Body weight and water consumption in rats

Abstract

Lighter animals consumed more water than did heavier animals during ad lib drinking. This inverse relation between body weight and consumption was most apparent if the data were analyzed in terms of body weight. While on 23- and 47-h water deprivation, lighter rats drank more than heavier animals during the 1 h that water was available if their intakes were expressed in terms of body weight but not in absolute terms. The fact that animals consumed more water during the day than during the night was attributed to conditions of constant illumination that prevailed in the housing quarters.