Can i give milk to my rabbit?

Question

Can i give milk to my rabit because he wont drink water unless its out of a syringe. we tried squash but no help.

Answer 1

No, rabbits cant digest dairy products so they are best avoided. If water consumption is a problem try giving plenty of fresh greens (kale, dandylion leaves, romaine lettuce) and serving them wet after rinsing.

Answer 2

No, do not give your rabbit milk. If you are concerned about dehydration, I would take your rabbit to the vet and maybe get some sub-q fluids. Your rabbit should perk up after that. Also, there may also be an underlying problem if your rabbit is refusing to drink water, which is another good reason to see the vet.

To try to get more fluids in your bunny, feed your rabbit damp pieces of parsley or cilantro. (If your rabbit won't eat, then that is a definite cause for concern and should be seen by a vet ASAP.)

You can also try putting a little bit of apple juice in your rabbit's water, to sweeten it a bit (do not use sugar). You can find small jars of 100% apple juice in the baby food section of the grocery store. Add only a little bit to the water, just until you can barely taste it.

You might want to try different methods of serving water also. Some bunnies prefer to drink out of a crock, rather than a water bottle.

Hope you figure something out. :)

Answer 3

How old is your rabbit? Is it a baby? It's not a good idea to feed milk to adult rabbits. For a baby it would be ok, but you would want to formulate it correctly.

Also, how did you determine that your rabbit is not drinking water? That would be hard to determine on an adult rabbit unless under certain circumstances. What type of waterer are you using? Some rabbits refuse to drink from a bottled waterer or a nippled waterer, others will refuse to drink for a bowl. Normally, a rabbit is more likely to drink from a bowl.

Sometimes rabbits are more prone to drink the water if you put a little bit of jello mix in the water or add a rabbit vitamin mix to the water.

Answer 4

No you can not. No dairy products should be given to your rabbit.
Yogurt neither. See link as to why.

Could it be that he is getting all the fluid he needs from his food?
Is this the only issue? Is your bunny normal in all other respects?
If not then you should seek the advice of a rabbit savvy vet.

Do you use a dish or a water bottle? If a water bottle make sure it isn't blocked.
Some bunnies prefer a dish, others the bottle you could try both to see if it makes a difference.

Also pineapple (fresh not canned) doesn't dissolve hair (which anyone can test at home) but *may* help break the binds holding the hair together.

Answer 5

Feeding pet rabbits is easy because nutritionally complete and balanced commercial pelleted diets are readily available. One of these pelleted diets and fresh water are all a pet rabbit requires. The pellets should be offered at all times unless overeating and obesity have become problems. Clean, fresh water also should be available at all times.
The pellets should be as fresh as possible when purchased and should be purchased in relatively small quantities. The pellets should be stored in the refrigerator to prevent premature spoilage. Pellets that will probably not be used within 2 months of purchase should be frozen immediately after purchase. Refusal to eat rancid pellets is a relatively common cause of inappetence among rabbits.

Fresh water should be offered daily, either in a bottle or in a heavy ceramic dish that cannot be easily overturned. Many hobbyists find the hanging drop-style bottles most satisfactory. The water container, regardless of the type used, should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected at least every 1-2 days.

Good quality hay (grass, alfalfa or clover) and/or grass clippings should be offered daily. Some researchers believe this practice reduces intestinal problems and the tendency to pull out and chew on hair.

Other food items (lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, carrot tops, beet greens, carrots, apples, etc.) can be offered in small amounts daily. These food items should not be offered in larger amounts because they are water-rich and lack the nutrient density of the pelleted diets. Furthermore, many rabbits develop a preference for these items over pellets if they are offered in large quantity. Rabbits can tolerate table food items offered daily if given in small amounts (no more than 20% by volume of the total diet). This is especially true of rabbits fed in this fashion from an early age.

Vitamin-mineral supplementation is not necessary if a pet rabbit is fed as outlined above. Some rabbit owners provide salt licks for their pets, but experts do not regard this addition as a necessity. Many rabbits love to gnaw and chew on their cage and on items within the cage. A well-boiled roundsteak bone (marrow removed) and/or small dog chew toys are often accepted as challenging gnawing substitutes.

Many veterinarians recommend adding pineapple or pina colada yogurt to the daily diet. Most rabbits willingly accept the yogurt, especially if they are introduced to it at a young age. Yogurt not only promotes and maintains the normal bacterial flora within the digestive tract, but the pineapple contains an enzyme (papain) that is thought to help dissolve any hair that has been eaten.

I couldn't find anything about milk, except for feeding newborn orphans with milk substitute.

Answer 6

I wouldn’t give a rabbit anything that fatty.

Want to hear my story? You do? Oh good…

I had a rabbit when I was a kid and one day I fed it some of my sandwich. From then on it turned it’s nose up at carrots, lettuce and all it’s special rabbit food and would only east bread. In a couple of months it became twice the size of a normal rabbit. Are there advantages to a fat rabbit? Sure. A couple rabbits in my neighbour hood had been killed by cats, and one day I saw a cat in my garden. There was a wonderful moment as the cat went charging up to my rabbit, froze, realised the rabbit was some kind of mega bunny and was promptly chased back out my garden by my waddling pet.

*Laugh now*

Then the rabbit died (lightly cause: obesity)

* Now cry *

What a rollercoaster of a story huh? And it’s true. Well worth the 5 points it cost you I’m sure you’ll agree.

Answer 7

Don't give it human milk. Go to your local pet store and get your rabbit some there to drink just to be on the safe side. Good Luck with your Rabbit

Answer 8

I am concerned about the fact your rabbit is being given the water out of a syringe. Is it sick or very young?

Answer 9

You can give a pet formula, but not cow's milk..How about watermelon or cantaloupe..See if he will drink water with a little sugar in it..or Gatoraid..have you tried bottled water? Are his front teeth normal? If they have grown too long, it will keep him from being able to drink..If they are long, you can clip them with toenail clippers, and it doesn't hurt the rabbit...They don't have the nerves in their teeth as other animals do..

Answer 10

no you cant give milk to a rabbit. as long as you give plenty of greens, which have mostiure in you should be fine. You could always try giving him friut as well and supreme do a sachet food i think it is called recovery which you mix with water and syringe feed.