Bunny doesn't seem happy

We have recently changed the run for my female french lop and it's fab...she has a runaround tunnel going between her hutch and the run (which is covered over). This run has a door in it which I leave open in the day so she can come and go as she pleases.

But the odd thing is, since we've done it, she hardly comes out at all. Spends all day in her hutch or run. BUT before we had this (when we just had a flimsy make shift run built around her hutch) she was in the garden practically all day!

I can't work it out - I can't decide whether she hates it and is unhappy or loves it so much she doesn't want to leave! Just seems so unlike her not to out hopping around.

We've only had her a few months as we rehomed her (she's 5) and I know that in her previous home she was in her hutch the whole time, was never out at all...hence why when she first came here she was out all day long bless her.

Any ideas as to what I should do, if anything?

It takes some bunnies quite a while to get used to a change so maybe this is the reason. Can she get through the tunnel easily or perhaps she isn't used to a tunnel and at 5 it might take ages to get used to it. Rabbits tend to feel more comfortable with familiar settings - hopefully she will get used to her new layout soon! :thumb:

She can get through it (got their largest one) and she does go back and forth from hutch to run..but she's not really coming out of the run to the garden which she always did before.

She was thumping lots but that has stopped..she always used to thump in her hutch at night..hence us making a secure run to use at night too.

Do you mean she usually free ranges in the garden unsupervised ? Even in daylight this would be a huge risk. Maybe she has become aware of the proximity of a predator ?

She does, or did...we both work from home so are around all the time and I'm generally in the conservatory. Although I guess it's possible something has spooked her, but if so would she still be like that after a week or so?

Actually something I've just thought of...maybe the new set up has coincided with the weather being really windy recently. As she's not used to being out she probably isn't used to it?

Some rabbits don't like the wind that's true so it might be the weather, we just don't know. If she has been thumping at night it's possible a fox or a cat is around and she is frightened.

Thumper123 said:

She does, or did...we both work from home so are around all the time and I'm generally in the conservatory. Although I guess it's possible something has spooked her, but if so would she still be like that after a week or so?

Actually something I've just thought of...maybe the new set up has coincided with the weather being really windy recently. As she's not used to being out she probably isn't used to it?

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I have just come to this thread, and I was going to suggest a change in the weather - it's certainly changed quite dramatically here :shock:

I know she often thumps through frustration, but obviously could be thumping when scared too. In her previous home where she didn't get out, she thumped most nights and actually smashed a hole in the back of the hutch! When she first moved here she still thumped until she had time out of her hutch every day then she was fine. I find now she mainly thumps in the morning if I'm late (feeding her!).

Thanks for the comments everyone...I guess I won't know for definite but hopefully the wind will die down soon as I'll see what she's like then. This is all new to me..I just want her to be happy.