It was demonstrated that estradiol could modulate neuroendocrine and behavioral responses concerning body fluid and cardiovascular homeostasis. Not entirely consensual data support that estrogen may influence sodium appetite and food intake in cycling female and estrogen‐replaced ovariectomized (OVX) rats as well. The key question herein is whether differences in the baseline or stimulated water and sodium intake are a function of circulating estrogen in OVX rats and if there are any relationship with a conceivable skin sodium storage. Female Wistar (~230 g) rats were bilaterally ovariectomized and injected for 7 days with oil (OVX) or estradiol cypionate, 40 μg/kg (OVX+40). We evaluated spontaneous and induced water and sodium intake, plasma and urine electrolyte concentration. In addition, sodium skin level was determined in replete and sodium‐depleted OVX and OVX+40 rats. OVX rats displayed higher food intake compared to estrogen‐replaced rats. OVX+40 rats also showed a significant increase in sodium intake (7%) and normalized plasma sodium 24 h after sodium depletion, while OVX rats still maintained hyponatremia (−4%). However, OVX+40 rats expressed reduced sodium intake induced by sodium depletion compared with OVX rats. Estrogen‐replaced rats presented higher skin stored sodium load both at baseline (24%) and at 24 h after sodium depletion (52%). The osmotically active sodium load stored on the skin was higher (3.5%) in the estrogen‐replaced rats at baseline, but decreased (8%) after sodium depletion in this same group. The osmotically inactive sodium was not changed at any condition. The sodium/water ratio was significantly higher in the group of estrogen‐replaced rats after sodium depletion, compared to the OVX rats without replacement. Our data clearly show that estrogen influence behavioral ingestive response after sodium depletion in OVX rats. Regarding the higher plasma levels in our experimental paradigm, we may suggest that estrogen replacement makes them less vulnerable to volume depletion. This condition is possible based on, at least in part, on the ability of estrogen replacement to establishing higher levels of sodium stored in the skin.Support or Funding InformationCNPq, FAPERJ