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Rabbits Have Particular Water Needs: A Full Breakdown of Scientific Watering Methods

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As the saying goes, "Better to lack a handful of grass than a mouthful of water," which fully illustrates the importance of drinking water for rabbits. So, what exactly does water do for a rabbit's growth, what happens after a rabbit is short of water, and how do you give rabbits water scientifically? 1. The role of water in rabbit growth. In the various tissues of a rabbit's body, water accounts for 70%, and in the blood it can reach 80%; the water content of bones, muscles and internal organs is 45%-75%. Not only is water indispensable for the digestion, transport and absorption of nutrients from all kinds of feed, the excretion of waste products and toxins produced by metabolism is also inseparable from water.

As the saying goes, "Better to lack a handful of grass than a mouthful of water," which fully illustrates the importance of drinking water for rabbits. So, what exactly does water do for a rabbit's growth, what happens after a rabbit is short of water, and how do you give rabbits water scientifically?

1. The role of water in rabbit growth

In the various tissues of a rabbit's body, water accounts for 70%, and in the blood it can reach 80%; the water content of bones, muscles and internal organs is 45%-75%. Not only is water indispensable for the digestion, transport and absorption of nutrients from all kinds of feed, the excretion of waste products and toxins produced by metabolism is also inseparable from water; the various biochemical reactions in the body require water, and the synthesis and decomposition of all kinds of nutrients are also inseparable from water. At the same time, water can also regulate body temperature and keep it constant.

2. The effects of insufficient drinking water in rabbits

If the water supply for rabbits is insufficient, rabbits show depression, reduced appetite, indigestion, slow growth and so on. Production practice shows that after rabbits stop being fed, they can still survive after losing 40% of their body weight; but if the water supply is stopped, losing 10% of the body's water will cause symptoms, and losing 20% of the body's water will lead to rapid death from dehydration. It can be seen how important it is to supply rabbits with water in time.

3. Supplying water to rabbits must be done scientifically

First, supply water according to the season: more on hot days and less on cold days, more on sunny days and less on cloudy days; second, supply water according to the feed consumed: more water when there is much dry matter, less water with green feed, more when the quality is good and less when the quality is poor; third, supply water according to the rabbit's constitution: more for the fat and less for the thin, water to satiety after kindling, add water for constipation and reduce it for diarrhea; fourth, supply water according to the state of illness: supply more water when a rabbit has a fever, supply salt water when there is sweating, and supply medicated water to prevent disease when there is diarrhea.

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