they pull a their bottles and the bottles leak everywhere! I spent £7 on a bottle and it still leaks!

Thanks for your responses, it's interesting. From a welfare point of view, if buns don't drink as much from a bottle as from a bowl, then the recommendation of bottles should be addressed really. Will probably do an article on it for hopping Mad next time

I dont think mine drink much. Maybe i just cant tell though because it gets replaced throughout the day. They prefer a bowl though.

My duo have a bottle because they will throw a bowl about which absolutely floods the hutch, they do have a bowl in the run where it doesn't matter though.

Juno has a bowl as she has absolutely no idea how to use a bottle.

From a selfish human perspective I prefer a bottle but the rabbits do prefer a bowl, drinking from a bottle looks hard work for little reward to me. It is easier to monitor consumption in rabbits that may have potential renal problems from a bottle though.

They have a bowl but hardly drink much as they eat alot of veg which I cover with extra water.They have a bottle attatched to their cage over night but they never use it.The only time their water bowl is almost emptied is when they have dried grass instead of hay.