Winter blues

I was just wondering what everyone is doing on here to keep their bunnies happy with the snow outside?

I tried my bun out in it but she sat on my feet, so I know she was too cold to enjoy it. But now I know she is getting bored but I dont know what to do with her.
She is an indoor bunny and has more room to live than any in a hutch, but she is seriously moping around. She is doing a lot of sleeping and her food bowl is emptied in one sitting, this making me think she is hungry all day.
I just don't know what to do to break her day up with.
Last year I had another bunny which she was bonded with and they would play outside for 20 mins each day together even in the snow. But now it's just her I'm at a loss. At least before they would play together, chasing each other room to room.
I think my baby is depressed

lauraocal said:

I was just wondering what everyone is doing on here to keep their bunnies happy with the snow outside?

I tried my bun out in it but she sat on my feet, so I know she was too cold to enjoy it. But now I know she is getting bored but I dont know what to do with her.
She is an indoor bunny and has more room to live than any in a hutch, but she is seriously moping around. She is doing a lot of sleeping and her food bowl is emptied in one sitting, this making me think she is hungry all day.
I just don't know what to do to break her day up with.
Last year I had another bunny which she was bonded with and they would play outside for 20 mins each day together even in the snow. But now it's just her I'm at a loss. At least before they would play together, chasing each other room to room.
I think my baby is depressed

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Bunnies slow down in winter naturally. In the wild they spend increasing amounts of time in the burrows and if it is wet/cold may not venture out at all. So don't be worried that your bun is sleeping more - both mine are too (and they are both housebuns). In fact my female dwarf lop is literally stretched out in front of the fire after a busy day sleeping....it's hard work all that sleeping! :roll::lol: Our dutch boy is quite different and is cantering around as normal really, and lightly snoozing in between as he always does, perhaps on just a slightly slower setting. Personality will play a part.

To get as much out of them during these sleepy winter months you can tie in their routine and opportunities to exercise with when they are most awake, as always early morning - sun-up and at this time of the year early evening just at dusk or just after 4-6pm. You will find by 6-7pm your bunny is already winding down for bed in winter. So if you can get bunny up and doing things early morning 7-8am and 4-6pm in the evening you can maximise their activity. Feed fresh hay at this time and nothing else - gets them foraging and burning off lots of energy, perhaps a quick hop outside as you have tried - but it needs to be at this time of the day. If I take mine out at the wrong time they will not be impressed and will be begging at the door to come back in! It is too cold for anything more than 10 mins playtime outside....but if you take them out when they are naturally awake - we do it around 6pm they should have a good hop around - my two were racing around all over the place in the garden yesterday evening and binkying.
Cardboard boxes and willow balls/baskets stuffed with hay make a great wet play activity if it is too wet outside for even a quick hop, you can hide a raisin in the middle or a tiny piece of dried fruit like dried papaya/pineapple.
Can I suggest you perhaps move some of your own activities to the floor? Sounds strange but the minute i'm sorting paperwork on the floor or writing Xmas cards I am immediately a magnet for two nosey bunnies intent on chewing and rearranging my papers! Buns are very nosey!

I would cut down the amount of concentrated food you are feeding her to just an eggcup full (cut it down slowly over a week or two). If she is feeding in one sitting such a large amount of high calorie food there is no instinctive need to feed anymore for the rest of the day it will fill her up for the whole day, so she might as well sleep. Instead offer lots of fresh hay in the morning/day and perhaps save her pellets for the evening, that way she will be hungry in the morning and eat lots of hay that will encourage her to forage and use up lots more energy. Using more energy can stimulate activity in return.
If she seems a little depressed from lack of rabbit company then perhaps you could consider a friend in the near future to bond her with? A bunny friend is a great way to encourage a solitary bun to play more. There are hundreds in rescue at this time of the year desperate for a home.

I desperately want to get her bonded again but I live with family now and as the one I have is a little destructive, they aren't too keen on getting another.
Hopefully soon though I could get her bonded again, but its just not possible right now.
I'm glad she is just being a normal bun, it was just with the way she behaved last year when she had company, I wasn't prepared for her inactivity.
She gets plenty of attention and I sit on the floor with her already, she loves to help me wrap prezzies