Is my bunny scared?

[HoneyButtetcup]

Hi guys. I have 2 gorgeous 5 month old bunnies. They mostly roam freely when I am home either in the house or in the garden but always have access to their 6ft hutch in the garden. We’ve just had some awful heavy rain and one of my bunnies ran into the house but my other bunny ran into the hutch (which has a waterproof cover over it) and started running rapidly from one side of the hutch to the other. Do you think she’s scared of the rain? They sleep outside in their hutch so I’d hate it to rain in the middle of the night when I’m sleeping and for her to panic? Any advise would be appreciated. They have 2 floors in their hutch, a hideaway, lots of hay, a bed and other places they can hide if scared. Thank you xx

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

It is likely that she was scared. Was she thumping at all? What type of hutch is it - is it soundproofed at all? Rabbits tend not to like loud noises and certain bunnies get scared more than others. As long as they have proper shelter, and are protected from any rain that can get into the hutch, she will likely be okay. But if you are worried about it, taking them into the house for a little while shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Moonshadow]

You could try desensitized them. I got an 8-week old rabbit in February (he’s 7 months now) and have intermittently played loud YouTube videos of thunderstorms, fireworks, etc. while petting him to keep him calm. He was scared at first but gradually got used to the videos. Then when 4th of July came with fireworks over the house, he didn’t flinch and yesterday there was a huge thunderclap that made me react but when I went to check on him, he was flopped over on the ground wondering why I was checking on him.

 

[Catlyn]

You could try desensitized them. I got an 8-week old rabbit in February (he’s 7 months now) and have intermittently played loud YouTube videos of thunderstorms, fireworks, etc. while petting him to keep him calm. He was scared at first but gradually got used to the videos. Then when 4th of July came with fireworks over the house, he didn’t flinch and yesterday there was a huge thunderclap that made me react but when I went to check on him, he was flopped over on the ground wondering why I was checking on him.

It sounds like a good idea to play loud weather sounds while snuggling with the bunnies. I would be very cautious of how loud those sounds would be played. Rabbits have exyremely sensitive ears and we wouldn't want to damage or frighten them even more. Sometimes i put ambient music for my boys and i played it no louder than i would usually listen to radio music.