When our family first started raising meat rabbits, we used water bottles to make sure our bunnies were well hydrated. That worked fine because we only had three rabbits, but as our rabbitry grew, it became pretty annoying to fill up 10 or more water bottles every day. I did some research and found that a lot of people use 5 gallon buckets to build a gravity fed watering system. However, there wasn’t a lot of information on how to actually build the system. It took some trial and error, but I eventually figured it out and it’s actually pretty simple. I’m here to share what I’ve learned!
Supplies You’ll Need
Before you begin, you’ll need to get your supplies. I originally ordered mine from Amazon, but I recently came across the site RabbitNipples.com and they actually sell a starter kit with everything you need (minus the food grade buckets and lids). I’ve never purchased through their site, so I’m not sure how long it takes for shipping or if the customer service is any good. I’ll link to the kit, but I’ll link include the Amazon links as well.
- RabbitNipples.com starter kit (I’ve never personally ordered this kit, and this is not an affiliate link)
- Black tubing
- Bucket connection
- Nipples
- Food grade bucket
- Bucket lids
- Zip ties
If you order the products from Amazon, make sure you check the reviews for quality. The one I linked to has worked really well for us, but the first option I tried was so cheap that the rabbits were somehow breaking the metal. It actually looked like it some some other material, painted to look like metal.
With my first attempt at this build, I decided to use clear tubing instead of black. I thought this would be better because I could see when it was dirty and know when I should clean it. What I didn’t realize was that if light can get in, algae will grow. The black tubing prevents algae from growing, so it greatly minimizes how often you’ll need to clean or replace it.
Building Your Rabbit Watering System
Now it’s time to get started on the build!
Step 1: Getting the bucket ready
First, you’ll need to drill a hole in your food grade 5 gallon bucket. It just needs to be big enough to fit your connection piece. Make sure it’s 1-2 inches from the bottom of the bucket so that any debris that may get in the bucket will sink to the bottom rather than clog up the tubes. I use two buckets, and each bucket feeds 4 cages.
I didn’t take a picture of the hole before I added the connector, but here’s what it looks like from the outside…
…and from the inside.
Step 2: Cleaning
Clean your bucket well. I use a bleach spray because it seems to further slow the growth of algae.
Step 3: Attach bucket connection
There’s not much more to be said for this step. The connection piece is really easy to attach!
Step 4: Attach tubing and nipples to cages
Cut your black tubing to size. This will depend on how you have your cages set up. There are a few videos on YouTube where people show ho they do this. Here’s one that I found helpful:
He actually goes through step by step for how he builds his waterer. I ended up doing things a bit differently. I liked his idea for measuring the water level, but I had a ton of issues with earwigs and nasty stuff getting in there. I also couldn’t take off the T connector for cleaning without breaking it. I found the bucket connection piece to be a much better option, and I just plan on filling up the bucket every 2-3 days, depending on how many rabbits I have.
I measured out my tubing, and connected it with the T connectors that come with the nipples. Here are some pictures to show you what I mean:
This is how you attach the tubes to the T connectors. Sorry for all the rabbit hair… But if you raise rabbits, you know that there is always hair everywhere.
Normally I just zip tie the tubing along the top of the cage, but this rabbit was a chewer. She chewed a hole in the tubing, so I put down a strip of wood to keep her from reaching it.
This is what the nipples will look like once attached. I didn’t quite get what the springs were for at first, but here you can see how they keep the nipple in place.
Once you get to the last cage, you need to tie off the end, like so.
Step 5: Testing Your System
Once you’ve got all your tubing and nipples attached to your cages, you can find a good spot for your bucket and attach the tubing line to your bucket connection. Don’t forget that this is a gravity fed system, so the bucket needs to be higher than your cages for it to work properly. I hang mine from a rope, but you could also sit it on top of a cage with a sturdy piece of plywood. Or if you’re crafty, build a nice shelf for it.
Fill up your bucket and put on the lid. Then hold down the nipple on the last cage until all the air is out of the tubing. That’s it!
I hang my bucket with paracord so it sits higher than the cages to ensure good waterflow. I use one of my kids’ t-shirts to block out more light and further prevent algae growth.
If all goes well, you’ll soon have a functioning automatic watering system and you can kiss those water bottles goodbye! If your rabbits are used to drinking out of water bottles or bowls, it may take time for them to figure out how to use the nipples. You can use your finger to show them how it works. I’ve only ever had one rabbit struggle with it, but he figured it out after a couple days of me helping him. Any kits born using this system will get it with no issues, since they’ll have mom to show them how.
Good luck, and happy homesteading!
