My rabbit discovered that the pool in our backyard has water in it. She figured out a way to drink it. My family put a rock so she can better reach the turtle pool. I'm curious to know if the water from the turtle and fish pool is safe for the rabbit to drink.
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I don't think anything is gonna happen if it drinks 1 or 2 times but it increases the chance for it to get a disease or bacteria.– papakiasCommented Jul 15, 2016 at 11:08
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2 Answers
Turtles carry salmonella as well as other bacteria that can be harmful to your rabbit, both animals carry very different gut flora.
Rabbits are so so sensitive with their GI tract, that's like the #1 issue we see in clinic (GI stasis, diarrhea, hairballs etc..), an imbalance can be disastrous.
I'm sure a few drinks isn't going to be a problem but ideally fresh water is preferred.
answered Jul 15, 2016 at 11:53
My first thought is it should be fine. Rabbits eat poop so a bit of bacteria is probably not going to be an issue. My bigger concern would be fleas and parasites. For anybunny that gets to spend sometime outside I recommend Revolution see How accurate does the 30 day span when applying revolution flea treatment need to be?
answered Jul 15, 2016 at 11:17
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I have added some more tags to the question that will hopefully draw the attention of fish/reptile experts who can identify specific things the fish or turtle might pass to the rabbit. Commented Jul 15, 2016 at 11:19
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Rabbits eat their own feces (cecotropes) to absorb their nutrients, not everyone else's. Their gut flora is also vastly different from turtles so yes it could be harmful to the rabbit to ingest this water. Commented Jul 15, 2016 at 11:36
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2Lol I wanted to add a smiley at the end but the timer went out for an edit. Didn't know if I came off condescending or not :P Commented Jul 15, 2016 at 15:55